"They would f***ing dominate this era" - Former NBA champion believes the 'Showtime' Lakers would be great in today's NBA, says it's dumb to compare eras
"Showtime," led by Magic Johnson, ushered in a new era of basketball in the 1980s that resulted in five NBA championships for the LA Lakers. Former NBA champion Kyle Kuzma believes that "Showtime" would be successful in the league today.
Kuzma was a recent guest on "The Draymond Green Show," where he discussed different eras of basketball with Draymond Green. They called comparing eras dumb before complimenting Johnson and the "Showtime" Lakers. Kuzma even thinks that they would have dominated the current NBA.
"It's dumb (to compare eras). There's also play styles and there's officiating," Kuzma said. "Are we gonna play with hand checks? Or are we playing with freedom of movement? There's certain teams that can get away with certain things."
"I believe that the 'Showtime' Lakers, they would f***ing dominate this era. I was watching Magic in the '80s, his highlights like earlier in the summer. People don't realize he was fast as s**t. No, no, he was fast as hell. He was getting the rebound, up the court in three dribbles and that's the NBA now."
“The showtime lakers they would fucking dominate this era” - Kuz
This was sick to see him give Magic props like this https://t.co/uvhBCe5Jnv
The 1980s Lakers were all about the fastbreak and run-and-gun style of basketball. The concept was introduced to the Lakers by Paul Westhead and it resulted in a championship in 1980. However, he changed the system the following season. In his third season, he was fired by Lakers owner Jerry Buss.
Buss replaced Westhead with Pat Riley, who revolutionized the team's up-tempo style. Johnson would start the fastbreak and feed James Worthy, Michael Cooper and Byron Scott. It also helped that they had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Whenever an opposing team stopped the fastbreak, the Lakers settled into their half-court offense. Abdul-Jabbar dominated the paint with his patented skyhook. At the end of the day, the Lakers went to nine NBA Finals during that period and won five championships.
Will the "Showtime" Lakers be successful in the NBA today?
The "Showtime" Lakers were one of the most revolutionary teams in NBA history. There's no reason to think that they would not be successful in the league today.
The NBA has fully adopted the fast-paced, positionless style of basketball due to the Golden State Warriors. Steph Curry and company took it to another level with their 3-point shooting.
It led to four championships and six NBA Finals trips since 2015. Now, the scoring around the league is at an absurd rate as shots from beyond the arc skyrocketed.
If the "Showtime" Lakers indeed played in today's NBA, they would just need to add shooters to their team. Magic Johnson's passing would still be unmatched, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would likely be unstoppable against smaller defenders.
But as mentioned by Kyle Kuzma and Draymond Green, it's dumb to compare eras. However, it's fun to think about certain legendary teams playing in the league today.