Garnett on Today's NBA: 'I Don’t Think Guys From 20 Years Ago Could Play in This Game'

Garnett credited Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Damian Lillard for changing the game.

Kevin Garnett, one of the toughest and most intense NBA players of his generation, took a different approach than his peers—who often criticize the style of play in today's NBA—and offered some candid remarks on what players can do in 2021. 

"I don't think guys from 20 years ago could play this game," Garnett told David Marchese of the New York Times Magazine. 

Garnett, who played for the Timberwolves, Celtics and Nets from 1995 to 2016, said the new style of basketball is "on another level" and lauded players for their conditioning while shooting record numbers of three-pointers. 

"I want you to get on a court, sprint corner to corner, stop on a dime and shoot a three," Garnett said. "I want you to do 10 of those. Then I want you to focus on how tired you are. Because these players do that for 48 minutes."

Garnett was a prolific defender in his playing days and has nine All-Defensive first-team seasons to prove it—not to mention a Defensive Player of the Year trophy. Unlike the defensive style of the 90s, players are no longer allowed to hand check ball handlers and Garnett acknowledged how difficult it must be for players to defend and said they have to resort to taking away players' angles now. 

Garnett also attributed the new style of NBA play to Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard and Klay Thompson for revolutionizing the sport with their skilled shooting. The Big Ticket is a fan of the golden era of guards the league has enjoyed in recent years. 

"I don’t know if even the guards from 20 or 30 years ago could play in this time right here," Garnett told the New York Times. "It’s creative. It’s competitive. It’s saucy. You’ll get dropped! A [expletive] will cross you over and break your ACL these days. The game is in a great place."