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“He’d average 35 or 37” – 1990s NBA veteran claims Allen Iverson would dominate today’s NBA
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- “He’d average 35 or 37” – 1990s NBA veteran claims Allen Iverson would dominate today’s NBA
Having played in the NBA from the late '80s to the '90s, Harvey Grant shared the court with some of the most lethal scorers to ever lace it up. He enjoyed his front-row seat to the scoring ability of Bernard King , the gliding aerial dominance of Clyde Drexler and the relentlessness of Allen Iverson, resepctively.
Though the 6'8" forward admired all three scoring machines, he firmly believes it's Iverson who would dominate in today's NBA. For Grant, who only played one season with prime A.I., The Answer would be an absolute nightmare for any modern-day defender and would benefit from the current rules.
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According to Grant's projection, Iverson wouldn't just survive in this era; he would even put up big numbers on a nightly basis without breaking a sweat.
"I think, you know, I played with all three of those Hall of Famers, and by playing with Bernard, I'd have to guard him in practice. I learned so much from him. But I would say Allen Iverson, in his prime," Harvey recently told NBA.com.
"Today — you know, you can't hand check, you can't really touch guys now," he continued. "If Allen played right now, he would average, you know, 35, 37, because he was so quick and fast. Back in my day, you know, you could hand-check him a little bit and slow him up. But now, if he plays, he's averaging 35 to 37."
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Harvey said scorers were challenged during his time
Grant was drafted by the Washington Bullets as the 12th overall pick in 1988. He averaged a career-best 18.2 points per game in an era where physicality and intensity defined the league.
That being said, it's no wonder that Harvey predicted that a fierce competitor and fearless scoring virtuoso like Iverson would have his way with everybody in the NBA right now. Grant even pointed out that, unlike today, scorers like A.I. found it challenging to score in every possession during their time, as defenders wouldn't let anybody just abuse them.
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"When I played, it was more of a defensive game," Grant added. "You took pride in playing good defense. Somebody who scores like eight points in a row, you were like, 'you know what? I'm going to shut you down.' Now, guys are go out and score 20 points in five minutes."
Iverson thinks he could drop 40 every night in today's game
More often than not, Iverson's confidence was as sharp as his killer crossover when asked about how he would've performed in the current NBA. In typical A.I. fashion, the 2001 league MVP is certain that today's NBA would be a playground for a four-time scoring champion like him.
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The way Iverson sees it, he would be virtually unstoppable in this soft and spaced-out era. Moreover, Allen, who averaged a career-high 31.4 points per game in the 2001-02 season, could realistically see himself bumping up his already insane scoring average to more than 40 points a game if he played today.
"I lost the scoring title to Kobe [Bryant] the year he averaged 35, I averaged 33," Iverson once told Shaq. " I'm just thinking like, if I was to play in this era where it's wide open, if I can average 33 in a season, I'm gonna just take it up to 43. I know [how to score] 10 points more."
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Truth be told, many players in today's NBA admire Iverson; some of them were even inspired by him. Therefore, if little guys like Kyrie Irving , Damian Lillard and Trae Young can score however they want, it's hard not to agree with the notion that Iverson would stand out in today's game.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Apr 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
