Detroit Pistons

Andre Iguodala says Rasheed Wallace would be a top 5 player in today’s NBA: ‘He’d be better than Giannis’

Published by
Jonathan Sherman

One former NBA player who had tons of talent but never managed to put it together for an extended period of time was Rasheed Wallace.

Wallace, who entered the NBA as the No. 4 overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft, went on to become a four-time All-Star and one-time NBA champion.

However, according to NBA veteran Andre Iguodala, Wallace could have done much more. In fact, Iguodala went as far as to say that Wallace would have been better than Giannis Antetokounmpo in today’s NBA.

“Rasheed Wallace probably could have been top five player in the league for a 10-year stretch,” he said. “He just chose, ‘I’ll do my thing over here.’ He was shooting 3s from half court. No, he was shooting half-court shots left-handed and right-handed. If Rasheed Wallace played in modern-day basketball today, if he played in our league today, he’d be the top five player in the league. He’d be better than Giannis, and I love Giannis.”

It’s a pretty dramatic statement to make, but there is no doubt that Wallace was a player who came well before his time. At 6-foot-10 and 225 pounds, Wallace had the frame of a traditional big man in the NBA. However, the level of finesse that existed in his game was something that few big men had displayed up until that point.

Wallace was able to shoot from all over the court, and as Iguodala mentioned, he had quite the stroke from deep. In fact, during his era, Wallace was somewhat of an indication of where the league was heading. Signs of positionless basketball were already taking shape, and Wallace was undoubtedly one of those signs.

If Wallace had perhaps come into the NBA a decade later, his versatile approach to the game likely would have been utilized to the max. With all that in mind, Wallace probably has very few regrets about his own career.

Jonathan Sherman

Jonathan has worked as a sports writer covering NBA and NFL news since 2017. He's a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Vikings.

Published by
Jonathan Sherman

Recent Posts

‘Wtf’: Trae Young reacts to Rashad McCants saying he could score 81 points like Kobe Bryant

Back in January of 2006, former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant put on one…

40 mins ago

Rashad McCants says he could’ve won ROTY but had a coach who was ‘shaking in the motherf——g huddle’

Former NBA guard Rashad McCants was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the last lottery…

45 mins ago

Chandler Parsons says Jaylen Brown would be best player on over half of NBA teams, including some playoff teams

The Boston Celtics were without maybe their top player for Wednesday's Game 2 versus the…

49 mins ago

‘Spo gonna Spo’: Cavs player gives Erik Spoelstra his flowers after Heat’s near-upset in Game 2

The odds were stacked against the Miami Heat to pick up a win in Game…

1 hour ago

Report: Will Campbell landing with Patriots may depend on whether team gets ‘fair deal’ to trade down

As a consolation prize for a woeful 2024 season that was marred by losing, the…

1 hour ago

Report: ‘Most of the league’ has been contacted about Jalen Ramsey, including Rams, Lions and Eagles

Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey is one of the more notable players in the league…

1 hour ago