Basketball has changed so much these past years that the three-pointer, which was thought of as a novelty before, has now evolved into one of the premier weapons in today’s game.
“It has definitely changed,” said NBA great Glen Rice. “It has changed from, when I was playing, a more physical halfcourt game to what is now an uptempo game. It has a faster pace and has a lot more excitement. It opens up the game more. Teams are looking for shooters now. You got power forwards now who are capable of shooting threes consistently.”
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The 49-year-old legend can be considered as one of the pioneer stretch fours in the NBA, taking advantage of the rainbow shots and thus, helping in freeing up space inside the arc.
Contrary to his peers, Rice welcomes the game’s changing landscape and he is happy to see more players exploiting the advantages of shooting the three.
“I’m one of those players who thought that outside the dunk, it’s the three-pointer which is probably one of the most exciting things to see being done throughout the game. And now it’s on the forefront. Dunks have taken a backseat, and you’re seeing that quite often from a lot of teams,” he said.
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Rice, who secured his spot as one of the best shooters in the league’s history before retiring, could only imagine what it would’ve been like if he could play in this era.
“The biggest difference now versus when I was playing is we really didn’t look for the three unless we need a three-pointer. Now, with these guys, that’s a norm now. For me, along with some other guys capable of shooting threes back in the day, we just get so hungry to think about if we play now, how much easy would it have been to get points, especially with the way how some players shoot the three-pointers.”
When asked who among the current NBA players reminds him most about his game, the three-time All-Star had no second thoughts in picking Golden State sniper Klay Thompson.
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“When you look at his form, it’s pretty much textbook. He’s about the same height, I’m about an inch taller than him, but the way he shoots and when he’s on fire, it reminds me of myself,” he said.
Rice, though, argued that there’s no question on who will come out on top if he plays Thompson one-on-one in his prime.
“He’ll tear me up right now, but I would win if you have me at my prime. If we do a shooting contest, I’ll win,” he said.