Jason Tatum downplays the effects of the most dominant skills of the Los Angeles Lakers legend in the modern NBA.
Over the years, the NBA has experienced many changes in playstyles. However, there are some skills that experts believe will work regardless of the time.
There are general skills such as giant dunks and long distance 3 pointers. Meanwhile, some moves that have become iconic for a particular player.
Speaking of which, it’s less iconic than the “Sky Hook” of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kareem Abdul Jabber. Many people call it an unstoppable shot.
Throughout his 20-year career, Abdul Jabbar relied heavily on Skyhook to earn a large portion of his points.
In fact, Kaj was so effective in this move that many people believed it was an unstoppable shot. Since Abdul-Jabbar’s retirement, this shot has not been particularly present in modern star weapons.
In that memo, Boston Celtics superstar Jason Tatum was recently asked whether La Lakers legendary Skyhook still remains unstoppable in modern times.
“The short answer is no, but is he (Kareem Abdul Jabbar) adapted and still effective?
He added: “The game isn’t played that way today, but he was extremely talented and skilled so he would have found another way to score.”
Tatum doesn’t believe in the effectiveness of the iconic shot, but he still gives Kareem a flower. After all, the Hall of Fame Center was the NBA’s leading scorer for 39 years before LeBron James broke the record in 2023.
Since Kareem’s retirement, the NBA has moved from the iconic skills of the 6x NBA champions. Many even dubbed the shot as dead.
But what if there were players who could get it back? Now, the safest bet in this hypothetical scenario lies in Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic.
Like Kareem, Jokic has a unique playing style compared to his peers of this generation.
Additionally, Jokic has already won an Abdul-Jabbar comparison from Magic Johnson. Another thing to keep in mind is Jokic’s ability to get circus shots on the floor.
Combining that with his 6’11 physique, it’s no surprise that the Nuggets superstar revives Skyhook during the Twilight years of his NBA career.