Rockets' legend Yao Ming would succeed in the modern era

Yao Ming is a Houston Rockets legend. NBA superstar Anthony Edwards recently had some humorous words to say about the retired superstar.

"I would dunk on Yao"

-Anthony Edwards

Indeed.

Let's not be delusional - Edwards would have dunked on Yao. He can dunk on anyone. There's no denying that Edwards would eventually have caught that body.

Still, his words got me thinking. How would Ming hold up in the modern era? Could he succeed in 2025:

Or would he fall behind in the modern context?

Rockets legend Yao Ming was a unique presence

Let's start with the obvious. The game has sped up. By that simple logic, Ming could struggle.

He'd likely be targeted in the playoffs. Teams would look to hunt Ming in the pick-and-roll. He'd be on skates trying to contain dribble penetration from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray, James Harden, and others. It would get ugly.

That said, the game is also trending back towards size. For all of Ming's potential defensive struggles, he'd be a force on offense. He'd likely plug what many fans would perceive as his biggest (offensive) weakness in 2025:

Ming would shoot the three.

He didn't in his prime. Ming attempted just 10 triples throughout his 8-year NBA career. That said, he was a reliable midrange shooter. Ming hit 43.1% of his jumpers between 10 and 16 feet throughout his career. There's no reason to assume he wouldn't extend that range when it became necessary in 2025.

Otherwise, his rare blend of physical dominance and deft touch would translate in any era. Ming was absurdly skilled for a player his size. He'd be able to play in today's game:

Provided he had the right group around him.

Rockets legend Yao Ming could be built around

Ming would need rangy, aggressive defensive wings around him. Wouldn't you know it?

The 2025 Rockets could be a perfect fit for him.

Although as much as he'd likely be a solid low-volume three-point shooter, it would also be beneficial to surround him with shooters as well. If you had a time machine and subbed Ming in for Alperen Sengun, we'd be having the same conversations we're currently having. Is his combined shooting with Amen Thompson going to pose a problem?

Regardless, it's fair to say that Ming's poor lateral mobility would be an issue in 2025. Even the stoutest drop coverage bigs like Rudy Gobert fall into that trap. It would be unfair to say that Ming's deficiency would be so severe that he wouldn't be able to play in 2025:

Even if Edwards would certainly, definitely dunk on him.