JJ Redick Says the 90s Were "WATERED DOWN"... Is He Right? 

Does JJ have a point?

“I don’t care about the GOAT debate but let me discredit the other GOAT candidate”

“I’m not talking playoffs” Ok redick, then why does it matter?

Just make JJ the lakers head coach already! So he and bron bron can get the reality check that they need.

JJ Redick seems to be another Lebron advocate now

Isn't he also making this point toward someone who literally co-carried one of those expansion teams with Penny to a Finals appearance and multiple deep playoff runs??

JJ Reddick "I don't care about the goat debate" Spoiler alert he cares

He was the plumber that he claims that Jordan played against in his time.

I just KNEW you’d break this down. Thanks Jonny!

If a fan does not appreciate the history of their sport and when you devalue legends of the past, are they truly a fan of the sport they watch?

In 1996, the raptors had a 21-61 record. In 2024, the Pistons were 14-68, the Wizards were 15-67, and the Blazers were also 21-61. It seems the second worst team from the expansion year was better than some from "the most talented era".

One argument that JJ and others skim over a lot is how 2016, the year everyone claims made Lebron the goat, was a watered down year. You had 5 good teams that year (Warriors, Cavs, Thunder, Spurs, and Raptors) and the rest garbage. Yes Golden State went 73-9, but do you know who went 10-72? The tanking Sixers. Hell I’m a Blazer fan and 2016 was supposed to be a rebuilding year for them yet they somehow got the 5th seed that year. Don’t tell me 2016 wasn’t watered down. I think the NBA stopped being so watered down in 2020, which Lebron only has 1 title (bubble). JJ’s argument is beyond stupid.

This is the same guy that said De’aaron Fox couldn’t shoot. His takes are so bad. And he was a “Plumber “ himself.

incredibly ironic coming from jj redick, if he was a player in the 90s hed be saying that a player like that wouldnt make it today

Expansion didn't water the NBA down. It stopped the best teams having stacked teams. It also gave more players a chance to make the grade. So many great players were forced overseas before this. JJ is a red dick for saying that. Sick of the media.

The irony is Reddick wouldn’t have been in the league with only 23 teams.

The 90s was an awesome era to watch basketball!

I don't know what Bron promised JJ, but dude is a straight up tool now

Using the same thought process, the play in tournament has indeed watered the current era down.

🎯 I said this all in my head but Jonny is here to actually articulate it in a presentable form 🙂😁 JJ is just the latest Narrative pusher of these clowns today desperately and unreasonably trying to discredit anything before 2000s basketball. its pathetic. There has to be respect for the game and history

JJ is on the LeBron payroll, so his job is to degrade former greats, especially Michael Jordan, in order to promote LeBron. The thing is this: The longer LeBron plays, the more it hurts his legacy and elevates Jordan's. How does it does that? Because it shows you just how great Mike was by the way he accomplished so much in a shorter period of time. LeBron James has been playing since the late 1960's and hasn't achieved what Jordan did.

If the 90s were watered down then the league of today os flooded

Great video as always Jonny. I love how JJ says to Shaq “you played against them” like he wasn’t on one of the expansion teams lol. Also, I’d love to see JJ coach the Lakers so we can watch them lose 60 games

Calling Shaq watered down to his face lol

JJ would be a plumber outside of the league in '90's as his skillset would not fit at all.

JJ has been garnering hate since his Duke days. he’s a magnet for bad vibes. maybe if he toned down the smugness he’d have more fans.

There’s no goat debate when it comes to nba historians, Jonny is HIM 🔥

remember when Bill Russell dissed MJ by saying he was lucky that Paxson hit the game winner because if MJ played in the 60s and he wouldn’t be able to pass to John because he’d in the stands. basically saying with the limited roster spots available. John wouldn’t be good enough to make the league (a benefit of having more teams….lesser players can make it). this same sentiment applied to JJ

JJ's stupid. In the 10 years of the 80s the Dallas Mavericks made the playoffs 6 times. They made the playoffa in their 4th year with players like Mark Aguirre? Rolando Blackman and Brad Davis. They had Detlef Schremf, Dale Ellis, Derek Harper and James Donaldson. That team wasn't garbage. The 80s had to expand because the players were so good and they needed jobs i.e. playing time. That's why the Magic, Heat and the Hornets got so good so quickly. Good players needed some 🔥 burn...you think Mark Aguirre's getting some 🔥 playing behind Larry Bird in the 80's? JJ's so dumb. He's making his case to coach someday but as GM or an NBA historian? Nah, bruv.

When people say I don't mean to sound controversial is like a racist saying, "I don't mean to sound racist."

Shaq agreeing with his is the silliest part. Which team drafted him again? How dominat was he as a rookie? Who'd he play in the playoffs? He's agreeing with saying that he watered down the league.

This is the problem with these kinds of podcasts. The famous person gets to say an off the cuff, unsupported comment. Then we need guys like Johnny who have a much smaller audience to put things in perspective. And guess which take goes viral. Thanks Johnny for doing the research that talking heads won't do or won't talk about!

People like to pretend those 6 expansion teams came into the league all at once instead of spread out over time. There was also a boom of talent at the college ranks plus the Euro pros that were starting to come over, so it's not like those new roster spots were filled with bums.

This is one of the things I love about your channel! It's almost like dealing with things in real time and you come with the data. Not just feelings lol

Damn it’s so hard to disagree with Jonny 😂

Gotta be honest, I’m a Lebron fan, and I mostly like JJ. But honestly, it seems like JJ is straight up on Brons payroll. He may be tipping the conversation a bit, but overall, this Bron JJ linkup might end up hurting more than helping. Especially if JJ ends up coaching the Lakers

The watered down argument sounds as ridiculous as the asterisks they put on Lebron's rings. JJ's point was that you can technically put an asterisk on anything, he wasn't saying that era was garbage. He said this to Shaq, so obviously he wasn't disrespecting the era. He was saying there's slights against MJ's era just like there are against the current. Basically people need to stop thinking lowlights and flaws in rules or very specific and unique situations can downplay someone's greatness. Jordan is great, Russell is great, LeBron is great. Overall everyone should stop using the goat debate as an excuse to shit on a player who could destroy them 1v1 in a suit in loafers with 0 difficulty at age 40 LoL. Scalebrine made the difference in ability between regular folk and them very clear and people should just compliment the talent without disrespecting them with these takes that revolve around negativity. Be happy and have fun

Literally more plsyers in the league today than Jordan's era.

I don't think the argument is that the Bulls benefited from playing bad expansion teams, the argument is that every team was less good than it would have been because overall basketball talent in the era was being spread more widely across the NBA.

This generation can't be that good if they let you start with a career 12, 2, and 2.

Here’s a great example of how an initially reasonable take is disproven with proper historical context- thanks Jonny for keepin it real 💯

RU-vid, the place where idiot NBA analysts are exposed!

Th3 fact that jj was on a team... tells u how water3d down the league was...

JJ takes are horrible, he's so disingenuous and clearly has a agenda that he's to afraid to stand on

The minute you touch Lebron, he falls on his back and starts flopping like a fish

I WAS WAITING FOR THIS GUY TO TALK ABOUT THIS 😂 🥲🥲🥲

Your point that the new teams weren't a threat to the bulls and that the other teams would rather have their bj armstrongs back, is exactly what he means by watered down lol

Great arguments and video, Jonny! I guess I can see where JJ is coming from, but it is a stretch. As you mentioned, half of the six teams became pretty solid teams - and 69-70 wins would still be a very high level of wins (tied for first at the time with the former and still having the most number of wins with 70). I'm not a fan of how Redick has often bashed past eras of NBA history either. As I mentioned in a comment on one of your previous videos, I think there's much to appreciate during each era of NBA basketball. Have a great week :).

The amount of mental gymnastics people have to do to "prove" Lebron is better 😂

Jordan era "watered down"??? The league expanded because the talent available was ABLE to support more teams. Of the top 160 players of All Time, 81 of them had PRIME YEARS that overlapped with Jordan's career. He played against prime: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kobe Bryant Julius Erving Tim Duncan Shaquille O'Neal Kevin Garnett Karl Malone Dirk Nowitzki Moses Malone Larry Bird Magic Johnson Hakeem Olajuwon George Gervin Isiah Thomas Artis Gilmore Charles Barkley Allen Iverson Patrick Ewing David Robinson Clyde Drexler John Stockton Jason Kidd Ray Allen Paul Pierce Michael Cooper Ron Harper Rod Strickland Robert Parish Dominique Wilkins Gary Payton Steve Nash Alex English Dikembe Mutombo Vince Carter Yao Ming Jack Sikma Kevin McHale James Worthy Alonzo Mourning Grant Hill Tracy McGrady Adrian Dantley Walter Davis Joe Dumars Mitch Richmond Shawn Kemp Jermaine O'Neal Pau Gasol Tony Parker Bobby Jones Dennis Johnson Sidney Moncrief Chris Mullin Reggie Miller Tim Hardaway Chris Webber Chauncey Billups Bernard King Bill Laimbeer Ralph Sampson Tom Chambers Alvin Robertson Mark Price Anfernee Hardaway Rasheed Wallace Ben Wallace Shawn Marion Larry Nance Mark Aguirre Kevin Johnson Glen Rice Richard Hamilton Bill Walton Kiki Vandeweghe Dennis Rodman Jerry Stackhouse Stephon Marbury Antawn Jamison Baron Davis Sam Cassel Ron Artest

Is JJ really gonna sit there and pretend that every team in the NBA is competitive? The Hornets, the Pistons, the Wizards, the Spurs, the Blazers, the Nets... As if every team now has an all-star and top-tier talent and coaching.

I never understood the "watered-down league" criticism. The best teams remained the best teams. The additions might have made for easier wins in their first seasons, but they were unlikely to make it to the playoffs. The playoffs were for the usual suspects. Championships weren't won or lost because of those expansion teams.

JJ is acting like Jordan only played against the expansion teams. JJ wants to hype his man's resume. LeBron just played longer. The Mavs didn't play the Bulls when they were an expansion team. How many of those expansion teams did Jordan play against & how many games did he play against them?

Gotta kiss the ring to become Lakers coach … we see

As always all your video takes, rebuttals, and disproving all the main stream/pod cast paid narratives are on point!!! Wish all these videos of yours could be played on all the main stream networks (ESPN, FOX Sports 1, etc..)

What about Rodman and Bird’s comments about the league back then ?

JJ has no point, he has an interest on showing love to LBJ

Reddick, Ryan Hollins, Nick Wright, & Gilbert Arenas never fail to crack me up when I hear the nonsense spew from their mouths.

Great video

JJ literally thinks he's better than The Logo, which is endlessly laughable. The only thing clutch about JJ over Mr. Clutch, is his where his paycheck comes from. Ooops, I misspelled Klutch.

It seems like every debate that's brought up your outlook is the one I most of the time get and agree with. Thanks for all your work again

"The net was longer in the 90s so it made the game easier so Jordan isn't the goat" - JJ Reddick probably

I respect the fact that he played many years in the NBA, even though he was mostly a bench guy. But dissing the great Larry Bird and other great legends is where I lose that respect for him

Reddick is the biggest Lebron fan, so of course he would say things like these.

While im not a plumber, i have worked for a roofing company, for a landfill and in the woods so i know about hard work. JJ wouldn't make the cut in any of those jobs.

Were all going to he laughing once he gets fired from being the head coach of the lakers for not making it to the finals.

Hey JJ, you can get a job without sucking up to the boss. It might not be the Lakers job but you will walk around with your head held up high.

JJ stands for Jeffrey Jordan. His father named him after the Greaterst NBA player Of All Time.

By watered down JJ means the 90s wasn't a one dimensional one trick pony chucking up 3s era.

This whole argument expansion=watered down is dumb and 99.9% of the time is made purely to discredit Jordan.

That was brilliantly worded at the end

80s & 90s were peak NBA.

Please correct me if im wrong, but the logic of JJ argument does not make sense. Did the league remain water-down until today since the same number of teams are still in existence?

First, I appreciate your channel. Thank you for all the work you put in to bring context to the league/sport I love to watch. Now, I think the "watered down" remarks is a way of saying that in the 90's, there was no one else like Jordan in the league and the player who could arguably come close to him, played by his side, so it was easy for Jordan to dominate. Karl Malone was the only other player to average 30 ppg during the 90's.

Jonny! You see truly one of a kind :)

the talent in the nba being diluted by a bunch of g leaguers watered down competition. what was wrong with what he said?

Isn't it crazy how they try to downplay Jordan and his era for years now? I wonder what fanbase, agency and player is behind that? You all know who I'm talking about and let's not act like he doesn't promote it.

Mannn JJ grabbing at straws is one thing, to see Shaq sit there n be a part of the nonsense-machine hurts even more... Great video Jonny!

RU-vidrs do better research than the media and Klutch Sports check recipients.

Nope In the 90s guys came to play no off day unless they that injured no load management and back then it wasn't cheap foul calls and ppl actually played defense the NBA was full of grown men

Imagine a player so great that you have to discredit his whole era just to make him look average 💀💀 I love Lebron but come on bruh.. the MJ hate needs to stop, especially when he the goat

The stars are lining up for JJ to secure that Lakers gig of being main scapegoat. His podcast with Bron is just a propaganda machine for Klutch Sports/LBJ. It’s sickening. Thanks for telling the truth on the golden 90s era. JJ is infinitely wrong once again with this horseshit take.

Most of what Redick says seems like a play for attention.

Jordan didn't get drafted until 1984 so the mavs were 3 years old

Someone send this to JJ Redick…man needs educating lol

By his logic isn't having more teams today even more watered down?

I believe the argument is that expansion teams make other teams less deep, therefore making teams easier to play against for MJ

JJ was literally talking to Shaq, who was drafted by an expansion team and lead them to a finals run, beating Jordan’s Bulls on the way lol

Johnny this makes no sense. Why didnt the Bulls protect BJ Armstrong?

Saying MJ was weaker for playing in an older era is like saying Genghis Khan was a sissy because he didn't have panzer tanks or an airforce.

I mean is it watered down if you have 6 to 8 teams actively tanking after the first month of the season?

The lower tier players in the 90s wouldn't make it in today's nba but the stars of the 90s would be just as great today

No one talks about how the league was so defensive focused that if you were a good offense guy but subpar defensive, you didnt play. Period. That decreased scoring. The NBA of the 90s could have had more scoring but that is not how coaches ran their rotations

This season had a team with the longest losing streak in NBA history, the Pistons, and a team that had their entire roster injured and was essentially playing G-Leaguers and 10 day contract players in NBA games throughout the season, the Grizzlies. Along with some other horrendous teams with records worse than those expansion teams, such as the Wizards. Is the NBA in 2024 watered down? JJ is cool but some of his takes are clearly pro-Lebron and he likes to push false agendas diminishing older players. Like you said, all the expansion teams had NBA players. Even some good-great NBA players, former All Stars, future All Stars, etc. ... And teams like the Magic, Heat and Hornets became top teams in the league within a few years. So no, the 90s weren't watered down.

JJ with a clear bias. Hates Jordan, blows LeBron, and played himself in a flop league.

JJ should start working for espn now 🙄

Nice one😂❤

Redick must be on lebron's payroll

The big issue is no one nowadays cares to do any sort of research. They just go with whatever is being told to them on these player podcasts! I’ve seen so many videos and comments of kids who know little to nothing about MJ and his career and just repeat the same shit they hear on tik tok about him not using his left

JJ Redick is a disgrace for basketball in general