@Not so Wealthy Gamer I know man, shit had to be taken right then otherwise it wouldn't have shown up. Its something small but it's still crazy to me 😂
Man, you completely forgot Mehmet Okur who was the predecessor of that big man shooting threes era. The success his Utah Jazz had in second half of 2000s didn't go unnoticed.
The Bad Boy Pistons has Bill Laimbeer spacing out the floor as a 3 point shooter at the C Position. It definitely helped our Guards take it the hole or kick out as defense brokedown.
The rise, decline and revival of the Center position and how basketball teams are built kind of reminds me of the running back position in football. Back in the day football offenses were built around a dominant running game and running backs were bigger stars even than some quarterbacks. But thanks to a combination of rule changes that opened up the passing game and teams taking advantage of them as well as many teams now a days deciding to save money on the salary cap by going “running back by committee” instead of paying them huge salaries. And teams like the Denver Broncos and their talent for finding backs in the later rounds of the draft or even undrafted free agents that could crank out 1,000 yards like clockwork. The position seemed to be not as a necessity as it had been in the past. Heck there wasn’t even a single running back taken in the first round of the draft for two straight years this decade. Now it looks like Todd Gurley, Zeke Elliot, Leveon Bell, and Saquan Barkley the tide may be swinging in favor of them again.
Wilt and russel do not have nearly as much skill and finesse as today’s centers. They were GREAT, but not as good as centers like Demarcus Cousins who uses more that just physical dominance. You can’t tell me the competition today is easier that it was in the 60’s
@@sammyjero1986 Russell does everything that guys like Clint capela, Ben Wallace, Draymond green, Kenneth Faried, Jared Allen, Tyson Chandler do. Not every center is a finesse center today. And wilt was much more than just power. Not only is he a monster athlete. but he had quick feet, ran the floor like a deer, was an elite passer, great rebounder, had all types of fadeaway, hook shots, etc. Both would excell in any era. EPESCIALLY given that they would grow up in todays game and would be taught how to adjust. and they would be allowed to be alot more physical than in their heavy rule driven era where any amount of physicality would be called an offensive foul, where as today the rules favor the offenseive player.
@@TheIcemanthomas You said it perfectly. Brought up the skill set AND the fact that players from back then would have access to advanced sports science, weight training, nutrition, and learning from past greats. The fact that Wilt came off a knee injury that was thought to be career ending in the 69 season and averaged 21 point, 18 rebounds, and played 44 minutes a game for all 82 games the very next season just shows what a freak he is.
sammy jero dude Russell and wilt will do perfectly fine in today’s era on just wilt athletic body no center in this day of age will even keep up with him or contain him unless Russell. Since he knew how to defend him extremely well and even then wilt might still average 25+. You should look up on wilt he was incredible
@@sammyjero1986 I'm not sure you're aware of how skilled Wilt was. He was one of the first to ever use the fadeaway. Most give credit to Jordan for that, but Wilt did it long before him. Nevermind the fact that he was stronger than Shaq, even with a slimmer frame. Russell, on the other hand, if you were to pluck him right out of his era and put him into today's era, I'm not sure he'd be as successful. But he would definitely be a perennial DPOY who could probably be the best running big man in the league.
You should do the evolution of the power forward position and how it used to be used as the more dominant position in the 80s and 90s and 2000s and how now it is one of the weakest positions in the nba like how the centers were in 2011-2015
@@JoeBro915 You are about to see a more SKILLED BIG in Anthony Davis to replace Boogie Cousins Stretch-5 Floor Spacing for the Lakers. Anthony Davis replaced Kyle Kuzma at the 4-spot, letting McGee & Dwight Howard bang in the paint against bruiser-style Centers. Increased assist total & 37% for 3-pointers. 😀😀😀 Ballhandler skills of a former point guard that experienced a tremendous growth spurt.
Kbuss04 Joel embiid is no different than the centers before him and the already 3 point heavy nba. Jokic changed the mold, jokic is the future and the evolution. Embiid is not the evolution of anything
Between 2010 and 2015; yes centers were awful, but Dwight Howard, Marc Gasol and Chris Bosh were in my opinion very good at the center position in that time period. The statistical category you gave about rebounds is a little bit misleading because Marc Gasol and Bosh were not high volume rebounders. Zach Randolph was the main rebounder for Memphis and rebounding wasn't the identity of the Miami Heat (who were known at the time for fading into transition defence immediately in most situations and not even going for O boards).
I feel like theres gonna be a ultra mega bigman that will be something we've never seen before that can combine all aspects of every great bigs game. Someone with elite athelticism, a low post game, agile enough to defend on the perimeter but still a great rim protector, elite passer in transition. in the halfcourt and out of the post, and can shoot from anywhere. I feel it coming within the next decade.
Closest thing to this has been Hakeem Olajuwon. He was a elite rime protector who was fast enough to guard perimeter players. He also had a solid jump shot and took ocasional 3’s his post game was nearly unstoppable. He also avg. around 3 assist a game. He was a monster and if a player similar to Hakeem comes into the league that can shoot consistent 3’s and Pass Great that would be a sight to see
CPGoat #3 What about the Greek freak?!?! I’d say he basically checks off every category you mentioned. With the exception of “elite shooter, able to shoot from anywhere” Other than that tho........ athleticism on 💯, he’s a great defender. Rim protector fo sho. As well as being quick enough to guard the perimeter. Transition/fast break game.... I don’t even need to say anything. So ya, basically Giannis checks off all those. Let him develop a consistent long range/3 ball jump shot within a few years. 😳 terrifying 😱 he’s the new breed/ next generation type of NBA athlete.
Without his injuries, Joakim Noah could have been the perfect evolution of the defensive center. His passing was the perfect compliment to his defensive prowess, giving him a larger role on the offensive end than previous defensive centers like Camby, Mutombo, and Big Ben.
@@carlosyanes3453 TBF, he already had a solid mid-range shot. It was ugly as sin, but it went it. I think he would have been smart enough to expand his range out more if he were still relied upon as much as he was in Chicago.
Robert Than you have defensive centers such as Myles Turner, Gobert, Drummond, DeAndre Jordan, Steven Adams, Clint Capella, Nurkic, Jarrett Allen,Gasol, Willie caulie stein and Whiteside.If you look at every playoff team they have a good to great Center with some exceptions in the west the dubs have Cousins, the nuggets have Jokic, the thunder have Adams, the blazers have Nurkic, the rockets have Capella, the jazz have Gobert, the spurs have LaMarcus or jokab and the kings have Willie caullie stein. The east has brook lopez for the bucks, Gasol for the raptors, Turner for the pacers, al Horford for the Celtics, Joel Embiid for the sixers, Jarrett Allen for the nets and Whiteside for the heat. The hornets don’t have a good Center.
you called it. Centers matter again. For a while centers were just line cloggers, but this final 4 showed you need centers. Jokic, Bam, and AD showed what a good modern center should be. Gives me hope for guys like KAT, Ayton, etc.
76ers are trying to do just that (building a team through the center position)- but they’re taking it a step further. Both their center and their point guard play their best game in the paint - and they do it in very different ways.
Interesting video, but putting Mikan in the same area as Russell, Petit, Chamberlain, and Russell is a poor one. HE was the architect of the center position that those other players followed, which you can see by looking at when Mikan's career ended and when these other players' times in the league began.
Mikan was a mosnter during his time and dominated the league. He forced a lot of rule change which is a testament to his dominance. Also he played with eyegalsses.
The 90s had high-level center talent, but it's not "deep". There were 5 or 6 actually good centers, then it drops off from there with the other 20 or so starting centers. In the 60s and 70s, the league was filled and concentrated not only with elite top-level center talent, but they were very deep.
Tan Wanli There are a lot of underrated players that no one talks/ really knows about from the 90s. Thats one of the main reasons only 5-6 guys are talked about
The main reason why the golden age of big men wasn’t as successful as past eras was because of one man. Michael Jordan changed the paradigm of dynastic teams. He became the first perimeter player to dominate the nba in chips and statistics without a dominant front court/great big man. The rise of MJ also led to the fruitless search for “the next MJ” and rule changes to allow perimeter players to thrive offensively. MJ changed how centers were looked at as the dominant back bone of any dynastic team. I know LOW went in on this slightly but I wanted elaborate on that a little more.
Actually Isiah Thomas and the Pistons change that narrative no dominate center and no dominate power forward there elite force was Isiah and Dumars the greatest backcourt ever shame Kobe didn't get to play with prime CP3 cause that would've trumped that duo
@@lamar1990lg true....very true in fact. But due to the pistons and their dirty, sewage defence, they tarnished their own image and legacies. No one even thinks of them in the late 80s and early 90s. It's always magic and Kareem and straight to MJ. it's a shame but no one likes dirty players
@@orueom7720 there were a lot of teams playing like that they were a product of how teams played in the 70's go watch nba basketball the reason they're not favored is because of what Dennis Rodman said about Larry Bird and Isiah backed that notion which is true not taking away his greatness because Larry Bird is in my Top 5 Modern Era which is 1979 to present day but ever since then hated by the league so then they started playing like 70's basketball which the league David Stern was trying to rid of so Michael Jordan bypass Isiah as the face of the NBA even though Isiah was the head of the players agreement deal committee.
DAMN shame how Jordan devalued the Center position. 😞😞😞😞 Chicago Bulls Centers were known as the "3-headed monster." 18 fouls between the 3 of them, SAD !!! Luc Longley Will Perdue Bill Wennington
Greg Oden could have been the best center between 2010-2015 but he was denied by injuries and we as fans were denied by his injuries cause it would have been a SHOW seeing him play traditional center in this era, those Blazers were really loaded with talent, they were so unlucky...
He's a defensive center who, at this point, I'm still not sure we've seen the best of, because he spent a long time basically facilitating Westbrook. Also, he's a treasure.
@@aaronghunter lol...facilitating Westbrook? And what are his stats with Westbrook gone? Don't do that. Steven Adams is a very nice person but don't lift him up where he doesn't belong. He's a good player, that's all
This is a REALLY good video that helps in understanding how the 5 evolved - in a nutshell. You missed to include Sam Perkins and Arvydas Sabonis, 2 centers who gave us a glimpse of the 3-point shooting bigs today. They were considered "unconventional" in their era, but would be highly sought after in today's game.
Bill Laimbeer was an excellent outside shooter. He would force the opposing center to come out to guard him. This would open up the middle for the Piston guards.
WILT CHAMBERLAIN'S PLAYERS THAT HE FACED THAT WAS 6'11 OR TALLER FROM 1960-1972 Kareem Abdul Jabbar: 7'2" HOF Dennis Awtrey: 6'11" Walt Bellamy: 6'11" HOF Tom Boerwinkle: 7'0" Nate Bowmen: 6'11" Mel Counts: 7'0" Walter Dukes: 7'0" Jim Eakins: 6'11" Ray Felix: 6'11" Hank Finkel: 7'0" Artis Gilmore: 7'2" HOF Swede Halbrook: 7'3" Reggie Harding: 7'0" Bob Lanier: 6'11" HOF Jim McDaniels: 6'11" Otto Moore: 6'11" Dave Newmark: 7'0" Rich Niemann: 7'0" Billy Paultz: 6'11" Craig Raymond: 6'11" Elmore Smith: 7'0" Chuck Share: 6'11" Ronald Taylor: 7'1" Nate Thurmond: 6'11" HOF Walt Wesley: 6'11"
Fantastic bro i loved every second of it. Even when presented with a lot information i already knew you kept me engaged! You also did a great job of staying unbiased and not being argumentative and rather informative I loved it!
George Mikan stated that the three-pointer "would give the smaller player a chance to score and open up the defense to make the game more enjoyable for the fans"
The current one has the most potential. There could be a center who can do everything a point guard can do as well as post up and block shots. It would basically be unstoppable imo.
A lot of people say the old school center couldn't work in today's NBA, but if I'm not mistaken Embiid is pretty much exactly that kind of guy and he's an MVP-quality player. He takes a few threes a game and usually knocks down one, so it's not like he's bombing away from downtown to get his points. Some of the old school guys could probably shoot threes well enough if that had been something they were asked to do back then. In the 3-point age we have now, what's more valuable than a guy who attracts the attention of 2-3 defenders every time he gets the ball in the post? That seems pretty damn valuable to me. I wish we'd see a resurgence of the old school center in today's NBA. People act like those guys were slow, lumbering, unathletic, etc. but the best ones were absolute athletic freaks who could shoot, rebound, pass, and play defense, They'd be just fine in the league today.
1985-1999 Golden Age Big Men Kareem Moses Robert parish Ewing Shaq David Robinson Hakeem Olajuwon Mourning Mutombo Laimbeer Daugherty Karl Malone Shawn Kemp
Wow...so many times I click on a video like this and find a serious lack of knowledge of the history of the game...This was NOT the case with this one. As a longtime fan of the game (I go back to Kareem's Lakers), I not only enjoyed this but found it very inciteful. Excellent work.
Wilt Chamberlain down in the post the only one in basketball to score 100 points in one game. I haven't seen a big man jumping out there and making threes and scored 100 points. So what's wrong with the big man dominating down below, that's also a part of the game that I grew up with and I like watching, it just made the game so much more interesting and enjoyable. Please bring the big man back!!!!! God bless. 🙏
Good video bro, I appreciate it, but you gotta be a little more elaborate in your verbiage and not rely on overusing vague words like "dominance". I know everyone will just call me a hater, but only trying to help. Keep at it, will look forward to future content. EDIT: Again, just want to reiterate, I REALLY DID like this a lot, especially the second half.
Always love your content LoW. Really spot on analysis and finished the entire video without knowing it. it's awesome to learn from RU-vidrs like you man.
Ish Will no it just shows how it has changed as the video is talking about I mean most real contenders have a true passing/playmaking big man who can also bring the ball up the court that is how the center has changed
Jacob Delgado bro your point draymond got suspended game 5 for no reason and just that did not have their best series just chill don’t show up like they blew a 3-1 lead every time their 73-9 season
bruh I've been watching this channel since "the 4 reasons why" videos a couple years ago....LOW is fav basketball RU-vidr by far, seeing him evolve is so dope to watch
2010-2014/5 really some of the least talented years in NBA history, look at the top players they were too old and on the decline or too young and haven't hit their prime yet
As a heat fan bosh quickly became one of my favorite players. It sucked hearing even from many fellow heat fans the grief that man received and the calls for his being traded. On those rare occasions where he couldn’t play (like a stretch of the second playoff run) the difference was night and day. That man made a huge impact, and he left everything on the court night after night. People mocked him for crying after losing the first finals but that’s just the player he was... he committed himself fully to every game and winning meant everything to him, which is probably why he was able to stomach so many sacrifices and the endless criticism from the analysts/fans that resulted. It’s sad that he had to retire due to dvt as he was playing very well as the primary star on the team late in his career. I’m glad he got his jersey retired!
Defensive Minded Centers: The 60s and 70s weren't devoid of them. Just look at Nate Thurmond for example, or maybe Bill Russell, or Wayne Embry. Space Centers: Jerry Lucas, Bob Pettit, Willis Reed, Walt Bellamy, these guys could all space the floor well. PFs that play Center: Bob Pettit, Jerry Lucas, Elvin Hayes etc. Passing Big Men: Walton, Russell, Wilt. Skilled Post Players: Too many to count. LOW, NBA CENTERS HAVEN'T VASTLY DIFFERENT. They've just not been as good. It's THAT simple. Every great contender has a solid center: PHI: Embiid. GSW: Green. BOS: Horford. DEN: Jokic. HOU: Capela TOR: Gasol MIL: Lopez, and sometimes Giannis can play it. Centers have always been, and will be the most impactful player on the court. Point blank period.
The best centre between 2010-2015 was Marc Gasol and he clearly proved he's no bum. I mean did you see the defensive impact he had against Giannis and the Bucks? But besides that it was pretty bad no lie. Edit: Forgot about DeMarcus Cousins. He's probably top 2, but I'll still say Gasol.
Great video although Tim Duncan was a center during college and only shifted to the power forward position because they wanted to play both him and Robinson.
