So basically the teams in the NBA are taking 5x more threes a game than they were in the 80's and 90's to only average 6 more PPG?! There's still no players scoring 2,500p, 2,800p, 3,000p in a season like they were doing in the 90's. You got players like Trae Young leading the league in points with barely 2,155 points, and only 750 assists! No matter how you slice it, this style of basketball is garbage and the talent and abilities of players have dropped significantly.
One other point you gotta highlight is how they can freely carry the ball legally 💀💀 so many discontinued dribbles that get continued it's almost impossible to guard
I feel like James hardens role in history is somewhat underrated. That spread iso style of play paved the way for some of the wildest box scores ever, while being surprisingly effective
@@peterpaul176You would be surprised how much I still hear it down South. And the worst part is that’s it’s coming from people who actually be fitted from him being in office 😂
It's good and bad. It's fun to watch such high scoring games. But there's a grit that just isn't there, and defenders are extremely limited, especially on the perimeter. There isn't much you can take away from an offensive player even close to consistently. The NBA wants to recreate iconic moments and entertaining games at a rapid rate. They want to recreate curry's 2015-16 season, they want to recreate KD's 13-14 season, Lebron's 2012-13 season, Kobe's 2005-06 season, so on and so forth. They've opened the game up offensively which is fun but it devalues points. 60 points is always exciting to witness live or after the fact, but 60 points now isn't even the same as 60 points in 2015, not even 60 points in 2016.
The rule changes has played a major role in that. The way perimeter players dribble the ball now would he traveling back even in 2010. It makes it easy as hell for players to get their points inside the paint hence opening up open 3 pt shots
High scoring games are fun in moderation. When they're the norm, it devalues them and the act gets stale, which it has. The league has installed changes that eliminate if not significantly reduce literally half the game. It's also diminished the need to watch regular season games since they're basically just extended highlight reels now.
It's impossible to stop these modern offenses. NBA players are too skilled nowadays and defenses can't even play actual defense or they're penalized. Offensive players can also travel and carry way too often. IMO NBA should bring back hand checking or remove 3 seconds violation so defenses could compete with offense and also create some new strategies and game plan options
Easy to look more skilled when there is no defense and you can palm, shuffle your feet or even take 5 steps to the bucket with no big protecting the rim. I wonder how great Isiah Thomas' handles would look if he didn't have to dribble the ball straight up and down and he could travel all he wanted?
@@nydibs Amen. The 3 second rule is soooo underrated as far as how it changed the game. It's a big reason why most bigs can shoot the 3 now. If teams can't get rim protectors, then they may as well look for bigs who can shoot. Among many other ways that rule impacts the game.
It's not skilled when you get away with carrys and travels. Skilled gets thrown out there too much. Defense is also a skill. And in this league there are like 7 elite defenders or less.
You know whats sad: 30 years down the line folks are going to look at stats and determine that run of the mill players from this era are better than folkst like Ginobilli or Parker among others.
NBA has an unwritten rule of "Star protection". You can hit the rookies, you can push the bench players, you can apply the rules for regulars but you can not touch the stars of the teams. So every team is looking for a flashy superstar to use this trend as much as possible. They give the ball to them and they score with the least amount of resistance.
its crazy how normal 40 point games feel now due to the increased pace teams shooting and emphasizing shooting the 3 ball more and how the rules td favor the offensive player more which the nba wants because that leads to a more exciting product that gets people watching
@@sendAJtospace Actually people who enjoy the sport, do not enjoy inflated numbers and players getting away with crazy travels and carries. Thats just me and a bunch of other people. Never been on twitter tho. I rather have players be allowed to play decent defense again. It's already a spaced out game as it is leading to easieroffense
Elite analysis as always LOW. This season has been crazy I couldn’t believe the other day how casually my Celtics let up 150 to a non SGA- led thunder lineup as well as watching us and the rockets break a 3PA in a game record (not sure franchise or league wide) so casually. As well as all of the 40 bombs the league has had this season. Truly wild
The argument that this is new school vs old school is false. The NBA has been playing this brand of basketball since the warriors blew it open in 2015. The real question is what makes this season different from last season. The reason people are taking less mid-range shots is because their making to the basket. As I have heard many commentators say, from the beginning of the season, "The lane is wide open". What's different from last year?
I think the biggest change was the shot clock rule which started in 2018/2019. Now offensive rebounds and any repossession if the opponent can’t get the rebound is now 14 secs. Having a full 24 seconds reduced the pace and allowed teams to not rush shots. Moreover it lessened the impact of big men. Any person who actually plays ball know how hard and tiring it is to play defense again when the other team keeps getting offensive rebounds. Imagine perimeter player having to D up again going over screens etc.
Heliocentric style teams seem to lack a lot of depth from their bench and even sometimes have pretty subpar staring players. These players getting enormous contracts nowadays probably had an impact on the franchises ability to sign a quality team around them. This could mean a team kverreliant on the player that they signed to a super max, thus inadvertently turning themselves into a heliocentric team. Like the mavs and the LeBron cavs and the harden rockets and the westbrook thunder
Thank you, I always hate hearing “LeBron wasn’t so influential in the way the nba is played today”, it doesn’t make sense when you realize he’s one of the first to legitimately have the ball in his hands as not only a facilitator but also the best and most dangerous scorer as well as being a forward, we never really seen that all in one, Pippen was a sort of facilitator as a forward but wasn’t the main scorer, and most famously Magic Johnson a 6’9 point guard but not a player who was made to score even though he was very capable, Larry bird a sniper and scoring savant and passing that bordered elite to all time but wasn’t made to dictate the offense, people don’t want to admit it just because the LeBron hate is so high rn but he’s probably the most influential nba player of his era, even more than Steph, why? Because not only did he jumpstart positionsless basketball by being a forward and being the main playmaker AND main scorer which he wasn’t the first but was the first accepted one, combo guards pre LeBron success where so looked down upon, he’s the main reason we have players like Luka, Giannis, Jokic, and I’m sure the influence to other player’s game goes much further with ball handlers and play initiators to also score and do so without criticism and leading to teams starting to trust other positions with the ball handling duties, but he also influenced the player empowerment movement allowing players to be able to leave bad situations and being one of the first to use their status to talk on issues they think no matter how controversial things are. He’s not the GOAT but his influence and impact on the game of basketball in the NBA is undeniable.
I know the video is trying to compliment Lebron but I feel more like Lebron obsession with stats has influenced another players like Harden, Westbrook, Doncic, etc with statpadding. Only Joker and Giannis feel like they get his stats organically with the flow of the game, KD and Steph too, whereas Lebron is the ultimate statpadder, he won't allow by any circumstance to score less than 10 points, he'll play 45 minutes if necessary or won't play at all.
@@Marlowe10100 lebron doesnt stat pad at all hes just a good player he could have well over 10 points in 10 mins he doesnt need all 45 also no shit hes gonna play a lot hes the star player if you were the star player of a team would you want to have played 10 mins obviously not hes the main playmaker when hes on the court his team plays so much better and it shows he took them on like a 5 game win streak as of recently ofc it ended now but they were actually consistantly winning hes not no damn stat padder hes just good at everything so no shit hes gonna have a lot of everything the more he does the easier it is for his team to win and why would you not wanna win
@@Marlowe10100 this just shows you don’t know about what your talking about or should talk about basketball, when you watch LeBron play he never plays like he’s hunting for stats he’s just doing what he has to do to get a win, he’s not like MVP Westbrook where he would sag of his opponent and steal rebounds from his teammates or would stagnate the offense by passing then immediately ask for the ball back to pass again to try to fish for assists. It’s funny your biggest “proof” of him stat padding is him playing to get more than 10 points, it’s funny because if he scored less than 10 you’d be the first barking about it everywhere “he’s not a killer” “he doesn’t have that competitive mindset” and if Jordan accomplished that streak you’d go praising him everywhere “Jordan is the Goat for that” “even when he was losing he tried his hardest” “Jordan is a killer” and all that. Love to see the ignorant fools blindly following the “LeBron hate” agenda and their new “critiques” every new week 😂
The rule changes have a huge impact. 80s 90s early 2000s way more offensive fouls were called, travelling carrying etc. With it rules and enforcement of rules being more lenient to offense scoring will get higher until this gets reigned in.
@@nickgenovese_ 96/97 season was the first season that data was tracked. If you actually watched the game in the 80s and rest of 90s you would know it was called more
@@Sf75178 lol you are saying he happened to just pick a random season where they called travels 3 times less than today, but all other years surrounding the one he picked would tell another story? Eh idk. Sounds fishy. Sounds biased. I started watching pretty obsessively in 1999 and I don’t remember travels being called very often at all.
@@schuylersavage276 if you read what I wrote I said. 97 season was first that data was tracked and 80s and reast of 90s was called more and you would know that if you watch then.
Lets not forget that the league has neutered defensive play. With the hand check, face guarding and body to body play eliminated, the addition of the 3 second rule and not being allowed to impede a player, guys literally get escorted to the rim. Just watch any highlight. Don't concern yourself with the offensive player, watch his defender and/or the team defense. Individually, the player keeps his hands up or away all together, otherwise he gets called for a touch foul. As a player drives, he is directed towards "help". Unfortunately, the helper(s) is stuck in limbo. His man is set up at the three point line waiting for a kick, so the help is hesitant to rotate to the man driving. He either doesn't or he's way late. The best hope is that someone comes up with a chase down or weak side block...or that guy just bumbles the layup. Watch shooters, the defender is sagged off so far, that the shooter is basically shooting a warmup three. Issue is that if the defender is up on him, the shooter is going to kick his legs out or throw a chicken wing, or even worse, just fall over and get a whistle every time. So, to avoid the 4-point play, defenses just take that 34% gamble and let him shoot. Bring back a hand check and it would make offenses uncomfortable at the least, even get rid of that 3 second rule. Let these guys man up and try to dunk on a center camped out, instead of having to rotate over and swipe after the fact. This why you don't see Jordan/Ewing or T-Mac/Mutombo type dunks anymore. It's just a forward or guard already in the rim by the time the big man gets over.
Hand-checking is overrated. It was never a serious defensive tactic. And anyone who says otherwise is lying to you And the defensive 3 second rule ALWAYS existed. You couldn’t stand in the paint indefinitely unless you were guarding a man.
@AbdulMeykal. "Handchecking is overrated" This is how I can tell you don't play or haven't played with real competition with both handchecking and without. It is a huge difference. It's also a huge detergent, because of it's existence, even when not actually being used. A guy who knows he's going to get hand checked going a certain way is going to look for a different move to settle for. So a would be drive turns into a settled jumper the next time down the court. And all you are on TV that second time down the court is that he "wasn't handchecked." Then guys like you go...."there was no hand checking on this play, it was just as open as in 2023. Therefore handchecking was exaggerated." No. Play one on one or 5 on 5 with handchecking. It's not remotely the same. Steph Curry would still be a star, but he would be much less effective with handchecking. One of the biggest helps that ab offensive player has against handchecking is being physical right back, while being able to pull up for physically contested midrange shots. Steph shoots good from midrange off of open pick and rolls, but that's because he is shooting practice type open shots. He isn't type of guy who can get an open midrange off with guys draped all over him. He gets to the rim because guys can't touch him with the ball in his hands. He gets as many open 3's off the dribble as he does, because guys can't touch him. With handchecking, he would have a harder time separating for off dribble 3's and he would have a harder time driving AND be mentally deterred from doing so. Which would make him settle for more long shots which would be harder to get off with less space. Guys like Jordan and Kobe can deal with this by mastering the pull up midrange. Steph is not strong or big enough for that. What he IS great at is open shots, off the dribble shots with space, and cutting off ball to get open shots. To his credit, he's great at dealing with the physicality that he gets off ball. Being held and pushed trying to get open on cuts. But that's much different then dealing with physicality with the ball in you're hands. Once Steph has the ball, you can't touch him. Which makes his particular skill of "finesse touche" that much more exaggerated then it would be in an era where finesse touch wouldn't matter as much, since you aren't physically able to get a good shot off anyways. Steph is just a gray example of for this discussion. That's why I used him. And like I said, he would still be a star and the greatest shooter ever WITH handchecking. But the difference would be stark. He wouldn't be the absolutely insane game breaker he is now. Handchecking would be a big issue for a guy with a play style like him.
It's definitely because there's a lack of defense KD has explained where as he automatically gets double covered most teams will have players fall back on a player if they know they can still get the win despite the opponent having a 40+ game
In terms of rules changes a big difference between now and the early 90’s was taking away the hand check. This further increased the scoring and freedom of perimeter players. Recent rules changes also include the clear path foul and now the take foul which discourages players from preventing fast breaks. This has also lead to an increase in scoring.
Handcheck was prohibited since 1979 they just enforced it in 2004 bc cuz some players got away with it but Handcheck Being 'allowed' in the 90's is a myth
@@NelsFofana Technically you're right, but anyone who watched knows they rarely called hand checks back then. It's why they had to alter the rule several times before completely outlawing it in 2005. Same as zones being illegal in the 90s, yet teams often ran zones. Same as traveling being a violation now. Do the refs call it? Rarely.
@Darryl Hadisandjaja Yes, the 90s Bulls often ran it, and teams often ran it against them. The Jordan rules involved running zone on MJ and throwing as many bodies at him as possible.
@@John6-40so think about this, how would that Jordan rule work now on a luka now a days?it wouldn’t! If jordan has a bunch of shooters and he can score all 3 levels. And was a elite passer 3 point shooting would have been higher back then. In todays nba with how good every position can shoot and most stars are good passer you literally cannot send as many bodies as you can at somebody. It’s not the rules it’s the players now a days that are the big difference in why you see what your seeing.
I thought you were actually going to talk about why the NBA is actually broken. Lebron's "decision" really f'd things up, starting a trend of players wanting to create "Super Friend" clubs. The NBA has been unwatchable, and the players have become so unlikeable. The NBA has given up so much power to the players, and they totally F'd it up the league. The NBA needs to grow a backbone.
Pace, shot clock reset after rebound, other rule changes, way more lenient with carrying and travelling. Some people are talking about it. Some aren't.
I think you are being tongue in cheek here, but I will answer anyway. I think in 20 years, the league will have shifted back to defense a bit, and kids in the 2040's will discredit Bron by pointing to the loose era he played in. Basically the same arguments that pro Jordan "old heads" use now. Things will come full circle.
Great vid Low. I would assume that shortened offensive rebound clock has silently increased the number of shots that go up without increasing possessions
Rarely mentioned in these videos is the implementation of the two way breakaway rim. The basket is much softer now. When implemented, shooting percentages immediately increased
05-06 spike is largely attributed to rule-changes to "open up the game". It wasn't just an outlier year for Kobe...35.4, Iverson avg'd 33, Lebron avg'd 31.4. Nash was MVP, offenses took off.
Which was a result of great defense being played from 03 to 05. Look at the Pistons, Spurs and Pacers (which was great basketball to me). But I like both sides of the game (mostly defense, not a 3 point/free throw contest).
In my opinion the two biggest factors in scoring more is: 1. More threes taken and hit. 2. Rule changes. They are more lax on calling violations like travels or carry’s on the offensive players making them nearly impossible to guard. Makes the game not as fun to watch.
scoring efficiency and game plan are at its peak while, “lack of effort” on defense is at an all time high, feels like more often than not teams give up trying to win after a bad first quarter.
one thing that would really help gage a player's actual impact is basically what thinking basketball has been saying for a minute: look at stats per possession, for instance, instead of absolute numbers, that way things like pace have a much smaller impact and efficiency plays a much bigger role. That's why I never thought Will chamberlain's numbers were impressive, because when seen per possession they weren't out of this world. The truth is that non advanced stats like fg%, ppg, apg and so on mean very little
Of those 142 40 point games in 1961-62 Wilt Chamberlain owns 63 of them or 44% of them (4 out of every 9). Take Wilt out of the NBA that season and there were only 79 40 point games in the rest of the NBA. Note: Wilt AVERAGED 50 points that season. And don't give me the plumbers and paper boys excuse.
It's not an excuse. He did it by playing 48 minutes, a lot of which were in garbage time, and playing in the fastest paced era ever. His 1962 season is only the 14th highest pace adjusted season on record lol. Jordan literally has like 7 seasons that are higher by himself. And yes, Wilt ACTUALLY played against plumbers. Like, literally. Wilt had the luxury of dedicating himself to basketball full time, most of his competition didn't, they had to work in the off-season to make ends meet.
What isnt highlighted though, that makes alot of these players' overall performances look alot better compared to previous eras is, teams are more or less, guaranteed good. It is so unlikely you will be some lone soldier out there trying to solo another team, you will have guaranteed backup, whether by actual other good offensive players (20 ppg or higher scorers) but good 3 point shooters surrounding you, so a very spaced floor, which makes scoring alot more doable.
pre-2004, an offense didnt need shooters to space the floor bc zone defense was still illegal. ie: 2001 Shaq stands in a corner, the defense has to either guard him man-up or 100% commit to a double team, but NO standing at the paint line while nn-shooters stand in corners. Once non-shooters were exploited, it became more difficult to score inside without have floor spacers.
I think the NBA needs a rule change to nerf the offense. More star players have mastered playing in the current rules. A rule change to change to reduce pick n rolls could slow the game some without punishing players who are great in ballscreens.
I know he highlighted that more threes are taken these days but it’s also important to note how incredibly accurate the shooters are today. There was a time when you had “a” ray allen or “a” Reggie miller, but now in todays game you have multiple players who shoot as well as those guys did. Thanks to Steph curry shooting from distance has become more important than making layups.
@@Karll541 Hell, you can go back 30 years even. It's improved barely at all since the 1990's. By 1.3% to be precise. What you have though is an entire league filled with a bunch of narcissistic chumps like Kobe and LeBron that _think_ they're better 3-point shooters than the statistics show to be the case. Thus they jack up tons of 3's under the misguided belief that they're another Ray Allen or Dale Ellis. Keep in mind too that those guys in the 1990's were only shooting a measly 1.3% lower from downtown but in an era where defense was _demonstrably_ tougher than today. Not very many wide open looks for those 90's cats. And there goes the phony notion that "players today are more skilled".
This is the definitive essay addressing the rise of scoring in the NBA. A combo of analytics, strategy, skills and most importantly - rules have led to this. How can defenses from in the past be compared to the present when we've gone from 5% to 30% of all shots being 3pt, they can't.
The three examples you gave is the three perfect examples of how handicapped defenses have become whether its the lack of defensive coaching, the emphasis on the league to have more scorers or the general lack of defensive talent of this era. But KD, Kawhi and Demar are not strong ball handlers. 10 years ago having them be the facilitators plus the first option was more risky because there were players like Tony Allen that can nerf some of the scoring output which forced coaches to develop entire sets over and over again to maintain buckets. Now its give KD a pick on the wing and force the defenders to either give KD the middie he wants or hit the roller easy. Sorry for the tangent but I have like 50 examples of just bad coaching/defense I see on a nightly basis
Good topic of discussion and I glad brought it up. The high-level pace X high skillset X high no. 3pts has increased the frequency of scoring. However, the parameters to negate scoring opportunities (hand-checks, 3 second defensive etc.) is decreased which has accelerated scoring opportunities into overdrive.
I think people don’t realize how great of an impact banning the take foul has had. Way more fast breaks, possessions, and opportunities to score. So scoring is bound to increase drastically like it has
It's really just the rules. Traveling is not called anymore. Gather step is outlandishly lenient. Defenders literally can't pretend to defend. Everyone is carrying.
It leads to more scoring but does it lead to more winning? MJ had to move out of that role where he averaged 32/8/8 and got 10 triple doubles in 11 games. Phil Jackson said he was much more help to the team when he ran up court and took the pressure off the ball handler.
Interesting. I’m 3 minutes in and I’m 23 yo. Growing up I always separated all stars and superstars. I knew when people met the 25+ ppg threshold they were superstars no doubt or at least great players on bad teams. But now it’s so watered down.
The point about the rules affecting the game is 100% true, except for the line about it helping the offensive exclusively. There is a reason why the late 90s to the late 2000s is called the dead ball era of basketball. This was when they made several rule changes that allowed more defensive freedom and strategy. Zone becoming legal, hand checking becoming legal again, and offensive 5 second calls when backing down. The 90s was dominated by teams giving the ball to their best player and having them go 1 on 1 with someone. The defensive rule changes aloud for a more pass focused league, but it also shut down traditional bigs as well as iso heavy wings. It's why teams like the Pistons. Kings, Nets, and Spurs did so well. They were pass first defensive teams. Of course not much has changed since, but that is where analytics and innovation comes in. Because although not many rules got changed following these changes, the scoring has gone up consistently.
That's why I don't care about the scoring title or who is leading in the all-time pts record. I only look at the overall performance from offense to defense and leadership that produce champions.
I like the video and I agree with most of it. What don't agree with is when you stated less players were capable of averaging 20ppg. I think that's not true. In past eras, certain players on the team had the green light and most others didn't. Bad shots were punished by being possibly benched and they all ran sets. Everyone played a role. Nowadays, everyone has the green light to do whatever they want on offense.
The NBA should have two 3 point lines. The first line is like it is today and there is a limit a team can take per half or quarter. Once a team goes over the limit the second 3 point line takes effect which is moved back and the corner three's will become worth 2 points. This is the penalty line. If a team does shoot beyond second 3 point line/penalty line then it doesn't go against their attempts. Perhaps you can bring back the original three point line when there is somewhere around two or three minutes left in the half or quarter. Just trying to think of something to discourage all these three point attempts that has ruined the mid range games value.
Somehow throughout this entire video of explaining why scoring is basically at an all time high, that the word defense wasnt spoken a single time i dont believe. Not saying its by any means the only reason. It is a major factor though and to pretend its not is just laughable.
Teams in Europe play way better defense then the nba that's why giannis and luka said its harder to score in Europe. But the nba does has better offense tho
This is why I always say numbers lie too. The game has been tailored for high scoring. It's gone be a whole new list of players replacing legends on the all time lists. It's good and bad imo cause kids gone forget the legends
Heliocentric offenses( 2k offenses) are ruining the game. One person gets to shine while others have to be relegated to roles where they might not be comfortable. REAL ballers know there’s a flow and rhythm to the game. Most players favor offense and when they feel apart of the offense by touching the ball, they get into a better rhythm and are more engaged on both ends. Being told to go stand in the corner and wait for the pass to shoot does NOT get you into a rhythm. That’s why role players on teams with this type of offense tend to be inconsistent. Luka and the mavs, harden with the rockets, young with the hawks, Westbrook with the thunder and lebron with all his teams. Pair that with the softest defensive era ever where an offensive player can run over their defenders and get rewarded with fouls, and there’s no wonder you have so many inflated stat lines.
Not a huge fan of the title, you tried to display a positive meaning but we both know what’s really gonna be taken away from this video. I’m sure it helps with views but I really don’t think he was integral to the video. But I think one of the biggest reasons scoring is so high right now is because guys are putting it all together. Years ago we heard from the Rockets that 3s and Layups were the only good shots and that was a trend in the league for a couple years. Now these offensive players are realizing that the mid range can open up the defender to higher volume 3s and layups. It’s truly beautiful to watch these guys score the ball. I’ve seen Embiid a lot live this season and he isn’t the best 3 pt shooter but his mid range game opens up so much space for him at the rim and is a big reason he’s scoring 30. The next step for the league is to allow better defense so we can see a more balanced game that’s entertaining on both sides
The rise of the 3-point shot, team ppg increase, pace, changes in offense, the fact that it's not possible to play real D in an 82 game season. I don't think it's one thing or one player. Eh, it's the 3-point shot.
The rule changes are the biggest factor. With different rules, the era to era stats are interesting but essentially worthless when making the comparison. New era thinks stats really capture and explain basketball, they do not. They can give you a glimpse, and give you things to consider but putting too much stock in certain stats will only continue to mislead many people. Thinking you can just look at stats and understand not only games, but also full eras is a super modern day casual mindset.
I'd argue saying it's the rules is extremely casual. Not taking into account things like player development technology more money involved. Larger population pool specialization. There is always a ton of context
@@Ghost-rb6cw if stats give you more information than watching games maybe you are clueless when it comes to understanding basketball lol. This is the mindset I’m talking about. Looking at stats over watching games…
When your best player can be/is your PG, it "frees up" a position/makes your lineup more dynamic. Also, the adoption of "position-less" basketball as a result of players (across the board in size/position/role(s)) being more skilled. Throw in modern efficiency+ tools= more 💥 bang!/💦 splash!
It won’t, nba will probably start changing rules again when Lebron retires Funny that the hand checking rule was removed right after Lebron was drafted
Most offenses other than GST is a heliocentric offense. And players have more days off not practices. Both are because of Lebron. Both lower enjoyment and energy to play D. Add jn ability of players to palm the ball and take a walk without taking a dribble…. Scoring no.s is going up. I agree both of these are tied to Lebron. I remember when volume scorers player defense. Not hide on defense
I don't pay much attention to the NBA anymore, mainly because of the lack of defense. I miss the rough physical play before the hand checking and defensive 3 in the key rules. People like physical play, football is America's sport because it so physical and rough. It gets boring just watching people make easy buckets with no real adversity.
Rule changes are the biggest factor. It all started when they allowed players to dribble from the side of the ball instead of the top which looks hilarious by the way...imagine if players still could only dribble from the top? Now players able to dribble from the bottom which is essentially a carry. Also the rule changes in 01-02 to unlock the paint make it so much easier for players to like Bron and Giannis to put up big numbers. It's amazing how so many people straight ignore context and fact. I guess ignorance is bliss? All the soft fouls and traveling carrying flopping 3 jacking etc etc has really help destroy the game but I still watch like an addict!
The style of play just changed and adapted after Steph and Harden. This came at the cost of PF's no longer being star players and C's having to adapt their games, it's evolution, it happens, but no one blames LeBron for changing the way the ASG changed from having every position to switching to backcourt/frontcourt.
I'd love to see what all the players of the past could do with no bigs in the paint, no travel calls and no hand checks. What you doing with Shaq? AI would suddenly be insanely efficient with no bigs to swat the ball away. Jordan? Pfff... Shawn Kemp would be Giannis. People laugh, but Kemp was just as big as Giannis and more athletic tbh. There was just way more dudes who were bigger than him back then and they were allowed to camp in the paint.
It's not surprising tbh, players are taken more 3s than ever before and the rules continue to favor offense way more than defense which gives players easy FTs, I mean Shai had 16 FTAs just last night, Dame had 15 FTAs,
Three reason why NBA's suck right now. One no defense second the teams have no systems or strategies final rules change. The NBA stars who have full ball control you can get them by coming at them playing defense
