Why NBA rookies are smarter than ever 

The multiple switches between Jaime and Butler clips looking almost identical was insane.

Rookies don't listen to music to lock in before games, they listen to the thinking basketball podcast

I always felt the biggest difference between talent now and then is the sheer depth of the current Poole (lol) because the average bench player is much better than the ones of decades past. But that’s evolution and opening up the game worldwide so as time went on, it was kinda expected

Pinoy Step mentioned! Filipinos: Raaaaaaahh!! 🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭😂😂

I really wish every other sport had a quality channel like this one. I mean exactly like this, including Ben's narration.

Did I just see a ref yell “YES” as Blake Griffin hit the 360?

And that's just talking about the American player development program. Overseas, younger prospects learn how to play against professionals by playing against professionals. Luka and Wemby being NBA-ready almost immediately is a testament to that system.

I think it has to do with the amount of films and breakdowns out for young athletes. We can learn more than ever from the greats at an early age

This was something i've been thinking for a while now. Glad that now I have an analysis about it from the GOAT of analytic-ball himself :D

Ben Taylor thank you for growing my understanding of the game everyday . I am very grateful

I'm a filipino. And I'm proud that one of our famous "Pinoy Step" has been part of today's league, where you fake the shot at the first step. 😅

90s and 2000s players grew up watching ball, 2010s players grew up with analytics of ball and 2020s grew up with metanalitics of ball.

Thank you for giving CPJ love. Not many people have seen the craftiness he plays with.

Another point that I feel was a little brushed over, coming in so early compared to rookies of the past just gives so much more experience. The metrics you used were measured by age, so a 24 year old player nowadays has 3-5 seasons of NBA runs where a rookie from an older genereration would only have 1-3. Makes all the difference imo.

Fresh Thinking Basketball, nothing better.

That rookie impact low point had to be when Michael Carter Williams won roty

I am a sports therapist that also played pro basketball and I have been saying this for years. Salient points from the Thinking Basketball squad.

Ben what a fantastic video! I love how you first explain from a zoomed out perspective over decades and then dive into the details. I think Rick torbetts read and react system has played a tremendous role in the development of the new generation. Thanks for sharing this masterpiece!

This video is one of the most amazing, insightful and entertaining basketball-realted videos i have ever seen. Your channel is different to any other, i love you analysis so much! keeo uo the amazing work

“Pinoy step…?” Wait, is that a shout out to the basketball loving country of the Philippines?! Did some super crafty, quick-ass, super short dude with a sick J and below the rim finishing moves from Manila come up with that? (I just described my dad. And that’s TOTALLY a move he would have used in his prime at U of P Manila, for sure😁🙌🏽🇵🇭🇺🇸)

Not showing Wembenyama as rookies with impact made me nervous

Awesome. Not taking stats on face value but drilling into them and combining them with other stats… brilliant analysis as always.

This is the type of content i love seeing on this channel it definitely feels like bench players in todays nba so incredibly skilled

Nice analysis. Great work!

One of your best videos yet, Ben. Good stuff

awesome analysis as always.

This was incredibly well done, as always!

Please do a video on Vince Williams, GG Jackson, and how the Grizzlies are actually still trying to win despite having a hospital worth of players

Incredibly accurate and entertaining analysis!

Thank you thinking basketball for mentioning Pinoy Step. More power

wow. love this content, what a channel, insane channel. love the channel who breaking down, attention of the detail, awesome Ben from Indonesian💪💪💪

you always come with the best subects ! 🔥

This is such a great channel

7:43 Don MacLean shoutout! Let’s goooooo!!

Nice! Shout out to you guys for recognizing the PINOY STEP! Haha! Where did you get that? Filipinos have been Eurostepping since the 1970s lol. We were amused seeing it done in the 2000s.

definitely did not expect to see pinoy step in this video, but I am glad that it is being recognized now, as someone who grew up watching that move be done, and used that move too! great video as always man!

not comment much but a subscriber that says well done.. Keep up., I do enjoy these clips.. best regards

best video ever u made me realize sm abt basketball nba

I yearned so much in 2007-2008 for the information that is now freely available. I'm mainly talking about individual training programs. What I lacked the most was individual training programs for everything. Physical health (talk about information and context as a whole), athleticism, dribbling, running, jumping. Most of the rest(playmaking) could be covered by a good team coach, +taking responsibility during the game, +analyzing the situation on the field in each situation, and analyzing afterwards. Yes, analysis of team moments in the attack now also gives a boost and understanding. But before, many of these things could be understood by oneself + this imposed the need for teamwork, and therefore constant partners on the field.постійних партнерів на полі.

you're seeing this clear as day especially in today's game, the explosion of instant young role players in a way that I just haven't seen before. usually you were either showing flashes of brilliance, or it too some time to develop and now younger players are getting more opportunities where vets used to take up spots! Crazy!

as a Pinoy or Filipino. that pinoy step is literally a blueprint for one of our arsenal layup sets just to put through bigman on court.

I think that is important to say that not all young players are using the information available and better training workouts. Many young athletes are overwhelmed with the information and don't know what is helpful and what is not; or they just neglect completely how the game and practice has evolved. So, yes, the one that are listening to coaching staff and navigating the overflow of information are better; but you also have the stubborn ones that refuse to learn new ways or can't comprehend the complexity of the game and are left behind

Craig Porter Jr rules!! He should be getting WAYYYY more minutes. It drives me crazy

People will watch this and then proclaim the rise in offense is simply players not trying on the other end

great track 👌

Is there a thinking hockey channel as good as Thinking Basketball? Asking for a friend!

Todays athletes are always smarter than yesterdays. How would they get worse?

At the end of the day this rookie draft class is going to end up one of the greatest of all time

At this point the NBA is by far the hardest league to make it into out of the major sports leagues in NA. NFL all you have to compete against is against other Americans in a most probably shrinking pool of players. Then in hockey you're really only competing against NA and Scandinavia + Russia for the most part. Then in baseball you're competing against South Korea, Japan, Latin America and NA. And finally in basketball you're competing against the globe. You're competing against practically all of Europe, parts of South America, Asia, NA and some parts of Africa. The pool of talent to choose from is insane nowadays in the NBA.

Whichever game you choose to engage in, you'll likely come across the dichotomy between positional play and tactical play. You'll find it in differents shapes and forms, in disciplines as dissimilar as basketball and chess. We all know about the 5 fundamental basketball positions. On the other side of the equation, tactics present themselves in the form of Xs and Os, the pick and roll being basketball's tactical bread-and-butter. That's the most blatant example of a tactic being set, but tactics can be far less patent, adapting to what the situation calls for, making use of the underlying concepts of basketball. As a result, the deeper you dig into a tactic's outcomes, the more it ends up blending in with basic play. In the same vein, positional basketball capitalises on the capabilities of the players to set up strategic schemes. In the end, it also turns into a battle of spacing, and not just 3-point shooting, but the use of space throughout the court permitted by the specialisation of the players into tactical roles. That's why I mentioned them being on opposites side of the equation: positional and tactical play are one and the same, they play into each other because they are just lines drawn on what would otherwise be known simply as good play. Now then, the rules (and enforcement of said rules) throw a wrench into where said lines are traced. Coaches and players will find the tactical exploits which allow them to stay on top of the metagame, and often the ruleset changes to make room for or discourage certain styles of play (at times not for the sake of the competitive integrity and balance of the game, but for the perceived enjoyment of spectators). Sometimes, these will be minor, therefore favouring fundamentally-sound basketball. Others, coaches will have players running around setting sure-fire plays like there's no tomorrow. In either case, young players will be moulded to fit their times. Artworks don't age. Still, every work is a product of their time. It's no different for basketball players (at least if you count on metagames reaching their sweet spot before they're forcefully ruled out, which you truly never can). What you lack says as much about you as what you focus on, it's just a matter of opportunity cost, and it's the metagame (defined by its rules) that determines the value of each merit.

I've been saying this for years, and the criticism JJ got for a similar comment makes me swallow it some, but I 100% believe it; The floor of the NBA is so damn high compared to what it was. Every player you see on the floor can likely be a team leader if they were given the green light. I would say up until the early 90s, there are 100% players on the floor who could only do one thing. Today's 3 and D player, which is pretty much the lowest common denominator of "role player" is probably a better playmaker than most of your favorite 80s team's players. JJ was right to say that 60s player faced firemen and janitors, but his perspective is off. I can walk into a business now and find accountants who are in old NBA shape and who could be taught to be a role player on those old teams. Current NBA player show skills far in excess of what we've seen before.

we have been summoned 😂 handa, awit!

New rookies evolving the traits to stay on nba courts is crazy, them having to bring immediate defensive IQ and three point shooting is crazy. Look at some of the other rookies this class that lack those two traits, they're in the g-league already. And the offensive development looks futuristic, these players don't know a world without zero-steps, know the foul game in and out (on offense), know how to attack off the catch, not to mention the level of athleticism on display by everyone, especially the shorter players.

6:45 MORE JAIME VIDS PLZ🙏🏾🙏🏾

Jump Stop with an Up and Under was my bread and butter in pickup games 💯

Bro this is happening because of YOU!!!!!! EVERY COACH AT EVERY LEVEL now watches Thinking basketball! This is the result!!!!

That 'Pinoy step' 🔥

I was just thinking of Thinking the other day. Do you know of the Aussie player on MJ's team that many forget about? Does he rate high in any of your charts.

As a Filipino, the "Pinoy Step" being acknowledged was super 🔥! Subscribed!

Not having watched the video yet, it might really be a combo of not only having an easier time watching basketball games, but also growing up playing 2k. Pretty sure Tyrese Haliburton said something about playmaking while playing 2k advancing his bbiq, and it makes sense.

With more people playing and studying more, the new peak is people with elite physical gifts AND sufficient cognitive function to make decisions on the fly AND executive function to apply themselves AND a supportive environment for their development so they can learn. Basically, a factory for the production of baby LeBrons.

Can you make a video on how players get buy defenders

As a Filipino citizen, it's nice to hear that the "Pinoy step" is being recognized internationally ♥💛💙

I think a major reason a lot of these young players are able to demonstrate such skill and basketball IQ is because modern basketball emphasizes versatility so much more than previous decades. Instead of having shooting and rim running specialists, players have the ability to do it all so they have so many more options. The increase in options leaves room for skill expression that previous generations of players may not have had. Guys in the past that were 3 point specialists may have been able to pull off these great attacking moves, but that wasn’t their purpose on the floor. These rookies are creating opportunities to do a little bit of everything and it makes it so fun to watch.

Absolutely love the analysis, been thinking about this one for a while, i love the way you see and think the game. Have you ever thought of coaching or do you love the analysis part too much to think about it?

never thought I would ever hear pinoy step in a Thinking Basketball video lol

Did not expect the pinoy step being mentioned here

Tim Duncan was all nba first team as a rookie??! 😮😮

5:45 Really, PINOY Step? ♥️🇵🇭

Talkin bout Podziemski feels great because hes the Warriors future

I feel like everybody’s game is well rounded now a days, to fit the spacing of todays game. I think people are spotting these guys out way earlier now a days, all over the world. Not just dudes from NCAA/America.

A dwarf on a giant’s shoulder sees further of the two. It’s important to remember that when comparing modern times to the past, not just in basketball but in life!

The kids who grew up watching the 2015-2018 warriors are finally making their way into the league. The affects of the Curry style of play is starting to show themselves lol

There's also more talent and skill in the league than before. 20-30 years ago, you could probably get on the all-star team if you averaged 15 ppg and some other stats, even as a rookie. Now, you don't have a shot of making it as an all-star unless you average at least 20 ppg, more likely closer to 25 ppg, and some other stats. It's harder for rookies to burst onto the scene and average 25 ppg than it is to average 15 ppg. There's only so many spots on an all-star roster and the current stars of the league aren't going to play like shit to let the rookies make the team.

The game is in a great place.

Genuinely surprised that the 'pinoy step' had a shoutout. It emerged in tiktoks and Instagram reels now as an actual term. Problem is no Pinoy had yet to be in the NBA

Thinking basketball is great

once again, ben taylor adds to his HOF resume

I try explaining why the league is so much more talented now than pre 2000 and my friends usually don't get it. In say 1995 there were 30 teams and 450 permanent roster spots in the NBA. Fast forward to today and we have 30 teams and 450 permanent roster spots. But in the meantime we've see players like Jordan, AI, Lebron, Wade, Melo, KD, Curry, Duncan etc and the list goes on and on. The game has grown exponentially both on the court and more importantly off the court. Lets just say hypothetically in 1995 there were 10 million kids playing high school ball globally. Today there could be ten times that amount. So there are more kids playing worldwide and a whole bunch of new skills have been innovated so obviously there are way more highly skilled players. The amount of people allowed into the league is the same but the queue to get in is maybe 50x larger with more starter level players, more second option level players, third options and so on. But there aren't enough spots in the league so now a first option is obviously still the a first option, but there are so many rookies of that caliber coming in that most of them become second or even third options and that trickles down to the point where the forth or firth options or even guys off the bench today have as much talent as a second of third option would have had in the 90's.

what pick and roll play is that in NBA 2k?

I wonder if part of the additional value is driven by the salary cap. Much has been made about the salary cap squeezing how the mid-tier vet who is not an all star but not an MLE player. I wonder if teams are asking more of rookies.

you can tell already that Jaquez is the model Miami Heat player. they will do anything to keep him.

the 1-footed layup is called a 'goofy layup/goofy lay' and/or 'wrong footed layup/ wrong footed lay'

My eyes opened wide when I heard the Pinoy Step. Filipinos use this move way back. Lets go Philippines 🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭

@3:02 gahdamn ben u slipped this filthy poster in here so casually. thought i watched that clippers game. dnt remember this

I’m all for the talent evolving to be better, but we need to bring back physical defense and get rid of the the defensive 3 in the key

Classy thumbnail

I definitely agree on the specific crop of rookies that benefit from how NBA basketball is played and trained up now. NBA decades ago with their brand power showed the world how 'their' basketball was played. More athletes from the globe have come to the NBA and helped evolve the game as well. Refs calling also adapted as well. They play looser now on gather step calls due the precedence you mentioned. I feel moving screens are called less with how screen heavy the offenses are now. The 'older' rookies today also come prepared in situations that are more familiar with their role/skillsets and how they refined it playing in their respective programs. Nuggets/Heat/Warriors pick in positions where they care more about team fit/skillset because they have established athlete/s.

i really do think that the impact of luka doncic slow game and iq had a huge impact for his generation and the next.

“Spaced-out Natives”, love it

"These moves weren't legal in the 20th century" ... THANK YOU!!!! Today's game is a great game but it can't be compared to yesterday because they don't play by the rules today. Or, I should say they play by a different set of rules. It's fun, but it absolutely not the same. If I ever coach again I'm going to teach the kids to carry, travel, and to knock their defender out of legal guarding position, because... if I don't, they will be at a disadvantage.

8:50 Which is funny, other sports are used to that, in soccer teams have special training gym and underage clubs for kids to not only built talent for them but sell or lend them as commodities. Pep, maybe the best coach ever, started training Barças kids team and he played for the official team before!!! With the stars (he latter went to coach).

When u mention Lively I remember he is a Rookie man I been thinks he is on 2nd year or 3rd

I think in Lukas case it's important to notice, that he wasn't a "Classic" Rookie. He had basically won almost everything outside the NBA in his young age. He was way more experienced than College guys

Peyton Watson shoutout in a Thinking Basketball video my life is complete

New Generation 💯

8:57 "This is basically a carbon copy of a play you'll see if you tune into an NBA game today." he says as both the highschooler and the NBA player miss an open three

I love how almost half of the highlights shown were of Jaime. He's such a baller. Smart, mature, patient, and an all-around consistent player.

Requesting once again for a pistons video

Did he actually acknowledged the existence of PINOY STEP?! 🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭 🇵🇭🇵🇭 😂😂