After Shaq and the mid-2000s the league really moved out into a perimeter game, with the best players being guards (Kobe, Steph, Harden, Westbrook, Wade) and then large wings (LeBron, Kawhi, Tatum).
Now however it seems we’re in a new age of modern big men who rule the league again: Jokic, Embiid and even Giannis, AD and Wemby who do not play center technically would absolutely be in that group as true 7+ footers.
Will we see another arms race for size and will teams need a dominant big man to win in the modern NBA, similar to the 80’s and 90’s?
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Hot take: Big men have always dominated this game, no matter the era. Basketball is fundamentally a sport where height just provides a massive advantage.
We just went through a couple year stretch after the KG/Duncan/Dirk era where the talent at the big spot was a little lacking. But it really wasn’t long at all before those guys fell off and guys like AD, KAT, Embiid, Jokic, etc took over.
Right before Shaq the GOAT was Jordan in the 90s.
How can you say big men have always dominated this game when neither the number 1 or number 2 player of all time is a big man…
The era of the feminine big man is here.
The game is always evolving back and forth I feel like. This three point era won’t last forever, at some point I do think the game will go back to how it was in one of the past eras
More than anything we’re in an era of: If you can Play, you can Play. That’s the era we’re really in. Teams are more forgiving and more creative than they’ve ever been if you can really Play.
Only really the less-than-athletic shooting guard/forward without ball skills/defense, the defensive forward without shooting range, and the 6’1 and under guard are finding it more difficult to find a space in the league. You can’t be exploitable to that degree or that limited and survive in this league unless you have outlier skills. Hard for smaller guards today to make it because they are too exploitable defensively. Same with the Steve Novak’s of the world who don’t provide much outside of stand still shooting. Ish Smith keeps finding a spot because he’s so fast. You have to have an outlier skill and if you do, teams are forgiving.
We have seen a rebirth of the traditional C getting opportunities on benches, two ways, etc…the NBA is cyclical and these bigs have merit in the league as rebounders (we know offensive rebounding is on a huge incline in recent years) and as rim protectors and post defenders. With the Jokic’s of the world, Sengun, AD, Valanciunas, Embiid and more, teams are placing greater importance on having size on their roster.
Post up possessions were at their lowest ever rate last season but their highest ever efficiency and I think we’re gonna see rates increase in the near term…we’ve already seen three point attempts drop. The way most teams defend today make it so post players often get one on one coverage and makes it a more efficient shot now than it has ever been.