This was definitely a thing just back in the 2000s. You had guys like melo, tmac, Paul pierce, wade, Dwight ect all decline in this age range or way before. People always mentioned lebron still being so good when he was 33. At first that seemed like an anomaly. Now, you have guys like curry, kd, kawhi, dame, lebron still(lol) jimmy butler, all still being in their prime at 33+. Is it an advancement in technology and medicine? Something else?
It’s situational. T-Mac and Dwight declined ahead of the curve because of injuries. Wade, Melo, Pierce all did between 33-35 like you said, but there’s no proof that some of the current guys won’t see that sudden sign of decline within the next couple of years similarly.
Also, players like Kawhi/Jimmy have a physical, deliberate style of play that ages gracefully. The shooters like Dame/Curry/KD will never lose that shooting touch unless their legs lose power entirely.
And then LeBron is the exception, not the rule.
This. Also Lebron is known to heavily invest in his body on and off season.
This narrative is so so dumb. Why do we listen to the PR machine? People say this as if other players haven’t been doing this. There were stories about all the crazy things Kobe would do for his body, back in the 2000s.
as most super Stars do except they brag and seek attention for it
LeBron and Butler actually have a lot in common, although LeBron is obviously better. But both of them play a very physical game that doesn’t depend on pure athleticism.
The difference is that LeBron is a tank who seemingly never got injured in his prime, whereas Butler rarely plays a full season and just needs to focus on being healthy in the playoffs. Even in the playoffs, though, Butler has a harder time sustaining that physical style of play.
Look at last season, where Butler was clearly hobbled in the Finals. Look at game five of the 2020 Finals, where Butler matched LeBron and came out the victor — but had nothing left in game six.
Steph is just not a shooter dude. He runs the most miles per game for a superstar above 30, his conditioning is elite.
I’m aware of how Stephen Curry plays man it’s just a generalization lol
A lot depends on how you shoot too.