03-17-2022, 01:03 PM
(03-17-2022, 12:58 PM)Jommybone Wrote: The game has indeed changed. Not sure it’s the game as much as the players though. Don’t think a plodding prime Shaq would have trouble staying on the court against these Mavs. Neither would Olajuwon or Kareem.
Of course not. But, it is unquestionably and objectively true that the players you mentioned would've had different games by the time they got to the league had they been born later. Yes, they absolutely would've still made it to the NBA and probably flourished, but they would've played slightly differently.
That level of athlete is still around today, obviously (even better ones, probably). Bigs are MORE skilled now, not less. The problem is that wings and guards are just RIDICULOUSLY skilled nowadays, and that offensive systems have become more and more sophisticated (but in a way that's "simple" enough to be commonplace at the professional level).