A change in NBA culture over the past two decades

[Nick Young]

In the late 90s and early 2000s, it was seen as cool and desireable in the NBA to be a lazy idiot who didn't try very hard and partied all the time. Think of guys like Latrell Spreewell, Carmelo Anthony, T-Mac, Dwight Howard, Stephon Marbury and and all those And 1 ballers who care more about their brand then they do about achieving greatness on the court. Lebron is the poster child of this generation.


Now in the Late 2010s, the culture has shifted. The coolest players are Kawhi Leonard, Damon Lillard, Kevin Durant, Westbrook and Steph Curry. All of these guys are focused on being great basketball players and doing what needs to be done to achieve greatness. All of them are known for their high work ethic and dedication to the sport itself. All of them are known for working their asses off on the court and trying as hard as they can.


Kobe is the player who bridged these two eras. He pretended to be a brand-oriented AI type early in his career, but ultimately what he became known for was his work ethic out of games and his dedication to perfecting his game.

It truly is a beautiful story.

[Im Still Ballin]

I think your misinterpreting this

More accurately, you are thinking about the death of isolation basketball, and the rebirth of team basketball

Kobe most definitely wasn't the main driver in the shift

It was Lebron

He made passing cool again

He started the current shift of drive and kick

It had been part of the NBA always (Think Nash all the way back in Dallas with those high powered offenses, and in PHX)

But as we know, the league is a copycat league

It wasn't until Lebron won with small ball fundamentals that the gears started to really turn

Positionless basketball

That was Lebron

[Nick Young]

The Lebron era created an era of top teams using Lebron style iso-ball. That style of offense has proven to fail, with team-oriented offenses like the Mavs and Spurs and Warriors winning out.

Now teams are realizing it's better to build around hard working gym rats who dedicate their lives to the game (for the purposes of discussion, let's describe these types of players as "Kobe types") like Kawhi and Curry than it is to build around flashy business and partying oriented players like Lebron.

[Im Still Ballin]

Those Miami Lebron teams averaged the most passes per game in the league

[ballinhun8]

Lebron ball? Kick and drive??


His dominant usage rate is the reason why the heat and cavs had such a hard time adjusting when he didn't play.

[Im Still Ballin]

Does Kobe Bryant’s Retirement Mark The End Of Isolation Basketball?

7 more games. That’s how many times we have left to watch Kobe Bryant in the NBA. Just crazy.

20 years has flown by with Bryant donning a Lakers uniform, and his legacy will continue to influence the game for years to come.

Even though the Mamba’s best years are far behind him, there are still kids at parks around the country yelling “Kobe” whenever they take a jumper. Even when he retires, Bryant won’t disappear thanks to countless videos on Youtube and his assertion that he plans on to stay busy with his work life.

But what about Bryant’s style of play? What kind of lasting impact will it have?

Kobe was a pure scorer, a true assassin on the hardwood. He regularly took helpless defenders to the rim, or hit them with his automatic fadeaway. Bryant excelled in one-on-one basketball with his teammates drawn back; the isolation.

He was far from the first player to take that approach. The isolation, or ISO, came into the league to take advantage of mismatches on the court, but it eventually became a regular form of offense for superstars like Michael Jordan.

These days, it’s much less common. Bryant is a part of a dying breed of players from a past era; it’s all about ball movement in the league now, as nearly perfected by teams like the Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs.

So, ESPN Insider Kevin Pelton asks the question: will Kobe Bryant’s retirement bring about the end of the isolation?

If I had to make a predication, the ISO won’t go completely extinct. Maybe it will go back to its original roots, finding usage when the opportunity presents itself thanks to defenders switching onto players too quick or too big for them to stop.

Other players with the athleticism necessary can still pull it off as well. LeBron James is a world-class passer, but when he needs to, he can take his man one-on-one and get key buckets. Giannis Antetokounmpo doesn’t shy away from using the ISO either. Not to mention, have you ever seen Carmelo Anthony play?

You can also make an argument that Steph Curry uses a form of the isolation as a part of his game. Yes, a lot of his shots come from moving the ball around and finding small weak spots in an opposing defense, but from time to time, he utilizes quick dribble moves to create space on his own, or to glide to the rim unopposed.

Curry is in a class of his own right now, but maybe he’s a sign of the modification of the isolation. With hand checks out of the game and more freedom of movement on the floor than ever, younger players must work tirelessly on their dribbling, quickness, and shot release to succeed.

Yes, the isolation as we know it might disappear as a primary form of offense in the coming years, but it will never be gone completely.

[AirBonner]

I think the Boston big 3 (Garnett Pierce and Allen) ushered in the collusion /team oriented basketball era. The spurs have always been that brand of basketball but never pushed the league towards that style.

[ballinhun8]

Kevin Pelton.......



Ughhhhh where's my vomit emoticon

[SyRyanYang]

I think the Boston big 3 (Garnett Pierce and Allen) ushered in the collusion /team oriented basketball era. The spurs have always been that brand of basketball but never pushed the league towards that style.

Lebron was going to collude regardless of Boston big 3. And you look at the best teams today (GS, SA, OKC) are all built from drafts.

[Nick Young]

I think the Boston big 3 (Garnett Pierce and Allen) ushered in the collusion /team oriented basketball era. The spurs have always been that brand of basketball but never pushed the league towards that style.

Boston ushered in the lazy collusion era, but it hasn't proven to be very successful. People forget that the Big 3 only won 1 title. Miami Colluders were 2-2. Overall, collusion teams were only 3-3 in the finals, a 50% win record.

Well run teams like the Spurs and Lakers overall won out in this era and the Thunder and Warriors are carrying on their legacy. The Spurs have been relevant through the entire era.

[Im Still Ballin]

People have been teaming up for ages

2004 Lakers

Houston in the 90's

[Nick Young]

People have been teaming up for ages

2004 Lakers

Houston in the 90's

If we count the 2004 Lakers, and also I forgot to include last years Colluding Cavs, then Collusion teams have only a 3-5 record in the finals and hold an overall losing record. Lebron ball and LeCollusion have both proven to be failures.

[AirBonner]

Boston ushered in the lazy collusion era, but it hasn't proven to be very successful. People forget that the Big 3 only won 1 title. Miami Colluders were 2-2. Overall, collusion teams were only 3-3 in the finals, a 50% win record.

Well run teams like the Spurs and Lakers overall won out in this era and the Thunder and Warriors are carrying on their legacy. The Spurs have been relevant through the entire era.

Lakers were part of the lazy collusion era as well. That Pau Gasol trade was insane.

[Nick Young]

Lakers were part of the lazy collusion era as well. That Pau Gasol trade was insane.

The Pau Gasol trade was even, and has proven to be even. It was just a great trade for both franchises. That was not collusion.

The Grizzlies got their future franchise center Marc Gasol. People say "wah wah wah, no one knew Marc Gasol would be good back then". Guess what, Jerry West obviously did, and Mitch Kupchak obviously did and Marc was having an MVP winning year in the ACB league the year that trade went down. Then on top of that, the Grizz get 10 million in Cap space from Kwame, WHICH THEY USED TO SIGN ZACK RANDOLPH and Javaris Crittenton, who turned out to be a bust but at the time was a rookie with a lot of upside, and also a big load of draft picks.

BOTH TEAMS WON IN THIS TRADE. IT WAS A GOOD TRADE FOR BOTH SIDES.

The only people bitching at the time were people who didn't know how great a prospect Marc Gasol was. A lot of scouts were wrong about him. Mitch Kupchak and Jerry West weren't.