Myth or Not: Players today better than before???

[veilside23]

we all know that we have good players today.. but are they really head and shoulders on the players that we saw years ago ..


when it comes to :

athleticism
skill
basketball iq


please leave a comment that is quite reasonable no need to attack me ..

i just want to make sure that all reasons are valid ...

[Foster5k]

Jordan, Wilt, Hakeem, Bird, Magic, Russell, Kareem >>>>>>>>>>>>> better than anything we got right now.

[scm5]

Jordan, Wilt, Hakeem, Bird, Magic, Russell, Kareem >>>>>>>>>>>>> better than anything we got right now.

I agree with everyone but Hakeem.

Hakeem isn't better than Kobe, Lebron, or Duncan.

[dh144498]

George Mikan >>>>>

[get these NETS]

because of the exodus of talent from college ranks

college game is not as good anymore


players in college leave before they get to develop some aspects of their games



creates a watered down league

higher % of near freakish level athletes in league but because of no development....

lower basketball skills and hoops IQ



Doc Rivers said this about gerald greene before waiving him"It's clear that nobody ever taught this young man how to play basketball"


as for euro players.....outside of AK-47(and rare exceptions like ginobili) same is still true about euros.....all play like small forwards regardless of height.....don't play defense....or board....

[Mr Exlax]

because of the exodus of talent from college ranks

college game is not as good anymore


players in college leave before they get to develop some aspects of their games



creates a watered down league

higher % of near freakish level athletes in league but because of no development....

lower basketball skills and hoops IQ



Doc Rivers said this about gerald greene before waiving him"It's clear that nobody ever taught this young man how to play basketball"


as for euro players.....outside of AK-47(and rare exceptions like ginobili) same is still true about euros.....all play like small forwards regardless of height.....don't play defense....or board....

[KyrieTheFuture]

I would say the greats are no better or worse but there is more talent in the 4-12 on everyone's team than there used to be

Edit: That being said, there are less greats today than there were...a lot of great #2s and such but very few franchise players

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

I would say the greats are no better or worse but there is more talent in the 4-12 on everyone's team than there used to be

Edit: That being said, there are less greats today than there were...a lot of great #2s and such but very few franchise players

I agree w/ this.

[Poetry]

but there is more talent in the 4-12 on everyone's team than there used to be

It's not "more talent," it's a different type of talent.

Less skilled in some areas, more skilled in others.

[Flash31]

Depends on what position
and what skillset youre talking about

People back then were better rebounders,defenders,and
could play longer and had way better post moves qnd skills
and almost EVERYBODY had a decent to good mid range shot

people nowadays are better athletes,are faster,can shoot from
long range better and the defenses are more complex

Old----current

athleticism-current
defense---old
post skill--old
energy---old
long range shooting--current
mid range---old
big men----old
guards---current
man to man d---old
complex team d----current
energy---old
longevity---old
hustle----old
efficiency---current

[CavaliersFTW]

It's not "more talent," it's a different type of talent.

Less skilled in some areas, more skilled in others.

Bingo.

[get these NETS]

more teams now than in say 1988

and team rosters are bigger now


just much more spots for nba players than existed in dawn of modern nba era

certain % of today's players never would have been on an NBA roster under old structure...


pre HEAT/ Timberwolves era

[IncarceratedBob]

Better, smarter athletes.

George Mikan, Bob Pettit couldn't hang in todays league but they DOMINATED their league.

All that matters.

[KyrieTheFuture]

It's not "more talent," it's a different type of talent.

Less skilled in some areas, more skilled in others.

Truth. That's good clarification thanks

[scm5]

The players today are more athletic, I don't think that's arguable. Better nutrition and training techniques as well as a better understanding of the human body overall.

In terms of skills, there are some players today with skills that would amaze players from back then. Players back then were more fundamentally sound though. Think about Jamal Crawford's sick ass crossovers back then... more skills doesn't necessarily mean a better player.

Basketball IQ is also questionable. Defenses are different and you need to be able to read that. Zone defenses help the defense adjust better to a lot of situations. It's different than playing man, which is also still played today. Players might seem dumber today, but also, defenses are able to adjust more now.