What's the next evolution of NBA basketball?

[CitySushi]

We've seen a transition over generations on the shift of play. We've seen the NBA go from a big man dominated league to a guard dominated league. There's been a shift in the philosophy of basketball from a scoring standpoint. Pace and space is being emphasized where you would have been crazy to suggest this in the 80's or even early 90's. Is there a possible next step for basketball if there are no crazy changes to the game (i.e. 4 point shot)?

If so, I can't see it. Players are becoming so skilled in ways like never before. Under the assumption that fundamental skills like ball handling and shooting are already being ingrained in young players, will there be a shift back to post play?

 

[Arizona_Sting]

4 guard lineups.

Bigs will need to learn how to shoot or pass at an elite level or they'll be out of jobs by 2025. #SaveThisPost

 

[Lakers+USC=#1]

4 guard lineups.

Bigs will need to learn how to shoot or pass at an elite level or they'll be out of jobs by 2025. #SaveThisPost

I disagree. If bigs start back learning post moves and being dominant inside, they will kill the soft bigs we have now. I believe Bynum would've been a MVp player by now, if he stayed healthy.

 

[ChrisGar15]

Move back the 3-point line -- 24 or 25 feet. Then there will be mid-range game and post play.

Difficulty is the floor isn't wide enough in the corners to easily do that and maintain the corner 3. (make it wider?)

Another option (which I don't really like but is interesting) -- each team could choose their 3-point distance within some range ... like 22-24 feet. Although that may seem crazy -- baseball fences are chosen by the team.

 

[trojanfan12]

This really isn't terribly new. In the 70's, it was a bit of a barnstorming league with not a lot of defense being played. In the 80's, it was still an up and down game, but the rules allowed defenses to be physical. In the late 80's and through the 90's teams really started pushing the envelope on physical play and went too far with it. The league started making changes to the rules to open the game up so that now it is closer to how the game was played in the 70's only with a 3 point shot.

The next likely change is probably a return to how the game was played in the 80's only with the 3 point shot remaining a big part of the offense.

 

[Arizona_Sting]

I disagree. If bigs start back learning post moves and being dominant inside, they will kill the soft bigs we have now. I believe Bynum would've been a MVp player by now, if he stayed healthy.

Idk man, the way the game is played bigs will be useful to help spread the floor with interior scoring, but I doubt we ever see the game dominated inside like it was when Shaq, KG, Duncan, Z-Bo etc. were in their primes. They may be the last of a dying breed.

The new "big men" will look more like KAT, Anthony Davis, Porzingis, Giannis, etc. in the future.

 

[Lakers+USC=#1]

Idk man, the way the game is played bigs will be useful to help spread the floor with interior scoring, but I doubt we ever see the game dominated inside like it was when Shaq, KG, Duncan, Z-Bo etc. were in their primes. They may be the last of a dying breed.

The new "big men" will look more like KAT, Anthony Davis, Porzingis, Giannis, etc. in the future.

That's all true. What I disagreed with, was that bigs NEED to learn how to shoot and stretch the floor. Yes, that's the direction theis league is going, but if there is young kids out there that still want to be like an old school big, then they will be successful in the league. Think about these bigs in the league now, trying to stick players with Shaq, old Duncan, or Hakeem like skills. They would dominate.

 

[wildturkey]

The dramatic return of the two handed chest pass

 

[tducey]

I think you'll see more multi-position players.

 

[CodeBreaker]

You'll see bigmen playing Curry-like plays.

 

[gordontrue]

I really think in the next decade we could see a new rule where the weight of the 3 point shot is diminished. Which I think is a far better idea than moving the 3 point line.

Something like 2 pointers become worth 3 and 3 pointers become worth 4.

Have you ever played pickup ball by 1's and 2's? The 3 point shot is so heavily weighted that chucking up 3's becomes super incentivized. Which is fun for the chuckers but it sort of erodes at the other facets of the game.

Players are so damn good at shooting these days... that teams are figuring out that there's a lot of incentive to just chuck 3's.

Changing from 2's and 3's to 3's and 4's would really take the game back a couple decades in a good way. And stat comparison wouldn't even be a big deal because it is very simple math to convert "historic points" to "modern points" and vice versa. You could even make it a standard stat.

 

[OregonDucks]

In a few years, the traditional big man will come back and dominate. Its cyclical. Eventually teams will be loaded with these smaller guards and their "big men" will be outsides shooters, and wont be strong inside, there will be a team that comes along with the big brute big man who ends up dominating because his 6'11 opponent is too small and weak to battle him down low.

 

[Mecca of the “B” Team]

Point Center?

KAT did beat a pg in the skills challenge.

I mean, what's left that already hasn't been done?

 

[Lakers+USC=#1]

In a few years, the traditional big man will come back and dominate. Its cyclical. Eventually teams will be loaded with these smaller guards and their "big men" will be outsides shooters, and wont be strong inside, there will be a team that comes along with the big brute big man who ends up dominating because his 6'11 opponent is too small and weak to battle him down low.

That's what I said too.

 

[Rockinkuwait]

In a few years, the traditional big man will come back and dominate. Its cyclical. Eventually teams will be loaded with these smaller guards and their "big men" will be outsides shooters, and wont be strong inside, there will be a team that comes along with the big brute big man who ends up dominating because his 6'11 opponent is too small and weak to battle him down low.

I don't know... I still think we will have occasional bigs with great skill-sets, but I don't see this being like it was 20-30 years ago where everyone had a 7 footer they fed the ball to in the post. Rules have changed (zone D, 3pt line, hand checking disapperaring, less traveling/carrying calls), where you would need new rules to increase that impact. Add in that bigs no longer get to play for John Thompson for 4 years, they are less developed, and tend to have more lower body injury issues, which makes that a longer term project on a more risky position. Even at the HS and AAU level, the post-play is going away, meaning less developed bigs.

I don't really think it's cyclical. Bigs I'd say have been at their lowest point lately. I really think it will take rule changes to get back to teams feeding the post more and going with 7' back to the basket guys, and I don't see the benefit there. Kids don't want to emulate Duncan in HS, College doesn't develop the bigs over a couple years to play them their junior/senior years, and no offense but bigs don't sell like guards and wings do.

 

[wildturkey]

In a few years, the traditional big man will come back and dominate. Its cyclical. Eventually teams will be loaded with these smaller guards and their "big men" will be outsides shooters, and wont be strong inside, there will be a team that comes along with the big brute big man who ends up dominating because his 6'11 opponent is too small and weak to battle him down low.

The dominant big man that you speak of here is dead. It isn't lack of post skill that killed it, its the defensive rule changes. Doing away with illegal defense allows the defense to pack the paint. This negates having to play size in the front court up to a point. Multiple defenders can sag off and help on a big man post up, making it harder to score. A post up in itself is an isolation shot and isolation shots with multiple defenders are very low percentage shots. You'd have to have a player that is elite of the elite (like Shaq or Wilt) down low to justify building your offense around it and those guys are exceedingly rare.

What's more likely to happen is a big man will dominate because the rules have forced them to gain more skills. Instead of being the traditional post up warriors of the past, you'll see bigs that can post up, run the break, and hit threes. Basically 7'0 bruisers with the handle of a guard. You see it some now in flashes with Anthony Davis and Karl Towns and its why people salivate over their potential. Because if they hit that potential, there is zero way they can be defended with what we've seen of defenses to this date.