Modern NBA players "being more skilled and advanced" is an absolute myth, the rules just changed

[NYC Rebel]

Big men dribbling when nobody wants them to Congrats, you have a nice handle for a seven footer. Now go stand in the corner and shoot 3's

Offenses move around so much more today than this “standing around in the corner “thing you’re which is completely false

 

[Saysumthinfunnymike]

Offenses move around so much more today that this “standing around “thing you’re on is false

I didn't say they were standing around, I said they are asked to go run to the corner. None of the Celtics bigs are handling the ball I can promise you that and many of the teams in the league replicate it.

 

[DrexlersFade]

Penetration kick out get in the lane and don't know what to do because you have no mid range and just fall to the ground yeah so skilled Foh

 

[LiveFromLondon]

Basketball is the only sport where advancements in knowledge & training methods has led to regression needs a case study

 

[Harry B]

Damn near every measurable sport the average athlete is better, despite juicing not being a big thing anymore. But we’re supposed to assume that sports in which we can’t measure greatness, it’s gone the opposite direction?

In fact, it’s not even just ball games, it’s just one specific ball game. It just happens that in that ball game, former players have bigger mouths than Funkmaster flex and are constantly in beefs with current players

 

[Erratic415]

MJ was so good so quickly that he already got the star treatment from the refs early in his career.

A month into his NBA career:

Jordan has even been accorded that most hallowed acknowledgment of NBA stardom: The refs are letting him travel.

In The Driver's Seat

Rookie Michael Jordan has quickly become Chicago's big wheel and the NBA's big deal at the box office

vault.si.com

Olajuwon was another one of my favorites, so I’ve watched quite a lot of him. I think he got away with a lot of travels, but his footwork was so beautiful and fluid, that it could be hard to see.

Whereas with Ewing, with that ugly lumbering slow motion style, it was easier to see.

 

[High quality poster]

Players have definitely gotten more skilled, can’t really blame the players for the league allowing or expanding the rules.

What has absolutely not gotten better is defense. It is easier than ever to score.

 

[Bop Gun]

Yall keep saying the players today are more skilled, how come Mitchell Robinson only uses crossovers and step backs in open gyms in the offseason but never during the actual basketball season?

I was watching the Bulls/Heat game last night to see if they would win by 50, and Chicago had Giddey play the entire 4th Quarter to pad his stats and try to get the Triple Double he missed by one Assist. He did though, catch an elbow to the face that fortunately for him, wasn't full force.

People on here will look at stats and think these guys are better than the old school players. To add to this, it is also why you have all these LA Fitness and YouTube hoopers thinking they putting work in, those are the spaces where lack of fundamentals are clearly overlooked.

 

[NYC Rebel]

Players have definitely gotten more skilled, can’t really blame the players for the league allowing or expanding the rules.

What has absolutely not gotten better is defense. It is easier than ever to score.

Being more skilled is a result of it seeming that it’s easier than ever to score on defenses today.

 

[Harry B]

Yall keep saying the players today are more skilled, how come Mitchell Robinson only uses crossovers and step backs in open gyms in the offseason but never during the actual basketball season?

Is this really how you make arguments?

Hey this random ass 7 foot center averaging 4 points per game doesn’t cross over people, so that means that the other 500 guys aren’t more skilled.

 

[Bop Gun]

Is this really how you make arguments?

Hey this random ass 7 foot center averaging 4 points per game doesn’t cross over people, so that means that the other 500 guys aren’t more skilled.

It's right in your face and you want to make jokes. I'll say it for you, he can't play like that in the NBA because he will not have any success. He can style on extremely low level hoopers, but when it comes to his peers, he at least understands that simplifying his game is the only way for him to be successful.

It goes for many players. They have the fancy footwork and ball handling mixtapes but they are not playing like that in the NBA. In fact, many of them aren't getting much burn. Too many teams employ 8 man rotations, but I thought the players today were better?

 

[Devil Plisken…CMS]

If you were big you played in the post, if you were smaller you handled the ball & there was such a thing as “bad shots”

If you don’t understand how many nikkax were discouraged from doing things they were capable of..

 

[FTBS]

Its funny how people get upset about this undeniable fact but then when discussing how today's players would do back in the day, the first and really only argument provided by the back in my day (when I was 5 or not even born yet mind you) crowd is "they would get fouled hard"

Stuff grows and evolves...its ok. Jordan still GOAT. All timers would figure it out in any era. Your childhood is still in tact brehs. You can move into the 21 century. Its ok...I promise.

 

[mastermind]

But on the flip side the third big man has worse low post scoring moves than their counterparts 20 years ago

Not true either

Especially since a lot of bench bigs were in for six fouls.

 

[Rekkapryde]

The travelling/carrying/palming is huge.