Gonna be some HUGE teams in the NBA this year.

[Forbes]

It’s funny because with the amount of 3s being taken you would think having 2 bigs is unnecessary. Have mobile bogs is a must. Come to think about it, Javale McGee had some success guarding the wings during the Mavs/Suns series.

If you have a big that can come out that far and do well, you are golden.

[scrabbarista]

At the end of the day, the ball is in the air way too much for basketball not to be a game of tall people. Even when it's not in the air, people still hold it high, whether shooting, passing, or just protecting the ball.

And the space on the court is so confined that size matters on defense at all five positions. If soccer fields were smaller, soccer players would be bigger, no doubt about it.

These aren't exactly revolutionary thoughts.

[SelfishPlayer]

I'm beginning to think the small ball era will be remembered as a weird transition period brought on entierely by US basketball culture only teaching smalls to shoot and not bigs. In Europe they always expected everyone to learn to shoot.

Now that US bigs are being forced to learn to shoot at a young age like smalls did, going small is a one weird trick that no longer works.

I suspect over this decade we will see a return to bigger lineups.

You used the term "bigger" instead of perhaps "longer." Bigger players will still continue to get played off the floor. Bigger meaning guys like true centers that have heavy weight and slow feet.

True center genuinely means "Can't shoot." I rarely hear guys described as true centers who can shoot.

As to weight, I think you're right we will still see guys at a lower weight than they used to be but I don't think you'll see in 2030 teams chucking out lineups with the tallest guy being 6'7.

I don't see why not. DeRozan has been seeing time at the 4. I think that players under 6'3" and heavy foot big men are the guys that will be around increasingly less.

[turnaroundJ]

i'm pretty sure most of these numbers are wrong

I didn't measure the guys personally, but I did take the time to look them up before posting. Obviously, some of the measurements are more reliable than others. I didn't include quarter inches or anything. Any particular ones you think are off?

lu dort stands out to me because he's only 6'3 iirc. d'angelo should have a 6'10 wingspan, he's just too unathletic to maximize his length. i don't think ant's arms are that long. actually maybe you mixed those two up

[sp6r=underrated]

You used the term "bigger" instead of perhaps "longer." Bigger players will still continue to get played off the floor. Bigger meaning guys like true centers that have heavy weight and slow feet.

True center genuinely means "Can't shoot." I rarely hear guys described as true centers who can shoot.

As to weight, I think you're right we will still see guys at a lower weight than they used to be but I don't think you'll see in 2030 teams chucking out lineups with the tallest guy being 6'7.

I don't see why not. DeRozan has been seeing time at the 4. I think that players under 6'3" and heavy foot big men are the guys that will be around increasingly less.

Well, we will see in 2030

[cupcakesnake]

It’s funny because with the amount of 3s being taken you would think having 2 bigs is unnecessary. Have mobile bogs is a must. Come to think about it, Javale McGee had some success guarding the wings during the Mavs/Suns series.

If you have a big that can come out that far and do well, you are golden.

I think the bigger problem is that bigs can't guard 3s and protect the paint at the same time. If you get that big out of the paint to guard the perimeter, you've succeeded in weakening the defensive structure completely. So a lot of big are hesitant to jump out, even the ones mobile enough to do it. I've watched so much footage of Gobert's rotations (using him as an example because he's the poster boy for this exact discussion), and he has no problems rotating out to the perimeter. He's actually quite good at it. But Utah didn't have the personnel or scheme to defend the paint once Gobert was out there, so you see a real dilemma where Gobert has good reason not to be aggressive against shooters.

Go over to Boston, where Horford could be super aggressive with ball handlers because Rob Williams is behind him. Or Rob Williams could go block 3-point shots because Horford can man the paint. Cleveland had the same advantage, and it allowed Jarrett Allen (a traditional drop big) to be super aggressive on the perimeter or in pick & roll coverages.

You don't want to leave the paint naked ever in the playoffs. If you only have 1 guy who can really protect it, you'll be vulnerable to having that 1 guy getting attacked/dragged out. Other teams stock up on wings who are big enough/good enough to offer some paint protection. Nic Batum is incredible at it for example. Lebron a couple years ago. Covington, Siakam, Iguodala, Kawhi etc. Wings who can help enough that you don't need another big. But Utah (and Phoenix a bit) didn't have any kind of other guy slide into the paint and disrupt/dissuade shot attempts.

[TheHartBreakKid]

The Thunder are ridiculous....and If they somehow land the first pick, I would still pick wembanyama and potentially revolutionize the NBA.

[cupcakesnake]

i'm pretty sure most of these numbers are wrong

I didn't measure the guys personally, but I did take the time to look them up before posting. Obviously, some of the measurements are more reliable than others. I didn't include quarter inches or anything. Any particular ones you think are off?

lu dort stands out to me because he's only 6'3 iirc. d'angelo should have a 6'10 wingspan, he's just too unathletic to maximize his length. i don't think ant's arms are that long. actually maybe you mixed those two up

Ant and D'Lo measurements are accurate by any account I can find. A lot of people were talking about Ant growing last offseason, but I don't have any data to account for that. You're right about Dort though. He measured at 6'4.5 in shoes at the official combine. But he's also like 230lbs. so does have some kind of size advantage not accounted for his height and weight. Ant is a bit like this too where he's crazy thick and heavy for his amount of explosiveness.

Still hardly "most of these numbers are wrong"

[yoyoboy]

Garland kind of ruins the long bois for the Cavs.

Garland: 6'2, 6'5 wingspan
Agbaji: 6'6, 6'10 wingspan
Markkanen: 7'0, 6'11 wingspan
Mobley: 7'0, 7'4 wingspan
Allen: 6'11, 7'6 wingspan

I really expect Ochai to replace Okoro and LeVert in the lineup sooner rather than later. If he can come in and be an impact defender day one, I would be disappointed if we're not a top 3 defense considering we were there when healthy last year anyways.

[druggas]

I'm looking at OKC, Orlando, and Minny specifically. Think about these potential starting lineups:

Orlando:
Suggs 6'4", 6'5" wingspan (could be Cole Anthony or Fultz)
Wager 6'9", 6'11" wingspan
Paolo 6'11", ??? wingspan
Isaac 6'11", 7'1" wingspan
WCJ 6'9.5", 7'4.5" wingspant (could be the 7'0" Mo Bamba with his 7'9" wingspan lol)

OKC:
Shai 6'6", 6'11.5" wingspan
Giddey 6'8", 6'8" wingspan
Dort 6'5", 6'8" wingspan (could be the 6'10" Dieng or Jalen Williams)
JRE 6'8", 6'10" wingspan (could be the 7'0" Poku or Favors)
Chet 7'1", ??? wingspan

Minnesota:
D'Lo 6'4", 6'8.5" wingspan
Ant 6'5", 6'11" wingspan
McDaniels 6'9", 6'11" wingspan (or the 6'8" SloMo)
Towns 6'11", 7'3.5" wingspan
Gobert 7'2", 7'9" wingspan

Not to mention the long boi Raps, the Tower City Cavaliers. Did I miss anyone?

I'm beginning to think the small ball era will be remembered as a weird transition period brought on entierely by US basketball culture only teaching smalls to shoot and not bigs. In Europe they always expected everyone to learn to shoot.

Now that US bigs are being forced to learn to shoot at a young age like smalls did, going small is a one weird trick that no longer works.

I suspect over this decade we will see a return to bigger lineups.

You used the term "bigger" instead of perhaps "longer." Bigger players will still continue to get played off the floor. Bigger meaning guys like true centers that have heavy weight and slow feet.

Jokic seems to stay on the floor.

[basketballRob]

I'm looking at OKC, Orlando, and Minny specifically. Think about these potential starting lineups:

Orlando:
Suggs 6'4", 6'5" wingspan (could be Cole Anthony or Fultz)
Wagner 6'9", 6'11" wingspan
Paolo 6'11", ??? wingspan
Isaac 6'11", 7'1" wingspan
WCJ 6'9.5", 7'4.5" wingspant (could be the 7'0" Mo Bamba with his 7'9" wingspan lol)

OKC:
Shai 6'6", 6'11.5" wingspan
Giddey 6'8", 6'8" wingspan
Dort 6'5", 6'8" wingspan (could be the 6'10" Dieng or Jalen Williams)
JRE 6'8", 6'10" wingspan (could be the 7'0" Poku or Favors)
Chet 7'1", ??? wingspan

Minnesota:
D'Lo 6'4", 6'8.5" wingspan
Ant 6'5", 6'11" wingspan
McDaniels 6'9", 6'11" wingspan (or the 6'8" SloMo)
Towns 6'11", 7'3.5" wingspan
Gobert 7'2", 7'9" wingspan

Not to mention the long boi Raps, the Tower City Cavaliers. Did I miss anyone?

Isaac has a 7'6" wingspan. The 7'1" was a measurement in high school before he had a growth spurt.

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM mobile app

[SelfishPlayer]

I'm beginning to think the small ball era will be remembered as a weird transition period brought on entierely by US basketball culture only teaching smalls to shoot and not bigs. In Europe they always expected everyone to learn to shoot.

Now that US bigs are being forced to learn to shoot at a young age like smalls did, going small is a one weird trick that no longer works.

I suspect over this decade we will see a return to bigger lineups.

You used the term "bigger" instead of perhaps "longer." Bigger players will still continue to get played off the floor. Bigger meaning guys like true centers that have heavy weight and slow feet.

Jokic seems to stay on the floor.

He plays so well offensively that the opposition can't play him off.

[cupcakesnake]

I'm looking at OKC, Orlando, and Minny specifically. Think about these potential starting lineups:

Orlando:
Suggs 6'4", 6'5" wingspan (could be Cole Anthony or Fultz)
Wagner 6'9", 6'11" wingspan
Paolo 6'11", ??? wingspan
Isaac 6'11", 7'1" wingspan
WCJ 6'9.5", 7'4.5" wingspant (could be the 7'0" Mo Bamba with his 7'9" wingspan lol)

OKC:
Shai 6'6", 6'11.5" wingspan
Giddey 6'8", 6'8" wingspan
Dort 6'5", 6'8" wingspan (could be the 6'10" Dieng or Jalen Williams)
JRE 6'8", 6'10" wingspan (could be the 7'0" Poku or Favors)
Chet 7'1", ??? wingspan

Minnesota:
D'Lo 6'4", 6'8.5" wingspan
Ant 6'5", 6'11" wingspan
McDaniels 6'9", 6'11" wingspan (or the 6'8" SloMo)
Towns 6'11", 7'3.5" wingspan
Gobert 7'2", 7'9" wingspan

Not to mention the long boi Raps, the Tower City Cavaliers. Did I miss anyone?

Isaac has a 7'6" wingspan. The 7'1" was a measurement in high school before he had a growth spurt.

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM mobile app

I've never heard that before. The longest I've seen cited is 7'2". Source?

[Ballerhogger]

Longer defenders to cover more pick roll action and 3Point shot is the formula to winning games defensively

[basketballRob]

I'm looking at OKC, Orlando, and Minny specifically. Think about these potential starting lineups:

Orlando:
Suggs 6'4", 6'5" wingspan (could be Cole Anthony or Fultz)
Wagner 6'9", 6'11" wingspan
Paolo 6'11", ??? wingspan
Isaac 6'11", 7'1" wingspan
WCJ 6'9.5", 7'4.5" wingspant (could be the 7'0" Mo Bamba with his 7'9" wingspan lol)

OKC:
Shai 6'6", 6'11.5" wingspan
Giddey 6'8", 6'8" wingspan
Dort 6'5", 6'8" wingspan (could be the 6'10" Dieng or Jalen Williams)
JRE 6'8", 6'10" wingspan (could be the 7'0" Poku or Favors)
Chet 7'1", ??? wingspan

Minnesota:
D'Lo 6'4", 6'8.5" wingspan
Ant 6'5", 6'11" wingspan
McDaniels 6'9", 6'11" wingspan (or the 6'8" SloMo)
Towns 6'11", 7'3.5" wingspan
Gobert 7'2", 7'9" wingspan

Not to mention the long boi Raps, the Tower City Cavaliers. Did I miss anyone?

Isaac has a 7'6" wingspan. The 7'1" was a measurement in high school before he had a growth spurt.

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM mobile app

I've never heard that before. The longest I've seen cited is 7'2". Source?

Yeah, he had a growth spurt and is 6'11" without shoes now. The 7'2" was in high school when he was around 6'9" without shoes.

https://www.nba.com/magic/news/strong-bond-already-forming-between-isaac-and-bamba-20180704

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[cupcakesnake]

Isaac has a 7'6" wingspan. The 7'1" was a measurement in high school before he had a growth spurt.

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM mobile app

I've never heard that before. The longest I've seen cited is 7'2". Source?

Yeah, he had a growth spurt and is 6'11" without shoes now. The 7'2" was in high school when he was around 6'9" without shoes.

https://www.nba.com/magic/news/strong-bond-already-forming-between-isaac-and-bamba-20180704

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM mobile app

I remember hearing about Jonathan Isaac's potential growth spurt even before he was drafted. I'm a bit hesitant to believe his wingspan sprouted 4-6 inches, but also we've never had an official measurement of Isaac. Josh Cohen saying 7'6" (out of nowhere and not saying what he's basing that on) isn't evidence of anything. Brad Stevens said Jayson Tatum was 6'11" and Chris Finch said Ant was 6'6" but I didn't take those as fact either.

[basketballRob]

I've never heard that before. The longest I've seen cited is 7'2". Source?

Yeah, he had a growth spurt and is 6'11" without shoes now. The 7'2" was in high school when he was around 6'9" without shoes.

https://www.nba.com/magic/news/strong-bond-already-forming-between-isaac-and-bamba-20180704

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM mobile app

I remember hearing about Jonathan Isaac's potential growth spurt even before he was drafted. I'm a bit hesitant to believe his wingspan sprouted 4-6 inches, but also we've never had an official measurement of Isaac. Josh Cohen saying 7'6" (out of nowhere and not saying what he's basing that on) isn't evidence of anything. Brad Stevens said Jayson Tatum was 6'11" and Chris Finch said Ant was 6'6" but I didn't take those as fact either.

He's grown 2 inches in height and he got wider. He officially measured 6'11" without shoes 2 years ago. It's obvious when you see him that he had a massive wingspan.

Tatum's growth spurt was a joke.

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[JujitsuFlip]

I didn't measure the guys personally, but I did take the time to look them up before posting. Obviously, some of the measurements are more reliable than others. I didn't include quarter inches or anything. Any particular ones you think are off?

lu dort stands out to me because he's only 6'3 iirc. d'angelo should have a 6'10 wingspan, he's just too unathletic to maximize his length. i don't think ant's arms are that long. actually maybe you mixed those two up

Ant and D'Lo measurements are accurate by any account I can find. A lot of people were talking about Ant growing last offseason, but I don't have any data to account for that. You're right about Dort though. He measured at 6'4.5 in shoes at the official combine. But he's also like 230lbs. so does have some kind of size advantage not accounted for his height and weight. Ant is a bit like this too where he's crazy thick and heavy for his amount of explosiveness.

Still hardly "most of these numbers are wrong"

I don't think Rudy has ever been 7'2".

[yoyoboy]

I've never heard that before. The longest I've seen cited is 7'2". Source?

Yeah, he had a growth spurt and is 6'11" without shoes now. The 7'2" was in high school when he was around 6'9" without shoes.

https://www.nba.com/magic/news/strong-bond-already-forming-between-isaac-and-bamba-20180704

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM mobile app

I remember hearing about Jonathan Isaac's potential growth spurt even before he was drafted. I'm a bit hesitant to believe his wingspan sprouted 4-6 inches, but also we've never had an official measurement of Isaac. Josh Cohen saying 7'6" (out of nowhere and not saying what he's basing that on) isn't evidence of anything. Brad Stevens said Jayson Tatum was 6'11" and Chris Finch said Ant was 6'6" but I didn't take those as fact either.

Yeah wingspans don't really grow after high school like that. It's usually height catching up to it later. Teams really like to exaggerate the height/length of their guys as it seems like every prospect grows 2 inches at like 20 after a year in the league despite looking no different lol.

[NO-KG-AI]

I've never heard that before. The longest I've seen cited is 7'2". Source?

Yeah, he had a growth spurt and is 6'11" without shoes now. The 7'2" was in high school when he was around 6'9" without shoes.

https://www.nba.com/magic/news/strong-bond-already-forming-between-isaac-and-bamba-20180704

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM mobile app

I remember hearing about Jonathan Isaac's potential growth spurt even before he was drafted. I'm a bit hesitant to believe his wingspan sprouted 4-6 inches, but also we've never had an official measurement of Isaac. Josh Cohen saying 7'6" (out of nowhere and not saying what he's basing that on) isn't evidence of anything. Brad Stevens said Jayson Tatum was 6'11" and Chris Finch said Ant was 6'6" but I didn't take those as fact either.

Every player on my favorite team grows at least 3 inches bro.