69 Years of Height Evolution in the NBA [4,379 players analyzed]

[draftnightsuit]

We shouldn't compare past players against the skillsets required to play in today's NBA. For example, as good as Bam Adebayo is - would you rather have him or Ostertag defending Shaq in the late 90s? In today's NBA with post offense nuetered at the expense of a more free flowing perimeter oriented game - yes, but with the 90s rules and how the game was played/coached - Bam would get tossed around and would foul out very quickly. Post defense was a necessary skill at the time and a guy like Osterag was a better post defender than much more athletic guys like Jordan, McGee, and Whiteside (although I will never understand why coaches felt the need to play guys like Ostertag and Longley against each other). It's why a guy like Camby (who despite winning DPOY) wasn't as good as Ostertag defensively and Camby would be a much better fit for today's league.

In the ‘98 playoffs, Greg Foster was the starting C, not Ostertag. Foster is only 240 lbs. Utah’s only other C was Antoine Carr, who is 6’9” 225 lbs. Shaq got swept.

If Shaq wasn’t ragdolling guys like Greg Foster and Antoine Carr, he certainly isn’t ragdolling Bam Adebayo. As usual, the physical prowess of former players is being massively exaggerated.

Players like Shaq played against inferior competition and wasn’t able to do to them what people claim he’d do to modern athletes.

[Danny1616]

feels like every position is trending to the same body type - long, skilled, athletic, 6'6" and can shoot threes. basically players that can do everything and arent a liability in any way. soon every player on the floor will fit this mold imo

True to an extent, but NBA is a copycat league and elite superstars change the mold.

With the success of Jokic and Embiid, as well as contenders like Utah and Phoenix (both of which have more traditional center type players), I think the league might start valuing big men more again.

We'll see.

[magicman1978]

We shouldn't compare past players against the skillsets required to play in today's NBA. For example, as good as Bam Adebayo is - would you rather have him or Ostertag defending Shaq in the late 90s? In today's NBA with post offense nuetered at the expense of a more free flowing perimeter oriented game - yes, but with the 90s rules and how the game was played/coached - Bam would get tossed around and would foul out very quickly. Post defense was a necessary skill at the time and a guy like Osterag was a better post defender than much more athletic guys like Jordan, McGee, and Whiteside (although I will never understand why coaches felt the need to play guys like Ostertag and Longley against each other). It's why a guy like Camby (who despite winning DPOY) wasn't as good as Ostertag defensively and Camby would be a much better fit for today's league.

In the ‘98 playoffs, Greg Foster was the starting C, not Ostertag. Foster is only 240 lbs. Utah’s only other C was Antoine Carr, who is 6’9” 225 lbs. Shaq got swept.

If Shaq wasn’t ragdolling guys like Greg Foster and Antoine Carr, he certainly isn’t ragdolling Bam Adebayo. As usual, the physical prowess of former players is being massively exaggerated.

Players like Shaq played against inferior competition and wasn’t able to do to them what people claim he’d do to modern athletes.

1. you completely missed the point of my post. And I already admitted that Bam getting tossed around was a bit of exaggeration.

2. The fact that you think Foster was only 240 or Carr 225 indicates your only knowledge of these players is what you're reading off basketball reference.

3. Foster started, but Ostertag play more minutes and spent more time guarding Shaq.

[dhsilv2]

True but BMI doesn't account for things like shoulder or hip width, bone density etc. which varies greatly person to person. BMI is bad.

BMI isn't exact, but I'd not call it bad. It's a good general tool for looking at a population more than an individual but 90% of us fall into that BMI matters thing.

How could you possibly verify this statement?

I simple random sample of 1,500 adults would do the trick or just a basic understanding of populations and the bell curve should work well enough. It's clearly a rough ball park number.

[Michael Jackson]

Tacko Fall is severely hurt by this thread.

[70sFan]

We shouldn't compare past players against the skillsets required to play in today's NBA. For example, as good as Bam Adebayo is - would you rather have him or Ostertag defending Shaq in the late 90s? In today's NBA with post offense nuetered at the expense of a more free flowing perimeter oriented game - yes, but with the 90s rules and how the game was played/coached - Bam would get tossed around and would foul out very quickly. Post defense was a necessary skill at the time and a guy like Osterag was a better post defender than much more athletic guys like Jordan, McGee, and Whiteside (although I will never understand why coaches felt the need to play guys like Ostertag and Longley against each other). It's why a guy like Camby (who despite winning DPOY) wasn't as good as Ostertag defensively and Camby would be a much better fit for today's league.

In the ‘98 playoffs, Greg Foster was the starting C, not Ostertag. Foster is only 240 lbs. Utah’s only other C was Antoine Carr, who is 6’9” 225 lbs. Shaq got swept.

If Shaq wasn’t ragdolling guys like Greg Foster and Antoine Carr, he certainly isn’t ragdolling Bam Adebayo. As usual, the physical prowess of former players is being massively exaggerated.

Players like Shaq played against inferior competition and wasn’t able to do to them what people claim he’d do to modern athletes.

You know that Shaq averaged 32 ppg against the Jazz in 1998 playoffs right? Foster played less minutes than Ostertag and Carr didn't even guard Shaq.