Post#320 » by so_bored » Thu Sep 12, 2019 7:24 pm
It's the NBA's fault.
They implemented bunch of new rules to promote the offense while handcuffing the defense and in the process lost the true identity of basketball which is the half-court offense, and working their way to get a shot close to the hoop such as post up play and mid-range shot. The new rules have basically phased out back to the basket players and traditional bigs, and now practically all teams are going small for entirety of the game.
Also, let’s not forget about the analytics and players becoming very conscious of their own stats. They are blatantly avoiding the mid-range jumpshots and opting for three’s instead because it makes their efficiency and advance numbers look better. They either look to draw a foul or shoot the three, while foregoing the post ups, mid-range jumpshots, backdoor cuts, etc.
These style of games work in today’s NBA because the rules are so deliberately in favor of offensive players. Players today basically have free lanes to the basket, with no rim protection at all. You can iso a player top of the key, and they have all kinds of freedom to do whatever they want. If they get a tough defender on you, simply call a screen to get that defender off of you, and now you have a total mismatch.
Now when they get to the international play, they lose all the offensive advantages they had in the NBA. Slower pace, smaller court, crowded lanes, legitimate seven footers guarding the rim, no ticky tack fouls, etc. It’s a real grind, and our players today aren’t simply groomed for the international play, especially against the competition whose been playing with the international rules throughout. Doesn’t matter if even if you replace Turner with AD. Our bigs today refuses to play down low and bang their bodies. And this is all a byproduct of the NBA selling themselves out for more money. USA basketball absolutely deserved the losses.
