Evolution of the NBA from 1950 to Today

[DelAbbot]

This is a fantastic walkthrough of the evolution of the NBA, like a pendulum swinging between defensive and offensive counters, and how we got to today's 3pt heavy offense.

Watch on YouTube

[jerok]

This is a fantastic walkthrough of the evolution of the NBA, like a pendulum swinging between defensive and offensive counters, and how we got to today's 3pt heavy offense.

Watch on YouTube

Uh oh! Don't tell the 80s/90s stans to watch this video. They won't like what they see haha.
Thanks for this, I watched the whole thing. Youtuber deserves props for spending all that time watching games from each decade.

[DelAbbot]

This is a fantastic walkthrough of the evolution of the NBA, like a pendulum swinging between defensive and offensive counters, and how we got to today's 3pt heavy offense.

Spoiler:

Watch on YouTube

Uh oh! Don't tell the 80s/90s stans to watch this video. They won't like what they see haha.
Thanks for this, I watched the whole thing. Youtuber deserves props for spending all that time watching games from each decade.

This youtuber is Jordan Sperber, who was the video coordinator for the New Mexico State men's basketball team. He is a very smart basketball mind and great teacher of the game. I was first introduced to Jordan by Ben Taylor of Thinking Basketball youtube channel see

Spoiler:

Watch on YouTube

[70sFan]

It's a cool video, but you can miss a lot of nuances by watching a single game from each decade. For example, post game wasn't only about hook shots in the 1960s - Wilt Chamberlain, the best post player of that era basically didn't use hook shots. Another thing is that the guy narrating this video doesn't have much idea about rules changes and judges everything from modern perspective (Julius didn't have modern handles, because he wasn't allowed to).

As I said, you need to watch a lot more than one game per decade to understand how the game has changed.

[Mean_Streets]

Watch on YouTube

TLDW....

50's - Bad ball handlers, bad shot selections, people shooting set shots instead of jumpers, lots of hook shots, underrated passing

60's - Ball handling still iffy, players not really dribbling with their left compared to now, very fast paced/reckless, refs calling more travels, refs blowing whistle on any type of contact. Still lots of hook shots

70's - Shooting form is more modern compared to weird 50's/60's shooting forms. Guards taking more off the dribble jumpers, players started dunking more. Refs still calling weak fouls, notes Dr. J's weak ball handing. More fluid offense and reading defenses compared to previous decades. Raves over Walton's impact

80's - 3 pointer introduced, but little spacing. Bird passes up on many open 3 attempts. Lack of 3 point shooting made is easier for players to double the post. Little ball pressure.

90's - Little more 3 point attempts, but nowhere near the attempts we see today, defenses still giving opponents open 3s but the offense not attempting them much. "Illegal defense" rule made it easier for players to ISO, no zone defense and no soft double teams. The rule in general led to many ISOs, standing around and less creativity on offense.

00's - Illegal defense is no longer a rule, more help defense because of this. NBA offenses still not utilizing spacing. Less spacing made Shaq's job on offense harder. ISO offense less effective compared to the 90's.

10's - The game we see today is starting to set in. Spacing much better compared to the 00's, but some teams still ran a traditional lineup. More ball screens. Teams figured out you need more shooting and spacing to combat the extreme help defense players saw once "illegal defense" got banned.

20's - Spacing at an all-time level. More switching on defense. Teams will expose you if you can't shoot and/or can't defend multiple positions. Versatility more important than ever. Defenses playing much tighter perimeter defense because of the evolution of the 3 point shot.

[rtiff68]

This thread should’ve been titled “A Critique of the 3PT Shot.”

[Roscoe Sheed]

no real critique of the modern era- such as a significant decline in the post game and excessive screen/roll action

[GSWFan1994]

Wait... he watched one game from each decade and drew a whole set of arguments based on that?

That's generalization at its finest.

[SNPA]

People who watch the earliest eras and say they were bad at dribbling don’t know what they are watching. They don’t understand that’s how dribbling works if palming isn’t allowed. If reffed the same way today, players would be dribbling exactly like that too.

[Mean_Streets]

People who watch the earliest eras and say they were bad at dribbling don’t know what they are watching. They don’t understand that’s how dribbling works if palming isn’t allowed. If reffed the same way today, players would be dribbling exactly like that too.

[SNPA]

People who watch the earliest eras and say they were bad at dribbling don’t know what they are watching. They don’t understand that’s how dribbling works if palming isn’t allowed. If reffed the same way today, players would be dribbling exactly like that too.

This is an example of…?

[Topofthekey]

Shaq + today's spacing = automatic 2pts every possession?

[MotownMadness]

Its a new gen hit piece

[Pelon chingon]

The early 2000's was the pinnacle of the game.

[DelAbbot]

I already posted this

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2205100

[Rainwater]

Absolutely interesting video for us basketball nerds. Really breaks some myths about how the game was played back in the day.

Watch on YouTube

[76ciology]

League has to impose rule changes and allow player empowerment that leads to a lot of player movement to keep the league exciting.

If the rule stays the same with a little player movement, you would see parity (teams and player development eventually figuring out whats optimal; less superteams) but an overall decline with the league.

[Fencer reregistered]

People who watch the earliest eras and say they were bad at dribbling don’t know what they are watching. They don’t understand that’s how dribbling works if palming isn’t allowed. If reffed the same way today, players would be dribbling exactly like that too.

This is an example of…?

The best dribbler of his era?

Seriously, SOME modern dribbling techniques would have been legal back then, so dribbling form has improved just as shooting form has.

[WHITE_HOT_HEAT]

The early 2000's was the pinnacle of the game.

If the game was ball stopping and ball hogging...

[BostonCouchGM]

it's changed because they no longer call carries, travels, moving screens, charges and push offs. The 80s gave us the pinnacle of skill and athleticism while playing within the rules. As the popularity of the game went global and the league began being filled with more (not better at the top) long athletes, it shrank the floor. Scoring went way down and the NBA began allowing the breaking of rules by offensive players to combat that. Somewhere around the late 90s they completely abandoned the rules on the books. Guys routinely blatantly carried. Shaq committed a charge on almost every possession. Then they began allowing moving screens at the top of the key shortly thereafter and it became next to impossible to defend and the pendulum swung too far in the offense's direction. And that's where we are now.

So it's always funny when people claim player's today are more athletic and skilled. No, there might be MORE athletes but the top athletes then are the same as the top athletes now. And it only seems like players are more skilled because they're allowed to play by a completely different set of rules. This is why comparing across generations really makes no sense. It's a completely different sport between the 80s (best decade in NBA history with its best players and best teams ever) and today. It's like comparing the numbers in MLB when batters were on steroids and allowed to wear body armor in the late 80s on to prior generations when players would get beaned in the head if they stood too close to the box and most only had warning track power without steroids.