Do you believe the average NBA player is more talented now than the 90s?

[MavsDirk41]

Could Charles Oakley be a starter in the NBA today?

Sent from my SM-S9080 using RealGM mobile app

Yea why not?

[MavsDirk41]

Are cars faster in the modern era?

Faster doesnt mean supperior

[D.Brasco]

Are cars faster in the modern era?

Faster doesnt mean supperior

I mean in a race...

[LaLover11]

Are cars faster in the modern era?

Faster doesnt mean supperior

I mean in a race...

Exactly lol bolt in 1980 would've looked like a cheetah

[MavsDirk41]

Are cars faster in the modern era?

Faster doesnt mean supperior

I mean in a race...

Yes…..in a race…..we talking basketball?

[basketballto]

There were fewer teams and fewer players. The average player in the past had to compete for a small number of jobs and were better or out of the league. Who is the average player on the Bulls? Steve Kerr? Luc Longley? Luc Longley is a below average player for his time but would be better than an average player. Gary Trent Jr is a slightly above average player now. I would rather have Longley.

[LaLover11]

Faster doesnt mean supperior

I mean in a race...

Yes…..in a race…..we talking basketball?

Do cars have better suspensions? aka athletism
What about better miles per gallon? aka endurance

Everything in the modern era has been improved

[MavsDirk41]

I mean in a race...

Yes…..in a race…..we talking basketball?

Do cars have better suspensions? aka athletism
What about better miles per gallon? aka endurance

Everything in the modern era has been improved

And im sure you are old enough to have watched 90s nba. Regardless, opinions vary, ill take 90s nba over today.

[LaLover11]

Yes…..in a race…..we talking basketball?

Do cars have better suspensions? aka athletism
What about better miles per gallon? aka endurance

Everything in the modern era has been improved

And im sure you are old enough to have watched 90s nba. Regardless, opinions vary, ill take 90s nba over today.

True I'm glad you're also choosing 90's cell phones and TV's, computers to post on here and your daily life.

This new modern technology couldn't handle all the 90's
It's not even close and laughable

[D.Brasco]

Faster doesnt mean supperior

I mean in a race...

Yes…..in a race…..we talking basketball?

That's the thing, if you just watched the Olympics, everyone was talking about how much improved today's athletes are now from the past; based on the reasons brought up here, training, nutrition, sports science, expanded/more diverse talent pool etc. It seems like basketball is the outlier sport among some fans in accepting that sentiment.

[MavsDirk41]

I mean in a race...

Yes…..in a race…..we talking basketball?

That's the thing, if you just watched the Olympics, everyone was talking about how much improved today's athletes are now from the past; based on the reasons brought up here, training, nutrition, sports science, expanded/more diverse talent pool etc. It seems like basketball is the outlier sport among some fans in accepting that sentiment.

More diverse talent pool because of the international growth compared to 90s nba but name me the all time greats of today that are head and shoulders above greats from the 90. The best players today, Luka, SGA, Joker, Wemby, Embiid are all foreign. Thats the biggest difference is the inclusion of so much international talent. That is obvious.

[MavsDirk41]

Do cars have better suspensions? aka athletism
What about better miles per gallon? aka endurance

Everything in the modern era has been improved

And im sure you are old enough to have watched 90s nba. Regardless, opinions vary, ill take 90s nba over today.

True I'm glad you're also choosing 90's cell phones and TV's, computers to post on here and your daily life.

This new modern technology couldn't handle all the 90's
It's not even close and laughable

You got me…good one

[LaLover11]

And im sure you are old enough to have watched 90s nba. Regardless, opinions vary, ill take 90s nba over today.

True I'm glad you're also choosing 90's cell phones and TV's, computers to post on here and your daily life.

This new modern technology couldn't handle all the 90's
It's not even close and laughable

You got me…good one

Thanks bro, glad you can admit defeat

[D.Brasco]

Yes…..in a race…..we talking basketball?

That's the thing, if you just watched the Olympics, everyone was talking about how much improved today's athletes are now from the past; based on the reasons brought up here, training, nutrition, sports science, expanded/more diverse talent pool etc. It seems like basketball is the outlier sport among some fans in accepting that sentiment.

More diverse talent pool because of the international growth compared to 90s nba but name me the all time greats of today that are head and shoulders above greats from the 90. The best players today, Luka, SGA, Joker, Wemby, Embiid are all foreign. Thats the biggest difference is the inclusion of so much international talent. That is obvious.

I said from the very first post, this thread is not about saying today's superstars are better than older superstars but comparing the majority of the league who are not actually superstars.

When I rewatch games from the 90s I see good superstars but as soon as I pay attention to the role players and bench players I see the differences from today.

[LaLover11]

Find me a undersized American high school highlights that are more athletic than Mac McClung in the 90's.


We're talking about a player that would've probably been one of the most athletic players in the early 90's but currently can't even ride the bench on a bad franchise in 2024

Read on Twitter

[The Big O]

Been watching since the 70s. 90s basketball ITO gameplay is primitive compared to today’s game schematically.

[MavsDirk41]

That's the thing, if you just watched the Olympics, everyone was talking about how much improved today's athletes are now from the past; based on the reasons brought up here, training, nutrition, sports science, expanded/more diverse talent pool etc. It seems like basketball is the outlier sport among some fans in accepting that sentiment.

More diverse talent pool because of the international growth compared to 90s nba but name me the all time greats of today that are head and shoulders above greats from the 90. The best players today, Luka, SGA, Joker, Wemby, Embiid are all foreign. Thats the biggest difference is the inclusion of so much international talent. That is obvious.

I said from the very first post, this thread is not about saying today's superstars are better than older superstars but comparing the majority of the league who are not actually superstars.

When I rewatch games from the 90s I see good superstars but as soon as I pay attention to the role players and bench players I see the differences from today.

Depends on the teams. Denver, Milwaukee, and Phoenix for example had no depth. Their bench players were pretty bad. Boston, Mavs, and Indiana were teams with talent in their rotations. The nba offensively has gone from offensive sets, centers/power forwards posting up, and isolation to passing the ball around until someone gets an open 3/penetrate and kick out to a 3 point shooter. more guys can dribble/pass/and shoot 3s nowadays so the skill level is up in that a center could be bringing the ball up the court nowadays. I just dont think we should diss 90s nba because they didnt back then.

[JasonStern]

Definition of "talent" is "natural aptitude or skill."

I think the natural talent level is the same as it was 500 or 1,000 years ago, accounting for population growth (a much larger pool where more people will have talents adaptable to basketball) and specific skill development of a growing sport that is barely 120 years old. The human race isn't evolving on a stopwatch. The game is not essential to survival.

I disagree. Just like 1990s players were better than their 1960s counterparts, 2020s players have advanced.
Health science has gotten much better. Bigs that can't make a shot from 5 feet out that could play in the 1990s, but would be massive offensive liabilities in today's game.
That doesn't mean that there weren't great players in the 1990s that couldn't play in today's game. But if you take a team of MLE contract players from the 1990s and put them up against a team of current MLE players, they'd smoke them.
And I fully expect 2050s players to be better than the current 2020s. If not, something went wrong with the evolution of health science and basketball strategy and training.
Now, if you want to make the argument that the game was more physical back in the 1990s, I completely agree there. And the 80s even more so. Remember that time Larry Bird started a fist fight? - Which one?

[prophet_of_rage]

Could Charles Oakley be a starter in the NBA today?

Sent from my SM-S9080 using RealGM mobile app

Yea why not?

You think he has the foot speed to keep.up with the modern 4? He couldn't keep up with athletic 4s in the 90s.

Sent from my SM-S9080 using RealGM mobile app

[Tha Cynic]

I mean, you would hope so. The game evolves and everything with how you get better evolves. The better question is, how much better would players in the 90s be in today's NBA if they focused on the same things players ok today's era focus on. But there are probably also areas where the focus hasn't been the same. 2 guards were a lot more dynamic where today you can just focus mainly on your jumper and your footwork isn't as important. But overall the game is different and everyone should be better overall as a whole.

There's a reason why records get broken all the time as the years pass.