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The NBA evolves from year to year and gains a completely new dimension with the arrival of new young players who will become the backbone of the teams and key players in the NBA world over the years. Those older NBA fans remember many generations behind us and many great names that filled media headlines with their performances. It is difficult to give the right answer as to which generations were stronger and more dominant, but judging by the statements of experts, today's NBA is significantly ahead of the one we used to watch.
There are many different views on the current NBA basketball. Some think that the current generation cannot be compared to the previous one, while others that the physical aspect of the game is now much greater than before. Older NBA fans probably sometimes look at things with nostalgia, subjectively giving their opinion. However, even older fans do not think that the NBA used to be better. Stephon Marbury, the former ace of the New York Knicks who later made a career in China, gave his opinion on that topic.
Stephon Marbury was a guest on Come And Talk 2 Me, where he stated that current players are lazier than their counterparts from earlier generations.
The 47-year-old has a specific opinion. He believes that today's basketball players have greater potential to do great things, but he labels them as lazy and inconsistent in what they should be doing. A large number of fans, who often talk about this problem on social media, will probably agree with him.
"When I look at today's game, and it's a lot of stuff that I see, when I look at it, I'm like, 'Wow, these kids don't really know how to really play.' If they really knew how to play, play from angles, coming off pick-and-roll, even on defense, it would help save so much time," he said.
"And I don't really so much think that they don't know how to play. I just think that they are lazy and not consistent in doing what it is that they're supposed to be doing."- he continued, as quoted by Basket News.
Marbury explains how simple basketball at the NBA level is when you understand the game well enough. The key idea is that it is not complicated to understand the game if you carefully follow and analyze it. He says that it is enough to watch the match, because an experienced analyst like Marko can recognize from one frame what happened and why the team scored points.
The former NBA player wants to emphasize how some of the players do not have analytical skills, and often make mistakes during the game, sometimes acting amateurish. Marbury emphasizes the importance of understanding the game, and having an analytical view of the game. He doesn't want basketball to be a game in which individuals will only compete for points.
Stephon Marbury is also in favor of adopting the four-point shot, which was introduced in the Philippines earlier this year. He believes that this is a great thing for the future of basketball, and he is obviously someone who advocates invasion in the world of basketball. However, many are not optimistic that this will actually happen in the future, given that not much has changed in basketball in recent years.
"A four-point shot, why not pass it? It's a cool shot. Whoever shoots a jump shot, they'll practice that shot. And it'll look great, because it'll open up the court even more, it'll create more space," Marbury concluded.
Marbury criticizes NBA rules
The former NBA legend didn't forget to criticize certain aspects of the NBA game, especially the lack of adaptability in defensive strategies. Some believe that today there is too little focus on defense, while the greatest focus is on attack.
He points out that it's acceptable to deal with certain mistakes, but it's not acceptable to consistently allow points through simple situations like pick-and-rolls that lead to dunks and easy points. The 47-year-old believes that the emphasis should be on the need to change the way the game develops, especially in the defensive segment.
Talking about FIBA rules, Marbury suggests the NBA introduce more variations in defensive setups, such as allowing zone plays with more flexibility. It isn't known whether FIBA will really consider such things.
Marbury stresses that, given that the NBA rules are already changing in various aspects, it might be logical to add changes that allow players and coaches more tactical options. That would make room for great things.
The idea is that basketball as a sport becomes more diverse and challenging, inspired by FIBA rules that allow more freedom in defensive settings. Such ideas are really great, but the question is whether the basketball houses will actually implement them.
English (US)