"'Positionless Basketball' and the changes to come to the NBA"
you've seen the pieces on how guys like "Doctor" Roy Hibbert basically becoming dinosaurs in the league as shooting bigs who also do "center" things are becoming more the norm. Watching Embiid play is one of the most entertaining things in basketball. when he takes that shot at the top of the key I don't even flinch like I might have with others.
I think that while the 3 point shooting will not go away anytime soon, when the Golden Piss Era shuts down you'll see less blatant attempts to emulate that offense (because it's really Herculean feats by Steph and PBS Logo Face among others)
the recent posts about Justise, Giannis et al make me wonder how forwards being the new "point guards" changes how teams are being staffed. with guys like LeBron and Giannis (and IMO, Luka as time goes on) being the "unicorn" examples, Justise and others may be the start of this becoming more of the norm. how does that change defenses and strategies going forward?
3. "But this goes back to the Lakers in the 80's....." In response to Reply # 0
Magic made Riley wax philosophically about this position-less starting 5, a group of players all 6'7" to 6'10". Every once in a while he would experiment with a lineup of Magic, Worthy, AC Green, Mychal Thompson and Michael Cooper.
Then there was the same talk around Paul Pressey when he played for the Bucks.
PJax later did this with Ron Harper and then Brian Shaw, who had began his career in Boston as a big playmaking guard learning from Dennis Johnson. Shaw seemed far more effective in the triangle than in the post up inside out play of the Celts. Nate McMillan plied his trade in Seattle as a tall playmaking point guard.
Very few coaches can adjust to fully take advantage of their player's skillsets.
Spo is resourceful, and he has a player in Winslow who is a good athlete and works hard enough to adjust to the role.
What I think will happen is you will have a bunch of 6'7" dudes who will struggle because they don't have the support from their coach to develop the mindset of a point guard.
I don't think Miami is going to want Winslow shooting 20 times a game. His role is different from Dragic.
But this development spells doom for the likes of Trae Young. Bigger guards on the perimeter means smaller windows to shoot, even from the '4' point line. And then getting bullied on the other end of the court.
That is the value of a Ben Simmons...he is winning his matchup most games...and once the spot up three is in his arsenal..what are you going to do?
Its certainly an interesting time with the advent of these new age playmakers.
4. "The copycat ness of leagues tckle me" In response to Reply # 0
Especially when they dont have similar personnel skill and talent wise. If you gonna go in, go in. In the meantime, asjust your style to th personnel you have
-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.
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