What is it exactly? Is it the future of basketball? Should the Spurs try to go small to compete with the Dubs?
The Warriors don't play small-ball a lot. They just have an undersized PF. Contrasted with the Celtics, who play small most of the time. To match the Warriors, the Spurs shouldn't try to out-small them. They simply need to become a more diverse offense. Going small can do that, but getting another perimeter scorer would do that more, as well as getting away from predictable post-ups from like 15 feet out.
length and shooting wins in the NBA. golden state has both. spurs have one and some of the other.
So small ball is technically just a style of play as opposed to it referring to the size of the players on the court? Can a traditional lineup play "small"? I'm a little confused here.
The key to small ball, is to have big, long smalls, who can punch above their weight in defensive rebounding, rim protection and post defense (despite post play diminishing, this one is important for these types playing up a position, because teams will go at them unless they can prove they can handle it). That's the best of both worlds.
Pop alluded to this often when asked about Diaw, saying "he allows us to play big and small at the same time" because he could get by handling limited - non threatening wings off the dribble and was stout enough to bang in the post. Of course, he couldn't defensive rebound or protect the rim, but luckily they had Duncan and Leonard bracketing him, to take care of that.
The trouble is finding big wings and undersized bigs, who have the versatility to do these things, because being small for the sake of it, is no good.
Not necessarily small ball, but lineups with versatile front court defenders who can switch on the pick and rolls, thats where we're at tbh. you can still play big ball but you need athletic PFs/Cs to switch on the perimeter. Pop hanging out to this old man game with plodding 7 footers posting up for half the shot clock is ridiculous, needs to get with the program already
but i do think that your question begs another question which is whether or not the era of posting up a big is on the verge of extinction.
This was the ultimate "small ball" team that the Twinks are trying to emulate:
Note that no one there is particularly small and exploitable on defence.
You mean like LaMarcus basketball? Shrinking when it counts?
Warriors have multiple SG/SF/PF that can guard multiple positions and can handle the ball.
Look in your pants.
Currently there is not many bigs that can post up in this league. There are a very few and its a huge reason why Draymond can get away with being an undersized PF in today's league. Al Jefferson,Okafor,Cousins,Towns are the only guys that come to my mind that are post up players currently in the league. Pau when he was younger was a pretty good post up player but he's not as effective anymore due to old age and being banged up. The bigs today can't post up and I would say what I find remarkable is how Kawhi's post up game is better than over 90 percent of the bigs in the league.
Whenever the next Duncan or Shaq type of player comes out I will say look out because no team will have the personnel to defend that type of player.
Swap out Gasol for a prime Duncan and keep Zaza from sliding under Kawhi and see how GS would fair. There are no Duncan, Shaq, Hakeem's anymoreD
Last edited by picnroll; 06-06-2017 at 09:01 PM.
My nig RD but this funny.
No, the Spurs just need really big guys who are quick enough to stay in front of 2 guards, fly out to cover the 3P line and then recover, and athletic enough to dunk with their elbows.
Awesome, should be easy to find.
Draymond got to the league as a SF, tbh. So that idea of "Warriors don't play small ball a lot. They just have an undersized PF" is highly arguable.
Either way, SF or PF, what matters is to have the number 4 position covered with a guy that is a threat from 3, and feels comfortable defending the perimeter. The days of two slow footed bigmen that play with their back to the basket are long gone. That's why Aldridge needs to either play center or get the out.
Last edited by DAF86; 06-06-2017 at 08:32 PM.
Just a fad.
Exactly, positioneless basketball is where the NBA is heading. It started with the easiest shift: "stretch PF". Then we saw the Warriors go even a little bit further with their "death" lineup, which features no center, and I think it will eventually get to the point where we see lineups with no PG's.This was the ultimate "small ball" team that the Twinks are trying to emulate:
Note that no one there is particularly small and exploitable on defence.
I think it won't take long 'till we see a lineup in which everyplayer is betweem 6'5" and 6'9" (could be higher if the player has mobility like Durant or Giannis).
The Spurs have two very interesting young players to make something like this work: Murray and Bertans. I hope they become rotation players next season.
Pretty much this. The moment another Shaq or Duncan enters the league small ball is dead.
Dennis, Scottie, Mike, Deng, and Pau. That was a good unitThis was the ultimate "small ball" team that the Twinks are trying to emulate:
Note that no one there is particularly small and exploitable on defence.
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