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The Death Of The Power Forward, & Who’s Next…



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0:00 Intro
2:34 Prologue
4:41 Chapter 1
16:11 Chapter 2
23:00 Chapter 3
29:23 Chapter 4
36:25 Conclusion

28 Comments

  1. This might be a hot take, but I believe curry is one of the reasons the SG position died. He doesn't play like a traditional PG, he plays off ball alot and most of the plays and passes start with dray and end with curry, are he even said himself he plays more like an SG. Warriors revolutionized the big man playmaker strategy, dray and the foreign league bigs they typically sign (bogut, saric) were the ones making most of the passes. Their championships have proved this strategy's effectiveness, and its one of the reasons why traditional point guards are expected to now be combo guards by default. Both the traditional PG and SG are dying, not just either or. Most positions are dying in the future, it will be a position-less game. The question is, will their be a difference in entertainment?

  2. Yeah, I think this is spot on. I'm going to provide a bt of a different perspective.

    I've always loved 2K but during the last five years or so I haven't gamed that much and I don't have the hardware to do it (largely because my main maschine is a MacBook Air). So I've just stuck with whatever my old backup windows laptop can manage, which is 2k14. I love creating custom teams and just playing association with them.

    Obviously, in 2k14 days you have more defined positions and plenty of old school PFs, but when it comes toi the perimeter, I've always preferred switchability, so my players 1-3 have to be able to guard at least two positions each. I also don't make the starting SG my best player, usually it's just a solid 3&D guy, like Wesley Matthews or Danny Green.

    The 2 and the 3 need to be almost completely switchable in my book. Obviously, height still plays a role: mostly if I have two simillar wings I would just put the slightly bigger one at the SF spot. It just makes sense, it especially makes the defense easier.

    Or, just like you said, my other guard has to be able to pass at least decently. I love me some Lou Williams or Jamal Crawford. Even a guy like CJ Watson, who's definitely on the smaller side but can play great defense. So yeah, my ideal lineup is one designated point guard, two good shooters on the wings, a PF that can shoot at least from the mid range, is a bit more mobile and can defend away from the hoop or a bigger SF (Jeff Green, Anthony Davis, Wilson Chandler, Taj Gibson) and one true bigman for rebounding, rim protection and P&R finishing (or sometimes a stretch 5 if I just want to go haywire with the shooting).

    Hell, if I had the current rosters, I'd definitely go with PG, 3 wings and a big. Just make sure at least one of the wings is bigger. I still think if you roll out something like Klay, KCP and Austin Reaves at your 2-4 you're going to have a problem on defense. You need an MPJ, a Kyle Kuzma or ot least a Jaylen Brown, simply for their size/ability to guard bigger players.

  3. Love your vids, but the absolute disrespect for Kevin Huerter is unacceptable. Red Velvet, The Ginger Hammer, whatever you want to call him is a two-way monster. That man kept the Hawks alive in the 2021 ECF and EC semis. He made his case for all NBA on efficiency alone this year and last. Go home.

  4. Imagine if timberwolves win the chip this year or the next year. Or better: maybe DG, Allen and Mobley mature up more and the cavs win a chip in the next few years. I'd love to see everyone's takes in that kind of a shakedown.

  5. First of all great video, I'm very excited to see more of this content and I'm happy that you seem to be in a good headspace. Second of all, this may not take the conversation further or anything, but as a Thunder fan, when you brought up how you think the future of basketball will consist of three positions, I couldn't help but think of the Thunder. I don't think I'm too biased in saying we probably have the best future in the NBA right now (which could obviously change), and this season a clear big three of ours is taking shape for the long-term: SGA, J Dub, and Chet. SGA is the guard, Chet is a center, and J Dub is a forward, who was seen as a small forward going into the draft, has been playing as a power forward this season, and was referred to as a "guard" by Draymond after the game against the Warriors.

    If what you see is true, and this team turns out to be as good as it can be, it is not only symbolic of the future in the sense that it could be one of the defining teams of the future, based on quality alone, but also in the sense that it's built around a potential big three of a point guard, a somewhat ambiguous forward, and a center.

  6. wow, rusty really made a 40-minute, highly scripted, highly edited deep-dive just to dunk on zach lavine, telling him that he's basically useless in the modern NBA

  7. I know this an obscure point, but Pau Gasol lasted a little longer in the NBA than someone like David Lee is he’s a 7’0 PF, who could slide over to the 5, like he did with San Antonio.
    Additionally, the reason that wasn’t the case with the Chicago Bulls is because of Joahkim Noah’s strength/height/mobility to switch onto forwards/guards, despite being the 5.

  8. The evolution of the nba i think i why old heads dont like it. They just claim defense sucks but dont want to admit offenses evolve,and its more difficult to defend.

  9. I guess my biggest counterpoint would be that SG might actually also be teams with 2 big point guards (imagine in the future a team that actually can put up a Shai next to a Lamelo or Cade Cunningham, of course the duo needs to be at least passable as defenders), because extra playmaking meaning extra shot creation, both through dividing their minutes as the solo point guard, but also as making doubles less efective through "my other iso creator is a much better offense orchestrator than X high level SF that is a capable passer but not really a playmaker (like Tatum)", like the current Mavs team (because Kyrie and Luka are a degree above Mitchell and Garland as offensive powerhouses), but taller, stronger, better defenders, etc.

  10. I enjoyed this video. Took me 2-3 eating sessions to finish it but I enjoyed it. I think in theory, you are correct. Basketball is evolving, positions get swapped around based on opponents and strategy. So having everyone rotate positions makes the positions themselves less important. However, I think there is still a lot of value in segmenting each position since it makes play calling and strategy easier.

    But I think your idea still stands, if you have power forwards playing center, then call it what you want, but that center position is gone, you are now playing with 2 power forwards. For Example, Dwayne Wayde played as shooting guard, but he also played as a small forward too, slicing through the defense around pick and rolls. But Dwayne was a versatile player.

  11. I would argue Robert Horry was the first modern Power Forward Check out his early seasons with the Rockets.

  12. I think Jalen Williams is a good example of ‘new school’ shooting guards, 6’6/6’7 do-it-all offensive player with solid defensive switchability and a massive wingspan. He’s the future prototype for SG’s

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