Plenty of people, including retired stars, have been outspoken about the current state of the NBA. Ray Allen is the latest figure to join the conversation. His criticism of modern-day players is so strong that he believes they struggle to measure up to the past.
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Allen is one of the few players to spend over 15 years in the league. He spent 18, to be precise. In those seasons, he played alongside extraordinary talents such as Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo. He topped it off by playing with LeBron James in his final two seasons.
Watching James on the court during NBA games is one thing, but seeing him work behind the scenes is another. Allen witnessed the true depths of the 6-foot-9 forward’s abilities. That’s why he is highly disappointed with the ongoing narratives.
In a guest appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, the topic of LeBron’s “bag” came to the forefront of their discussion. For those unaware, “bag” is another way of saying “skillset,” specifically, go-to moves. Many people believe James lacks in that area. Allen, on the other hand, came to the defense of his former teammate.
“LeBron has always been an unstoppable and undeniable force,” Allen said. “If you put a bigger guy on him, he can’t keep up with him because he doesn’t have the footwork. You put a smaller guy on him, and he doesn’t have the size. So LeBron’s never really had to have a go-to move.”
In other words, Allen states that James didn’t complicate the game for himself. He found what works for him and excelled at it. This has allowed James to go on to become the league’s all-time leading scorer and a four-time NBA champion.
In comparison, current players don’t operate the same way. They have conformed to the way the game is played today, which has led Allen to form strong opinions about them.
“When you look at the NBA today, we’ve lost a lot of skill,” Allen proclaimed. “It’s a lot of one-on-one stuff, and you’re shooting a lot of threes.”
As a result, this has impacted the days of players having patented plays, such as a fadeaway mid-range shot. The average number of team three-point attempts continues to increase each season, which suggests the trend won’t stop anytime soon.
Allen doesn’t believe it’s a coincidence that the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers are the teams in the NBA Finals, while they rely heavily on the mid-range.
The rest of the league may see the success of these two teams and follow suit. Until that happens, the current state of the league will probably remain unchanged. Hopefully, the skills that Allen believes the NBA has lost will return in the near future.
