During a recent episode of the KG Certified podcast, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce discussed the advent of ‘position-less’ basketball in the modern NBA. The two NBA legends discussed how the current NBA had team roles that were in no way limited by positions. While specific positions meant that players had to develop their game according to the position they wanted to play, modern basketball has seen a clear shift in the sense that it is now the skill sets of players that define their roles within specific teams.
Advertisement
That has been evident in a number of teams in recent years. Garnett and Pierce underlined the examples of LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Stephen Curry, to illustrate their point. They brought up the fact that despite being a forward, Giannis starts off most of his team’s attacks, at least used to before Damian Lillard’s arrival. On the other hand, Stephen Curry is considered one of the best guards of all time despite being more of a two-guard, according to traditional terminology.
Garnett also talked about Damian Lillard’s assessment of Steph. Dame had apparently called Curry more of a two-guard because he doesn’t run the offense like a traditional point guard. “I heard Dame say this, give an assessment of Steph, Steph plays more like a two-guard, gives it up, comes off picks, come off, gets it back, you know what I am saying! Versus, he [Lillard] was like I come down, I initiate the offense, I come off the pick, coming down…you see the dynamic?” Garnett said, during the podcast.
In response, Pierce talked about how the NBA has evolved into a game without fixed positions. He claimed that the modern league only had three clear positions.
“We in the era of position-less basketball, so it’s guard, forward. There is no more point guard, or two-guard. It’s just guard, forward, center. Ain’t no point guard, two-guard, small-forward, that don’t exist no more. Because what position is Giannis? A forward. What position is LeBron?” Pierce added.
View this post on Instagram
He went on to talk about how Curry was seen as a traditional guard, while the Warriors’ ace is anything but that. “I just say, we just keep it simple, Steph Curry is one of the best guards ever, you know what I am saying? That’s where we at now. Position-less basketball. It’s guard, forward, and maybe Center,” he said.
Of course, Curry and the Warriors are responsible for this clear shift to a good extent. The Splash brothers, alongside the versatile Draymond Green, have changed the way the game is played with more focus on outscoring opponents and 3-point shooting. While more and more players tend to contribute to scoring and making plays, traditional positions continue to evolve and change in the modern NBA.
Modern NBA is seeing constant redefinition of positions
Perhaps Victor Wembanyama most aptly explains the changing expectations and skills that players today tend to show. The 7-foot giant is a menace at the paint, and is equally capable of making plays, taking shots, and getting past defenders via his handles.
A number of players in recent years have threatened to redefine the way the game is played by simply learning skills that were perhaps not expected of them to have just a decade ago. Nikola Jokic is a big Center with world-class passing, while the likes of Brook Lopez and Kristaps Porzingis are now able 3-point shooters.
Small-ball basketball has become much more common around the league. That has happened simultaneously alongside a reduction in teams that have traditional guards, such as Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who tend to share more traditional guard roles on their team.
