The NBA has been receiving a ton of flack in recent years for the way the game is being played. 3s and shots at the rim leading to the eradication of the mid-range jumper has caused a bit of controversy. Draymond Green’s comments on the same during All-Star Weekend were in a similar vain which has now led to push-back from Oscar Robertson.
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“It’s not smart basketball no more,” said Green, calling the game ‘boring’. He resonated with what Kobe Bryant had said several years ago about players in today’s league playing ‘accidental basketball’ while crediting LeBron James as one of the few cerebral players left in the league.
Oscar on the other hand doesn’t seem to find all too much truth in what Green had to say. “Draymond says so much. Who cares what Draymond [Green] says?” This could stem from the former DPOY’s tendency to be opinionated on a variety of topics, leading to the ‘Big O’ simply casting aside what he had to say.
“Who cares what Draymond says”
NBA legend and HOF’er Oscar Robertson in response to Draymond Green’s comments about the NBA being boring.@TermineRadio | @TheFrankIsola pic.twitter.com/OG5qhlIqY5
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) February 17, 2025
It’s no secret that NBA offenses in 2025 are heavily reliant on the 3-ball. LaMelo Ball leads the league with a whopping 11.9 attempts from beyond the arc per game. Merely 15 years prior, Danny Granger was on top of the 3PA stat as he attempted just over 7 with most players near the top of the list attempting no more than 6 a game.
Analytics has led to teams realizing he most efficient shots are 5 feet and closer to the basket or ones that are from behind the arc. This has led to a limitation on certain actions on the offensive end of the floor as most are looking for two options on how to get a bucket.
However, there is a bit of hypocrisy here. Compared to the 90s and 00s, eras that many claim to be the golden age of basketball in terms of watchability, the NBA today has only done one thing: replace the mid-range with the 3.
Is it so bad that the 3 is just as common now as the mid-range back then? When speaking on limited sets on offenses, the same sets that were used to get wide open middy looks are now a couple feet back and used for buckets worth more than 2 points.
Another line of reasoning from Oscar’s angle was him calling out Green for the way he plays. He heavily implied Dray’s style of play is boring which might be what’s causing him to have such opinions on the NBA. “It might be boring to him at times because of what he’s doing- he’s not shooting.”
From the looks of it, the Warriors forward loves the way he plays and complements Curry and his teammates. On the flipside, he’s been playing this passively for the better half of a decade now as he’s lost all aggression in his game. so perhaps, Oscar might’ve hit the nail on the head here.
