I feel like clips like this underscore how much harder it is to play defense in today's NBA compared to a couple generations ago. Or if not harder, at least a very different set of skills compared to days of yore. Way more hip flexibility and quick changes of direction are needed in today's game. I also think we can draw a pretty direct line from the herky-jerky movements required to the types of lower-body injuries many players sustain.
A lot of this is a result of the current implementation of dribbling rules. Starting with the first dribble which bounces over the half court line, dribble #2 would have been a carry maybe as recently as the 1980s and dribbles #4 and #5 are pretty close as well. I'm not against the current level of 'slack' in the way the rules are officiated, but it's very clear that allowing a ball handler to change the direction of the ball mid-dribble is a powerful offensive tool.
Nice slow motion clip, thanks for sharing.
I feel like clips like this underscore how much harder it is to play defense in today's NBA compared to a couple generations ago. Or if not harder, at least a very different set of skills compared to days of yore. Way more hip flexibility and quick changes of direction are needed in today's game. I also think we can draw a pretty direct line from the herky-jerky movements required to the types of lower-body injuries many players sustain.
A lot of this is a result of the current implementation of dribbling rules. Starting with the first dribble which bounces over the half court line, dribble #2 would have been a carry maybe as recently as the 1980s and dribbles #4 and #5 are pretty close as well. I'm not against the current level of 'slack' in the way the rules are officiated, but it's very clear that allowing a ball handler to change the direction of the ball mid-dribble is a powerful offensive tool.