Since the revolution brought about by the expansion of the three-pointer in the modern NBA, positions have been redefined. It is very rare today to see a player land in the big league who does not shoot at all from behind the arc. Among the interiors, the observation is practically the same: they practically all know how to create, dribble, pass, shoot at three-pointers. This playmaking is also the new weapon of current interiors. It is no longer uncommon to see pivots take the ball at the head of the racket and play their 1v1. Such a change necessarily leads to a modification of the game, of the way of attacking with these players, and of defending them for their opponents. Back on this evolution of the game in the NBA.
Redefining the indoor workstation
Comparing an interior from the 1990s to an interior today is very difficult, as the game played by NBA franchises has evolved. In the entire decade of the 1980s, the teams, in aggregate, returned 23,871 three-pointers; in 2019-20, the 30 franchises scored 27,427 baskets from behind the arc. It is practically no longer the same sport that is played on the floors of the big league.
The direct consequence of this mutation is the change in interior status. They are no longer confined to a simple defensive role, rebounder in defense, and low post player, back to the basket, in attack. The interiors are now at the initiative of the attack, increasing the ball more and more to put a system in place.
The perfect current examples are Nikola Jokic, Draymond Green or, to a lesser extent, Pascal Siakam. After taking a rebound, the first instinct is no longer to systematically give the ball to the leader so that he announces a system, the interior can take care of it to arrive as quickly as possible on the other side of the field. .
Some precursors had already succeeded in redefining playmaking among the Big Men, and that as early as the 1960s. From that time, the name that emerges most often is
Wilt Chamberlain, who is the only interior to finish an entire season as the league’s top passer, in total assists (702 in 1967-68), an average of 8.6 assists per game. After terrorizing his opponents under the hoops, The Stilt decided to treat his teammates. He finished his career with an average of 4.4 assists per game.
His lifelong rival, Bill Russell, is a very collective player who knew how to entertain his teammates throughout his career: he finished 8 seasons with an average of 4 assists, only Wilt did better with 9. Among the best interiors of history, we cannot forget Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who, due to his height (2.18 m) often found himself caught in twos, and could distribute decisive passes to his players, who were always very well surrounded (Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson…).
One of those who revolutionized his passes is Arvydas Sabonis. The Lithuanian giant (2.21m) used his large size to see over his opponents and distributed caviars to his teammates, first in his native Lithuania, in Spain, then with the Blazers in the NBA (from 1995 to 2003). He is one of the first to pass behind the head. His passing stats aren’t as high as those of modern-day interiors (NBA average 2.1 assists, peaking at 3 caviars per game), but his impact on future greats can still be seen today. . The son is also in line with the dad.
In the 2000s, two other pivots revolutionized the world of the pass, both played with the Kings, they are Vlade Divac and Brad Miller. They are among the first pivots to turn around the average of 5 assists over a full season (4.7 for Miller in 2005-06, 5.3 for Divac in 2003-04). Symbols of the sexy game offered by the Kings at that time, with a sharing of the ball and an attractive collective game, in a period of the 2000s which was quite poor in attack. A sexy game, but which does not yet win, perhaps explaining why it was not at the very beginning of the 2000s that it was democratized.
Pivots with a good reading of the game, a job generally done by the leaders, it was not common at that time. We say hello to Chris Webber, who is also one of those other very good passers from the inside position, he who averages 4.1 assists over his career.
A direct impact on today’s NBA
These days, many teams base their game on a dominant interior. Six interiors have an average of more than 5 assists per game in the 2021-22 season: Nikola Jokic (7.9 assists), Draymond Green (7), Giannis Antetokounmpo (5.8), Domantas Sabonis (5.2 ), Pascal Siakam (5.1) and Julius Randle (5.1).
For comparison, in the 1980s, no interior reached this threshold. In the 90’s either, you have to wait until the 2000s to see some big men enter this ranking, with some names mentioned earlier such as Brad Miller, Vlade Divac or Chris Weber of the Kings, Kevin Garnett in 1999-2000 (5 assists from average) or even Lamar Odom in 2000-01 (5.2 assists).
This is when the revolution begins. The goal when a team takes a rebound is no longer necessarily to give the ball to the playmaker to launch a system, the goal is to get the ball as quickly as possible into the offensive zone. This is the reason why we very often see Nikola Jokic, after a basket conceded, return the ball very quickly to one of his teammates in touch to attack quickly. All do in the NBA today.
The impact on the game of the great Serbian is very underestimated. The migration of pivots to wide play, behind the three-point line, does not come from Nikola Jokic, but he is one of those interiors that inspires the next generation. Even with a Jamal Murray on the field, the playmaker is the joker. He dictates the tempo, plays at his own pace (slow isn’t a strong enough word to describe him, he’s so easy on a parquet floor) and practically invented the principle of the “Point Center”: a pivot with the body of inside the skills of a playmaker.
His progress in terms of assists has been linear since his draft in 2014: from 2.4 in the rookie season to 4.9 the following season, until reaching the heights in 2020-21, with 8.3 caviars per game. A standout stat, only Wilt Chamberlain (8.6 in 1967-68) tops the joker, and one can only think that Jokic will one day surpass him. Aged only 27, his game can be translated over the years, as he uses little of his physique to dominate. He is the symbol of the Big Men’s new game vision. The Joker will surely create a new generation of pivots, always more focused on attack, collective play and sharing the ball.
Another factor to take into account is the number of double strikes. This year in particular, and it is quite striking, the two-man takes on the dominant interiors are numerous, and this is due to their dominance inside. When you give the ball to Niko Jokic in the low post, without help, it’s almost the two points guaranteed for Denver. Often doubled, the Serbian always finds the solution of a brilliant pass for a teammate alone under the circle or in the corner.
Another who uses his physique to bring in assists is Giannis: physically ultra dominant, he is constantly double-teamed and finds easy solutions, and this is already the fifth season of his career where the Greek has exceeded 5 medium caviars. Even if the Greek Freak is not in the prototype of classic interiors, we are forced to consider it as a great playmaker, which also dominates in its ability to “redact” its partners. To a lesser extent, Julius Randle uses his physique, and his powerful shoulder, to create shifts.
Beyond the simple number of caviars that progress for our interiors, we can see a real improvement in the quality of the passes in the latter. The science of the decisive pass is no longer reserved for playmakers or outside playmakers, like LeBron or Luka Doncic, it is exported to inside positions. Pass blind, pass behind the head or behind the back, the Big Men get into it. The redefinition of positions is also the redefinition of roles, where you no longer confine the caviars to your point guard. Vision of the game is part of their attacking arsenal.
As proof, in the top 10 of the night, we often find these magnificent passes from Nikola Jokic, either directly after a rebound to throw one of his teammates, or after going up the ball, with blind passes, behind the back of the defence, which the opposing teams cannot do anything about. Insides pass more, but they also pass the ball better thanks to this reading of the game.
The big men’s new weapon is ball handling. It is no longer uncommon to see these dominant interiors having the ball in pick & roll situations, creating play and delivering assists. The mutation has really existed since the rise to the highest level of Nikola Jokic. In the years and decades to come, the offshore game will continue to progress, leaving ever more scope for the Big Men to create play, to build these actions where they can either play their player, or deliver caviar to everyone. world. The Serb has created ‘Jokic babies’ before, and the perfect example this season is Alperen Sengun, a young pivot packed with talent who dictates play beautifully from the low post.
The NBA is evolving, the greats are always creating more play, and in the coming seasons, don’t be surprised if in the top 10 passers, there are 3, or even 4 real interiors among them. For the game and for basketball in general, seeing these interiors develop their skills and no longer just be big, back to the basket, is a real plus. Hoping that young people continue this change of game in the NBA, towards an ever more technical league, with spectacular and efficient passing players.
