Long denigrated across the Atlantic, the European game is establishing itself in the NBA with ambassadors like Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic. Besides, for a former Mavericks player today in Italy, there is a big difference between the two styles.
This is the lesson of recent years in the NBA: the stereotypical American game based on physique is no longer necessarily the most effective style. You only need to look at the most dominant players of the moment to understand this, starting with Finals MVP Nikola Jokic. He is slow, little or not athletic, and yet no one has managed to stop him on the road to the title.
Luka Doncic presents a somewhat similar profile, in the sense that he never rushes on a floor, follows all his movements at his own pace, and yet he gains the upper hand over all his defenders, even the most physical. In fact, when basketball is played with the head more than the muscles, the results are often spectacular.
Willie Cauley-Stein destroys the NBA
Moreover, during a recent interview, former Mavericks center Willie Cauley-Stein explained that his departure for Europe was motivated by the discovery of this cerebral game. He has visibly found pleasure on the pitch, in a team where all his teammates only think about victory and the game system, and not about individual statistics:
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I have to say that in Varese I found a great institution and very strong teammates. I am very happy. I decided to come to Europe for the way of playing which is much more tactical compared to the NBA where everything happens 1 against 1. It is conditioned by the desire of the players to produce individual statistics. Here in Europe, all matches and all balls are important. In the NBA, all regular season games are the same.
Usually, players who are in Europe dream of the NBA, its media coverage and the huge salaries offered even to replacements. But Willie Cauley-Stein is in the opposite case, since annoyed by the excessive isolation practiced in the big league, he decided to go to Italy to discover a much more tactical game. Unfortunately for him, fans have another interpretation of the situation:
AKA: I couldn’t get a job in the NBA
— MVP43???? (@StepBackPascal) September 16, 2023
In other words: I couldn’t get a place in the NBA
Whether he is honest or not about the reasons for his departure to Italy, it is difficult to prove Willie Cauley-Stein wrong. European basketball is more cerebral and this is visible in major international competitions. Without insulation, Team USA was humiliated at the World Cup.
2023-09-23 15:00:00
#Compared #NBA #Europe #matches
