The NBA game is evolving in ways that a lot of basketball analysts simply did not foresee. Last season we saw the San Antonio Spurs prove that the sum of the parts can conquer a few superstars and that theme has carried over into the 2014-15 season.
The Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors are leading the Eastern and Western Conferences and there’s a wide-open feel to the season, with superstars from the Cleveland Cavaliers (LeBron James, Kevin Love) and the Oklahoma City Thunder (Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook) in great danger of not making it out of the first round of the playoffs.
Why has the NBA changed to the point where it’s no longer a superstar-driven league?
Teams Are More Aware Of Analytics And Three-Point Shooting
This is a new trend in basketball, but it’s part of the modern trend in sports to deeply analyze data and get a new sense of what can and should be done as a specific approach to winning. Shooting threes is being recognized as more important, instead of shooting medium-range two-point jumpers.
Atlanta has Kyle Korver connecting on more than 50 percent of his threes on a team where the open man becomes the superstar each possession. Sharing the ball and getting the ball to the open man are more important than “get the ball to this player in this game situation.” The Hawks don’t operate that way. Golden State might want Steph Curry or Klay Thompson to shoot most shots, but the Warriors are content to have Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes get open looks if opponents double-team Curry or Thompson. Sharing the ball is what matters, and getting threes for open players becomes a point of emphasis as a result.
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Star-Level Players Are Buying Into Team Concepts
It is true that Steph Curry is a true superstar in the NBA, but he’s averaging only 22.8 points per game. Basketball people know that Curry could score 28 or more points per game if he wanted to because he’s that good and that capable. Yet, Curry has shown a willingness to ensure that Thompson is involved, and if Thompson has the hot hand – as he’s shown the past few weeks – Curry is not going to get in the way. When you look at the San Antonio Spurs and Tim Duncan, you see a similar thing. Duncan doesn’t demand the ball in the low post on every possession. He’s not like Kobe Bryant or Carmelo Anthony and other “hero ball” types. Duncan wants the ball to move, and he wants the team’s offense to generate the best possible shot, based on a team concept.
We’re also seeing the “hero ball” approach die off. Ten or 15 years ago, Kevin Garnett was good enough to carry the Minnesota Timberwolves to the playoffs by himself. Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp were enough to make the Seattle Supersonics a contender. Nowadays, times have changed. There is an emphasis on balance and depth, and one superstar can’t do it alone.
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Coaches, Led By Gregg Popovich, Are Promoting A New Style
The important thing to note about the Atlanta Hawks is that their coach was a longtime Gregg Popovich assistant in San Antonio. Mike Budenholzer spent time learning the game alongside Pop and he has basically imported the Spurs’ style and concepts to Atlanta. Players are obviously having fun and enjoying this style. The ego of the individual superstar, of the one man who has to carry the team, is giving way on a cultural and psychological level. LeBron James himself has helped to work against the superstar mentality because he wants to share the ball himself and has been willing to do so in order to win a Championship.
There was a period where superstars were making dynamic duos and trios, coordinating to sign on the same teams and trying to build super rosters. But in the long run, it has proven that it doesn’t work and building a proper team is the way to go. Coaches like Popovich have proven that a carefully constructed, balanced roster can beat up three superstars and a bunch of laggards. That’s why this style is becoming more popular.
