Paul George & Julius Randle Break Down Why Luka and Jokic Have a Competitive Advantage

[@BlueHundred1]

It's so refreshing seeing how much respect they're giving to European ball

[@superdopehiphop]

Finally! It took long enough for so many Americans and still does for many of my fellow Americans in media at least.

[@vincentc3129]

Next step for americans is to watch Euroleague, this league deserve much more popular interest

[@albertc2390]

This isn't new... Respect has been given since the early 2k.

[@tdmidas289]

European ballers had always had respect what are you talking about😂. The only other league nba drafts from is euro leagu

[@dextew69]

They just pandering to the white audience

[@beterbutz]

The reason Luka moved to another country to play at a young age was because he was recognized as a prodigy early on. Its not like that happens to everyone.

[@darmawan3029]

Madrid is known to have multiple foreigners in the team tho

[@belminspahic1449]

@@darmawan3029 but none of them becomes euroleague mvp at 17

[@mouseinthehouse_]

That’s not necessarily true. The academy system in european sports very regularly brings in young players from different countries but thats not a guarantee that they will make it to the professional team. At the end of the day you still have to put the work in and show you are better.

[@joshbrown2217]

@@mouseinthehouse_ It is normal for us get foreign talent, but we don't just put random players in. Top teams have sophisticated scouting networks that find the most promising players and bring them into their youth teams. You're right that they're not guaranteed a place, but Luka also didn't just get handed a move that early because he was alright either, he was very talented. This is why our model works so well, it allows the best talent to play against older players and play with other talented guys, while also makes them work for their space in a team from very early on.

[@gappergob6169]

Most NBA players are 'prodigy' since young age. Even those of 2nd rounders.

[@ren2871]

I think the biggest differences are the following: In Europe, they encourage kids to play multiple sports and second, European basketball is built on team performance and success, younger players have to ride the bench or in in their playing time, show they can play team oriented ball. In the US, everything leading up to the NBA, these players need to showcase their individual talent in order to be recognized and recruited by scouts, agents, big time NCAA programs and etc. They're not playing team ball necessarily and I feel like when they enter the NBA, they have no clue how to play a team oriented game. They need to be taught how to function within a team setting.

[@pandabear1576]

That’s literally a bunch of bull fucking shit. Stop pushing ridiculous AAU narratives you get from Twitter and occasional Kobe clips. Our guys under 18 join teams to play international teams and destroy them off team defense alone. The guys who make the nba and actually play understand the game. The role players have to understand their position then adjust. That’s an everybody in the nba problem. European basketball is 1980s basketball with 70s rules. Big whoop they throw it to the post like John Stockton 🙄

[@nitoshadow]

U know most ppl play multiple sports a lot of basketball players also play football

[@nitoshadow]

Football players also do track n wrestling

[@ren2871]

@@nitoshadow I've grown up playing competitive Tennis and already at 6-7 years old, these kids in the US and Canada already are in National programs and playing 30 hours a week. My parents were told that if I wanted to be a part of my provincial team in Canada, I needed to be playing at least 15 hours a week and preferably closer to 25 hours. For a 10 year old that's asinine. It's the same for Hockey, Basketball and baseball. Kids who are discovered from a young age play 1-2 sports top.

[@nitoshadow]

@@ren2871 not in the us me personally I played basketball from 5-18 and within that span I played baseball at 5 football in 8th grade and volleyball junior and senior year Also most ppl I grew up with played multiple sports

[@nirjhorrahmanbangladeshang5011]

What a pleasure to be able to hear uninterrupted thoughts from current players on the game. Far better than anything ESPN is putting out.

[@traindawg21]

Most those idiots at espn have never played the game. It's always best hearing things like this from current/past players.

[@TheMissiIe]

European basketball is under FIBA rules, which eliminates athletic advantages and forces you to play intelligent team basketball. When you have high IQ, skillful, unselfish players, and put them in an iso dominated, lower IQ league... they dominate

[@kurosan0079]

And if you're not any of that, say goodbye to your minutes. Doesn't matter how good your dunks or iso plays are.

[@sportsking6399]

Especially in the playoffs when the court shrinks and everything’s a lot tighter. Elite skill> elite athleticism

[@saiwaqa2573]

@@sportsking6399 You hit the nail on the head about the issue with Americans. They get uncomfortable when the floor shrinks and the def is focused on stopping them. But for euros this is where they thrive. They look slower in an open court, but in the playoffs when the court shrinks, they are unstoppable.

[@cdknowledge]

Smart, simple and efficient ball will always trump flashy ball in a highly competitive setting. That sentiment goes for pretty much all sports tbh...

[@Casualfan101]

Exactly why i think luka and kyrie will get a ring if mavs get a decent front court luka is literally euro bron setting uo his teammates controlling the entire flow of the game but when its time to take over well...we all saw suns game 7 and those clippers series nobody but jokic and murray are going bucket for bucket in the clutch

[@tylerwade9163]

P, please get Russ on the pod. I’ve never seen Russ sit down and have a long free form conversation on camera it’s usually just interviews. I wanna listen to him talk about the nuances of his game, his reflections on his time with different teams, and I wanna hear him talk business. Please get this man in please!

[@th0rbym]

Nuance of his game? That'll be a short podcast

[@Phoresight]

@@th0rbym it'll be a very long podcast

[@jolosarmiento24]

How has Taco Bell not decided to sponsor Jokic yet?

[@jlui21]

-- uh.....FREE ADVERTISEMENT every single day. Why pay when the cheese is already free.

[@michaelpetrovich5353]

​@@jlui21yeah but they should expand on it. Someone at Taco Bell is doping the ball.

[@marcinolszewski2260]

Im sure they tried, but Jokic doesnt want to do commercials

[@hw7985]

Jokic ain’t doing any advertisements lol

[@michaelpetrovich5353]

@@marcinolszewski2260 try harder. Everyone has a price. Buy him a few horses.

[@nukiolbartes6279]

I love seeing this. NBA Players being actually fans of the games and other players.

[@Shiljamannn]

"Did you see Joker on draft night?" Meanwhile, Jokic was asleep on Serbia on draft night...😂

[@jasonbilly5247]

On Serbia?

[@jonjaime]

​@@jasonbilly5247yup he's that big 😂

[@ahahpapa2023]

@@jonjaime😂😂😂

[@carter9607]

I think it's underrated that here in europe, generally getting into basketball requires joining or practising with a professional team. It means the younger stars are coming through a system of playing with older players and vets, Vs America where stars come through playing on professional college teams of other players the same age. It probably leads to stars from Europe being less likely to be trying to lead a team from the get go or having an inflated sense of ego.

[@karlanthonymargate7362]

Most European sport teams run sports academies and have under 15s, under 18s teams and children do tend to play within their age group...however if you're good enough to play for the senior squad, then you are old enough to play for the senior squad. This is the case for Luka for real Madrid, or Ricky Rubio when he broke into the Spansih national team. This also applies to all the sports run by the club. It is not unusual for clubs to give the kids their senior debut.

[@Shiljamannn]

Euros do have better fundamentals, but keep in mind that players like Jokic, Luka, Giannis, Dirk were cream of the crop... Especially Luka who was the biggest prospect since Arvydas Sabonis....

[@jeffhardy6333]

The biggest prospect before Luka was Rubio lol

[@jummyran]

And now the joker is the most popular are better then all of them. It’s nuts

[@1zidajner]

Jokic was definitely not "cream of the crop", the guy was almost unknown. He did not even play for a big team in Serbia.

[@pandabear1576]

@@1zidajnere was unknown but he’s clearly crème of the crop bud. That’s why he’s in the fucking NBA. The only reason he was unknown is because he barely picked basketball up until halfway through his high school career. He was displaying elite footwork and hand eye coordination to make quick passes in transition and from the post in his workouts with Jamal Murray before the draft and in Serbia.

[@trilliam8806]

⁠@@pandabear1576yeah no, being drafter 41 overall isn’t exactly cream of the crop. No one saw Jokic being this good unless you’ve been a nuggets fan. I wasn’t rooting for Nikola until like halfway thru year 2

[@miguelcamposfernandez4388]

I'm from europe ( spain) here since we are kids our coaches teach us play in all positions to undestand the game more deeply, Also teach to by humble, the team is more important that any player, off course we love individual skill players to, but for us, team and fundamental come first, see ya guys

[@pavlovicpavle]

Rudi Fernandez is humble now?

[@pavlovicpavle]

I feel like Spain has the most dirty players and not very humble

[@miguelcamposfernandez4388]

@@pavlovicpavle have u play here?

[@pavlovicpavle]

@@miguelcamposfernandez4388 nop

[@dushandvr5765]

Spaniards are not really humble when playing.

[@kentaur.1555]

In the US at the young age all the attention is on athleticism and individual skills. In Europe, kids are thought how to play as a team, they learn tactics and fundamentals of the game.

[@nikkrelj471]

Randle spot on with the fundamentals statement

[@shivzzi]

I think the influence of football is also there in the way that European players play and read the game. Especially with luka and jokic with their passing and vision

[@leonardoloreto]

I'm Italian and I watch and played both basketball and soccer. Now that u make me think about It, you're absolutely right. You pick up some passing patterns in soccer, and you automatically apply them on a basketball court. Thank you, cause I always kinda knew it, but only now I fully realize the existence of this link between the two games.

[@swavey4435]

Football helps with the footwork aspect of the game a lot too, Kobe spoke about that a long time ago

[@Ingrownpimple]

The respect and love only comes from people who love the game themselves --- respect to PG and Randle.

[@HondoHoss77]

IMO what makes Luka special is his ability to seemingly slow down time when he gets in the paint…I feel it’s a combination of game-sense and patience.

[@nickfowler547]

Him and Joker both. Always at their own pace. Not a defender in the league that could speed those guys up

[@angahbg9089]

​@@nickfowler547too big too skilled... thats why

[@garagegeekguy]

He's not seemingly slowing down time, he actually is dribbling the ball for like 15 seconds straight while everyone else stands there watching. So special they missed the playoffs.

[@crillz9660]

@@garagegeekguylol they made the wcf the year before. this year they had 0 defense after trading for kyrie. and then the front office called it to tank. so dont act like they couldnt at least hit the play in

[@Blekkkkkkkkk]

Thats how greats become unguardable. Kobe , cp3, kyrie , the great bigs , they are slowing it down, either with power or with skills to be unpredictable. You can finish at any angles with both hands, and u still can pump fake and pivots. Thats why point guard on a pick and roll, often times after they get off the screen, they are blocking the defenders chasing from behind with their back instead of just going sprinting to the cup. For young players, theres also one other player with this ability. Shai Gilgeous Alexander

[@cdknowledge]

The NBA's just fortunate that basketball hasn't really "cracked" Europe, and it may never... If it was only *half* as popular as football is here, then the NBA would look far different... you'd see a lot more Luka's, Giannis's & Jokic's running around.

[@juandirection8820]

Meh, were generally talking about a different pool of athlete. Luka, joker and Giannis are too big for football. And guys below six feet are too small for basketball. It would mostly be keepers who could crossover

[@AkshayKumar-fj3ks]

@@juandirection8820That’s not his point.

[@JoWasHere79]

Giannis is a European as much as i'm African...

[@m_js5709]

@@JoWasHere79 Europe is full of people with African heritage. Have you seen the England, French, & German national soccer teams lately lol?

[@markotoshich7676]

​@@JoWasHere79Why would you say that? Giannis was born, grew up and learned how to play basketball in Greece. He is Greek and that also means he is European (with Nigerian origins). I hope it is not beacause of his skin color... P.S. Your origins are African and that means you are African as well (that is if you are homo sapiens).

[@Zaghzackio]

What gives them the advantage is they're such great passers that you can't double team them at all. Its pick your poison guarding them

[@joshkatsikis9138]

Denver had Jokic, Nurkic and Joffrey Lauvergne and they managed to keep the best one even though back then it wasn't certain who had the most potential.

[@yaahman74]

I mean you can see in his second year that he was gonna be a bit special

[@ATEM817]

I believe Timofey Mozgov was the better player than Joffrey at the time.

[@laksirigunasekera6878]

its so refreshing to see how these dudes understand the fundamentals of the game and give credit where it is due.. Paul george deff deserves a ring . he is an amazing player . this conversation is more amazing and real.

[@RafaelDeLaGhetto2]

Doncic was a starter for Madrid at 18 and competing at the highest level(European wise) with grown men. Won trophies and mvps. He came into the nba with so much experience and maturity at young age. Then you add the skills.

[@clutteredchicagogarage2720]

I love Jokic’s game. It’s the most interesting game in the nba in my mind because he does so many different things at a high level. But when we talk about European players, don’t forget guys like Giannis. Yeah, Giannis’ parents are Nigerian, but the guy was born in Greece and grew up in Greece. When the media talks about European players, they mostly talk about white guys, but there are great players from African immigrant families who grew up in France, Greece, and other countries. Guys like Tony Parker and Boris Diaw were great European NBA players. Giannis is one of the best European players of all time. Jokic is also one pf the best European players of all time in the NBA, but when we talk about Talent coming out of Europe, don’t leave guys out of the conv if they happen to be black. European players aren’t only white players and American players aren’t only black players. Both parts of the world are diverse, and the talent is diverse. The NBA is better when we embrace that.

[@hmp01]

💯

[@TaniasUncle]

Tony Parker whiter than Skip Bayless

[@nerijusjakubauskas4897]

I think we just like Jokic couse he is fat and slow, like most of us 😅 thats why we like him, we kind of think that we can do that to... Then we start to do all these big comments bout his greatnes like u just did 😁

[@CharlesBarkleyDonut]

But Giannis didn't really play that much at a good european level like Luka who played for RM...

[@shepardice3775]

​@@nerijusjakubauskas4897Jokic is not fat and slow I promise you. He would KILL 95% of people in basic measures of athleticism, especially stamina and strength. just because he's not lean doesn't mean he's anywhere near unathletic

[@thomasbikes]

That was a really good interview/ conversation. Putting in perspective of how the game changes. I would love to see a similar conversation between two vets in the 2010s, 2000s,1990s and so on.

[@arthropod-doctor]

I agree that American basketball talent is generally better, mostly because the game has been evolving for much longer over here. But the European system is so much better when it comes to actually developing young talent. They have dedicated academies that players attend just for basketball. These academies scout kids from all over the continent. They function as full time boarding schools typically affiliated with professional teams, and they have specialists who give each kid a personalized training regimen after evaluating that kid's strengths, weaknesses, physiology, psychology, etc. Students also have constant access to nutritionists, state of the art workout equipment, and equally elite peers, among other things. Since the academies are usually affiliated with actual teams, they'll have junior teams for different age groups (U18, U17, U16), and select kids to take part in matches with the youth teams when they become good. The really good ones get selected for the senior teams. Since everybody's constantly competing with everyone else, it creates a pretty cutthroat atmosphere. This system is borrowed from the same academy system used in European football (y'know, the type of system that developed guys like Messi, Ronaldo, Haaland, and Mbappe). Aspects of the game like team play, tactics, and fundamentals are always emphasized from a young age. I'd argue that the academy system is half the reason a lot of European players have managed to catch up to American players in terms of capability. It's a lot more effective at developing players than high school/AAU/NCAA. Luka Doncic was a student of Real Madrid's youth academy, and just look at how good he is. This is implausible, but if NBA teams followed the European model and created youth academies with junior teams, our player development would skyrocket.

[@tayxicfox9512]

I agree with this wholeheartedly

[@arthropod-doctor]

@@JacksonNova-ij8jb Did you not read the first sentence? I prefaced this by saying that American talents are generally better because the game has been developing much longer over here, not to mention the fact that we place a lot more emphasis on basketball. My argument was never that their players are inherently better. You completely missed the point being made. The academy system, with its stringent requirements and strict discipline, is much better at player development than high school and AAU. It's a big part of why the top European players have managed to catch up to American talent in much less time. If the NBA were to adopt the academy system (which is implausible), then our player development would skyrocket.

[@arthropod-doctor]

@@JacksonNova-ij8jb Most pros hate AAU because it doesn't teach the fundamentals properly. Kobe has gone on the record saying he despises it. AAU just encourages guys to be flashy and bully their way through the court using sheer athleticism. It's part of why a lot of really young players don't even know how to set a screen properly. I never said that European players are consistently better than American ones. Just that the best European players have managed to catch up, and the overall growth rate in their development system is significantly higher than ours. AAU is holding players back because it emphasizes the wrong aspects of the game

[@mateusbez2669]

@@JacksonNova-ij8jbdon’t you think that, if you are beating everyone else in youth competitions by 30 points and now 4 of the best 6-7 players in the nba are foreign, they are developing their talent better?

[@arthropod-doctor]

@@JacksonNova-ij8jb Sure, but a decent chunk of the league's best players are European, and European talent has been growing much faster than American talent has. That's the entire point I've been making. You're throwing around ad-hominems without directly addressing any of my arguments.

[@aleksandarfrick2656]

Here ( Belgrade , Serbia ) ex . Yugoslavia you had basketball terrain in front of every building so kids play since age of 7 -8 . Like in New York or Miami parts where you must wait for hour or two to get your turn . One of One , 3 vs.3 ( most common ) and something we call "American " . Its like free throws and you must catch the ball and score on spot you catch it . Then you change seeds and you throw frees and other guy who missed minute before try to catch if you missed . If you score - point for you . Usually play to 11 points .

[@ervin9320]

Randle seems like a cool dude. But on the court, I’m always questioning his shot selection

[@nikkrelj471]

Not to mention like somebody already said, yes they played against pros but they started as role players given 5 to 10 minutes a game so they had limited chances to prove themselves and to get experience. They weren't given 30 minutes like the top prospects in the USA. So you can say european have an advantage but there come disadvantages with that too

[@martincote7000]

Yeah and it wasn’t such an advantage before Joker and Doncic started dominating here. At least I’ve never heard anybody claim that it was an advantage. Theses dudes are just special

[@Dame-Dame-Dame]

​@@martincote7000it's also an advantage coz it made them lose thier ego. Euro guys are humble, at least 3 top superstar Giannis, Jokic and Luka. Coz they weren't treated as VIP when they were starting. Someone would argue Luka is low-key VIP coz he was treated as prodigy but in RM he earn his minutes as a back up PG of that Spanish dude when he was upgraded in the main roster.

[@GeronimoPlaz]

They're just not as egotistical and immature. It's really obvious lol

[@pandabear1576]

@@GeronimoPlazI guarantee you Luka has an ego. He was destroying kids since he was 5.

[@dereckallen1856]

​@pandabear1576 facts, and that wink was how he showed it instead of being overly overt . They show their pride when it matters, not oversaturation on social media, media, and in public. It's about handling business and partying after. Them boys do that while others think they can straddle the fence and do both and learning the hard way through 25 game suspensions The ai days are done and that was hard for him too lol

[@dqwhitehurst3319]

Big PG fan for years. Him and Dame my 2 favorite players. You know I watch every episode!!!!

[@gicueN17R0]

He constantly wants to improve at something each year. Or add a thing to his bag. Like the headwaters dribble drive off the 3pt line for a lay-up. The sombor'shuffle was created during the off-season where he was hurt but still added what is now one if the most deadly shots. It's crazy. Joker is nuts.

[@vukvasiljevic3321]

Kobe said that the fundamentals he learned in Italy at a young age defined his carrier...

[@NerdChannelBrasil]

The thing is: Jokic didnt play at high level when he was 15/16yo, he was riding horses with 14/15y, he only played pro ball at 18yo in Serbia, Jokic is just pure talent. This is the norm in Europe, 18/19yo maybe some began to play in the pro team at the age of 17 but Luka is an exception. Dude was a prodigy and just prodigys play so young like Luka and he only played 2 minutes per game with 15y (only 3 games too) and not in the euroleague. Next season 11 minutes in the euroleague, next season 19 minutes, its not that he was balling since the start. He played 4 seasons and only 2 seasons he was a starter on Real Madrid.

[@rickyricardo2006]

I mostly agree with what you’re saying. Everyone knows luka is a prodigy. I will argue jokic is a prodigy as well. Trust me, it doesn’t matter if players in Europe start their pro careers at a young age. You will NOT find another jokic and luka in europe. I believe both of those players ARE generational talents. We already know what luka was capable since he was a teenager. If we compared jokic and luka rise to stardom, dude, at 16 jokic was playing basketball as a past-time with aspirations of becoming a horse rider. Luka at 16 was basically already playing with the pros. The incredible rise in jokic basketball playmaking and skills, in just a few years was astronomical. I mean again, the guy didn’ even want to be a basketball player. He wasn’t even fit for it. The way jokic reads the game, the way he makes those “effortless” passes, are not skills you can go work in the gym. Jokic has a gift for basketball man. And luka, well, what can we say. Ill will put him with jokic when it comes to how impactful he can be with his teammates. Luka just needs a team that takes things serious.

[@ΤάσοςΚαυσοκαλυβίτης]

@@rickyricardo2006 > You will NOT find another jokic and luka in europe. I believe both of those players ARE generational talents. On the contrary, you might find a lot of them, but they are damn short or stuck in some village :P I've been so amazed on how the NBA had regressed on assists and incredible passes and finally Jokic came along and reminded those people how the sport is played, instead of just chucking three pointers with 17 seconds on the clock. But honestly we were on the court with a couple of friends a few days ago and we were moving around throwing our usual "odd" passes and someone said "doing that stuff before Jokic was born, eh old fellas?" and it was kind of true, but we were just short, unathletic, not really talented and living in some village which Jokic's Sombor would look like a mega-city next to it. There is a lot of talent in Europe. There is not that much height, not that much scouting and not that much organisation to locate new players or make them try other sports.

[@rickyricardo2006]

@@ΤάσοςΚαυσοκαλυβίτης Don’t get fooled by the how the game is played in Europe. Sure, in Europe the game is mostly a “team first” oriented as opposed to here where everyone is looking for a “franchise” player. That’s why European leagues are filled with play-style players like luka and jokic. But don’t get it twisted Luka and Jokic ARE generational players. Otherwise, every other 17 year old European player would win a championship, league mvp and finals mvp like Luka did in Europe. What jokic is doing and did this playoff season, is unheard off in Europe and USA. Jokic is a “one of one” player. Im sure that by the end of Jokic career, he will have cemented himself as one of the greats.

[@ΤάσοςΚαυσοκαλυβίτης]

@@rickyricardo2006 > But don’t get it twisted Luka and Jokic ARE generational players. Noone says the opposite. It just so happens though that Luca's father was also a pro basketball player and Jokic's brothers all being 7 foot tall. Those two would eventually gravitate towards basketball. All I said is that there are many talented players in may sports that are just never found in Europe because they do not have the body or the monetary foundation or the coaching support, to go pro. E.g. One of my best friends was ping-pong champion in South Germany when he was a kid (Germany is a country with a great ping-pong tradition). His family moved back to Greece and he lived in a village with 3000 people and the nearest ping-pong table was 100 kilometers away. Was he talented? For sure. Could he have been a pro? Probably yes. Was he given a chance? No. The same thing happens everywhere, it is just that I think that the USA is more centralised in talent finding (all those scouts, school leagues, college leagues etc) so you have more chances of being found out. We do not have that here. In a very plausible alternate universe Jokic would have now been holding some normal job in Sombor while horse-racing in the weekends.

[@rickyricardo2006]

@@ΤάσοςΚαυσοκαλυβίτης Oh dude, talented people are everywhere regardless of opportunity and economic status. Look man, if you believe in natural selection, you’ll understand that your friend was not cut out to be a pro. Period. This notion that “he wasn’t given the opportunity” is weak. Your friend wasn’t good enough. And didn’t fight enough to become a pro. I’ll give you an example you might be familiar with. Messi was born in an extremely low income household. And he had a growth developed problem as a child. Regardless of that, he and his family never gave up. And he is a legend You and your friend live in Germany, a first world country. You have NO excuses if you are talented and don’t make it in life! Almost EVERY athlete had hurdles in their path to success. If your friend was talented but denied at an opportunity, thats your friends fault. He was weak minded. Thats why Im telling you. Luka and Jokic ARE generational talents. Not only skill wise but MENTALLY as well. Jokic was rejected from a barcelona deal before he was aquired to Denver. Jokic didn’t even played his first year in Denver. He stayed in his country the first year to develop his skills. A LOT of people would’ve given up. But he was more motivated, and now he is a champion.

[@DowntownS]

Jokić, Dončić, Nurkić, Divac, Petrović, Stojaković... are Europeans but more precisely are actually all from fairly small south Slav nations that won 5 World Championships as Jugoslavia (same number of times as USA) and are current and 6 times men's World Champions in 3on3 basketball as Serbia (USA has 1). This sport, created in America, has taken root in hearts and minds in that part of Balkan peninsula and has brought and is still bringing glory days.

[@ohiosensei4100]

Nowitzki is german, Gasol brothers are spanish, Giannis is greek, Sabonis from Lithuania, Parker is french.

[@DowntownS]

@@ohiosensei4100 Indeed they are, many Europeans made their name for themselves in nba. I was pointing to a particular cluster of talent. All those other European nations you mentioned producing one or two extraordinary talents have how many World championship crowns between them? What about "street basketball" 3x3 Fiba crowns? Germany alone has 5 times the population than all ex Yugoslav states put together yet only Nowitzki to mention in that rank of players?! then you mentioned France, Spain... massively more populous with better basketball investment and infrastructure. There is no denying past results, trophies and talents are on the side of a small few South Slav tribes. But unfortunately, there is. Denial that is. Because barely anyone in the USA knows those facts. That Yugoslavia, although non existent since 2006 still has same number of World championship crowns as USA?!

[@erikk.137]

Giannis is not Greek. He just has Greek citizenship.

[@mikef6063]

@@erikk.137 He grew up there too, which is part of the entire point.

[@erikk.137]

@@mikef6063 Therefore he has citizenship, European values, habits..., but he is not Greek by nationality. He can only be of the same nationality as his parents. Even if you look at it, you can see that it is from Africa and not from Europe.

[@deborahjones7409]

During them years I believe Kenneth Faried was the small forward at Denver and jusuf nurkic, nikola jokic, and wilson chandler at the time played center

[@Andrew-dj1wd]

Faried and Joker were must see TV. Wish he won a ring with the Joker.

[@kdot9613]

dude has a Kim K starting 5 shirt lol

[@oussamaokbi]

The world sees basketball as a team game. The us sees 4 people and a star. I think that's the big difference. The point is to win not to win by yourself. You ain't gotta drop 60 when everyone dropping 20+

[@TheTonyAhn]

wrong, three stars. They NEED a big 3 =P

[@siler22]

does anyone remember Randles first nba game ? broke his leg and at that point Lakers were most random awful team,his career is much better then you could expect from his Lakers days

[@serbonkers4130]

Kobe liked him. Sucks that happened to him.

[@mannedi8665]

Euro ball is all about team play. Current American basketball especially the AAU is all about individual play, highlights, flashes, and hype. That's why the Euro players are dominating the NBA.

[@vdf27]

Let’s be honest. First of all there are a handful of good euro players and many more great US players. Second, euro players are doing well due to watered down game and rules that help offensive players. Luka can’t even play off the ball, or play defense. I thought euro ball taught fundamentals? They all flop and cry to get 10-20 free throws a game, is that from Europe too?

[@slionslion783]

@@vdf27 european player are far more team players, thats why they are winning now, example Jokic.... In US they start already in college that mentality to find a new star that will be a hero and make everything on his own.... Its team sport not individual sport....

[@jetlifewill23]

Its not difficult to understand how the US has fallen behind in youth development, while teams in Europe scout the best amateur players at a young age and bring them into an academy with other talented kids who then recieve training and guidance from high level coaches very early in their development especially fundamentals, as they keep progressing to the next age group they get less demand to perform but more tools to continue fine tuning their skills and IQ, here in the states we don't have top teams nurturing talent until they make it to the professional level so it comes down to an amateur coach who maybe just doing it for their kids or because they truly love the sport so they don't get the high level assessment on their game hopefully the NBA change their way of thinking within the next 6-7 years or else Europeans will start winning more gold medals come the Olympics

[@mstanojcic]

PG come to Nuggs! You'd be a perfect fit.

[@MpanzuELWik]

Europe has many different countries and cultures (Gasol bros Spain/ Jokic Serbia/ Doncic Slovenia/ Arvydas Sabonis Lithuania) and players being descendants of immigrants (Rudy Gobert Tony Parker Wembanyama ( Congolese) France/ Giannis (Nigerian) Greece). The Basketball culture in the East of Europe is one of the most developed in Europe (Serbia, Slovenia...) In a few years you will see more countries like Belgium, Netherlands, North European. And with BAL you will see the growth of African players too we got more of them there like Embiid. Kuminga is congolese. International basketball is gonna be different in 5 years

[@nikolavideomaker]

Tony Parker, Rudy Gobert and Wembenyama are all at least 50 percent European, Wemby is 75 percsnt European, kinda disingenuous calling them descendants of immigrants

[@MpanzuELWik]

@nikolavideomaker It wasn't the purpose to hurt you man my bad.

[@seitensifir4605]

@@nikolavideomakerhis father is immigrant

[@TheUnknownNumber9]

Totally agree with you, NBA is gonna change dramatically the next 5 years and more. As about Giannis and 🇬🇷, I'm gonna say, we had the best guards of Europe (Spanoulis, Zisis and Papaloukas) and also we beat team USA at the Mundo basket. It's not just Giannis for the 🇬🇷 basketball.

[@MpanzuELWik]

@@TheUnknownNumber9 I didn't know thanks for the info. One of rhe picks of this year's draft was Belgian.

[@gametime2473]

It's pretty crazy how much European ball is affecting the NBA. Jokic alone has changed a lot. He is a point guard center. That is so crazy to me.

[@WhySilverWhyNow]

Paul: what bro said about the way Europe structures player development from a young age is 💯. That’s the difference. We are a mess over here

[@farkanwombo]

The other big Randle was thinking of was Mozgov but he wasn't there anymore when Jokic came over. Unless he's talking about Lauvergne who is far from nice.

[@omartinoco1036]

I think he was probably talking about mason plumblee

[@farkanwombo]

@@omartinoco1036 Jokic got to Denver before Plumlee. It was a Nurkic for Plumlee deal. The only other big who actually played that I can remember was Hickson.

[@LSClubhouse]

@@farkanwombohickson was good for a spicy second but that was mostly in Portland before Denver

[@Jaaf014]

I'm french so I'm biased but Lauvergne is nice. He got a nice international career and he played clubs running for Euroleague. Big europeans players can get their place into the nba. Xenophobia is still hard for rotation european players. Look at Nando de Colo who never got a real chance in the NBA whereas he's an amazing player.

[@arnabiarnab3037]

The issue with the states is that it’s predicated on individual and highlight reels…… while abroad it’s about team game and paying smart

[@recoveringsam8675]

Imagine jokic and doncic on a team together

[@davidjr4903]

couldve easily been reality if Luka chose to play for Serbia (he's 50% Serbian)

[@garagegeekguy]

That would be painful to watch. Doncic dribbling the ball into the floor. That would not be a good fit

[@erikk.137]

Ex YU vs USA...

[@Kingeptacon]

I’m thankful I was able to grow up watching the 80s and 90s basketball. Not all evolution is good evolution.

[@akachiazubuike1109]

Anyone notice that Slavic players are very good?

[@SaleliNNT6]

Balkan* Greek and turkish is on the same level as Serbia, top tier European ball

[@familiafightclub7407]

PG you gotta get Kahwi to come on the show...all your podcasts have been great! Keep up the good interviews 👌

[@mduzzzy4275]

That would be a short ass interview 😂

[@familiafightclub7407]

@@mduzzzy4275 lmao

[@SportStem]

During the 80s and before that here in the States, though we never had a structured academy system like they do overseas, we used to be drilled in fundamentals by even our PE Teachers and there were a series of basketball camps to attend to improve your game. Furthermore we had full freedom to play pick up games with and against much older and more experienced players. That was why when the NBA was considered an illegal league by FIBA and only allowed NCAA players to compete in the World Cup and the Olympics, which always made them the youngest team in those tournaments, used to dominate the much older and experienced teams and most of the college players at the time stayed 3-4 years in college. The closest thing to one-in-done players were guys who stayed 2 years until they were eligible for a hardship NBA draft. This is exactly what the members of the original Dream Team were products of. Compared to what we have now, what we had was much better for player development. Considering the resources that we have now, I think the best thing (this is ONLY my opinion) is if the NBA doesn't want to do the academy system like in Europe and other parts of the world, to have the NBA teams select the best travel so-called AAU teams (within the NBA team's geographic location)under their wings and control the player development, where and when to compete, control the number of games they should play to reduce the wear and tear of their bodies. For instance, the Boston Celtics would take the BABC AAU teams under their wing, the Knicks would run the Gauchos, the Rens and the Riverside Hawks and the Bulls run Mac Irvin Fire etc.

[@12345duckett]

I love dude with the braids’ ad promos…😅…he’s the first person…that does it in a way…that I look forward to…and doesn’t interrupt the content

[@mdarrenu]

European players learn basketball. American players learn to be celebrities.

[@jayfreymontana2055]

Paul George still equates talent with athleticism. Which is not entirely true. What use to make US players so dominant was that they had the fundamentals packaged with the athleticism which put them over the top. Now we got a bunch of great athletes with no fundamentals, who don’t really know how to play the game from a IQ standpoint

[@tebonete]

proud of randle dudes come along way

[@P406Coupe]

Alperen Sengun (praised by PG :) was the Turkish League MVP when he was 18. Turkish league has at least one team on the finals since 2015-2016 season and won 3 of them. (there is no Turkish Team in 22-23 finals) He'll be something too. edit: i mean the euroleague finals.

[@Legacy13579]

I think he’ll be in that domantas Sabonis tier of point center maybe give some or take some. The rockets need to start using him and green like joker and Jamal for sure

[@P406Coupe]

@@Legacy13579 no disrespect to sabonis, he is great but I optimisticly think Alpie can be better than him. Alpi's bag so deep which similar to joker. Sabonis has a little limited offensive arsenal. But of course, Sabonis is a all star and joker is joker. Alpie has much more way to go. Potential is something but not enough for win a chip.

[@lekzintshering7666]

​@@P406Coupe Sabonis needs to get more decisive in mid-range.....warriors were giving him that the whole series....

[@P406Coupe]

@@lekzintshering7666 yep, they just ignore him when he away the rim.

[@harderway8568]

Coaches and intensity. You HAVE TO win every single game, it's really competitive, every ball matters and they scream at you whenever they can, from day one. And yes, fundamentals and the passion of course.

[@ryanmagiera4402]

They’re coached and developed so at younger ages as opposed to crazy disorganized aau & club circuits as youth

[@amai-w8f]

That's because basketball still a sport in europe, the NBA stopped being serious when it became too rich and started being a show. Money ruins everything

[@pandabear1576]

That’s just not true. There aren’t many Luka’s and Victor’s over here that are getting that treatment. AAU basketball players crush international players when they do FIBA.

[@stringer2295]

Nobody remembers that the nuggets traded nurkic because they saw what joker was early

[@ttj438]

Respect guys from europe

[@HellenaWygant]

Next time please add pics to the interview as you recall old scenes and particular names.... Thank you

[@walterrussell6584]

Its because Eurpoean basketball hasnt bought into athleticism being end all be all to basketball. They still prioritize skill and fundamentals above all else as they should.

[@LenMcLureII]

Goal tending exists in FIBA, it's once the ball touches the rim that you are allowed to touch it even if it's in the cylinder. So you can't block a ball on the way down.

[@djo-dji6018]

The biggest difference is in the US there are 340 million people, while in Germany 83 millions, Italy 60 millions... Serbia 6(!) millions and so on.

[@ThankyouCity]

I'm so pro Paul George. Great show

[@JulyenCarayuganll]

The two Choker breaking down the future Hall of Fame.

[@alxx292]

Acting like Paul George isn’t a hall of famer 😹😹😹😹😹🫵🫵🫵🫵 you have no ball knowledge

[@alxx292]

Pg an 8x all star btw more than both of them lol how are you gonna have less all star selections than a choker 😹😹😹

[@JulyenCarayuganll]

@@alxx292 come on G All-star selection is nothing compared to nba champ.

[@alxx292]

@@JulyenCarayuganll ok Pg is still a hall of famer buddy

[@Skegfromcraigslist]

Podcast P is gonna be massive

[@AlksG7]

It’s not advantage Europeans, it’s advantage Balkans

[@MDF4072]

And they did that with a Dad Bod , mastery of fundamentals is still rare today.

[@JosephEMercado]

Always love hearing pros talk ball

[@CLEARVISIONOVERLAND]

I thought PG was going to finally speak on the fact that he declined to come to Denver in favor of LA. It probably bugs him that he could have been a champion.

[@Sfbabykd]

He said it right we just more athletic not more skilled

[@pointgreece4331]

Common thing is that they are mostly Serbs not just Europeans since there are 3 great basketball nations in Europe are Serbs, Croats, Greeks, Spaniards. Italy and Germany, France have respectful leagues but they produce a few good players.

[@arturocachila2021]

Love this podcast!

[@aking2330]

European ball is nice but jokic and luka are rare breeds like Drazen was. Some are good like vlade, kukoc but often they end up back home or come to league when they past their prime

[@DrWNoLs]

Wemby and Giannis too though. Its becoming less and less rare.

[@GoodlyRogue]

"Our talent is better than over there [Europe], but their fundamentals..." - Julius Randle 💯

[@myworldview999]

skill and fundamentals over athleticism!

[@HEADLINEZOO]

This is a damn good discussion. Very interesting.

[@TheTonyAhn]

NBA needs a demotion and promotion system. The worst two teams are demoted to NBA G-League while best 2 G-league teams are promoted to the NBA. It would be really interesting

[@seanbell69]

There was a time in the NBA when you had to choose between size and skill, but with global populations rising and the talent pool increasing, it won't be too long before that trade off no longer has to be made

[@andreisevostianov9525]

2:02 they had Nurk, Mozg, MaBoy, and JJ Hickson a season before + Mamal.

[@vlada]

Playing up an age group is common in european sports. The best players 16-17-18yr olds of each generation play with men.

[@manuelmassimino4792]

Pls guys I Wanna see Danilo Gallinari and Simone Fontecchio talking about the process for european/italian

[@modoulaminceesay9211]

Saw the united banner and immediately subscribed

[@Andrew-dj1wd]

Jusuf Nurkić and The Joker are same age and both Drafted in 2014 by Denver. Jusuf Nurkić pick 16 Joker pick 41 So Jusuf Nurkić was NOT balling in Denver with 3 BIGS before the Joker got there. Aaron Gorden was also in 2014 Draft at 4th

[@oluwafemiosanya9253]

Joffrey Lauvergne is the 3rd Big. Nurkic Jokic Joffrey. He was correct. They shipped Nurk and Joffrey

[@Andrew-dj1wd]

@@oluwafemiosanya9253 Nurkic played 3 years with The Joker. On 13 February 2017, Nurkić was traded, along with the rights to the Memphis Grizzlies' 2017 first round draft pick, to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Mason Plumlee, a 2018 second round pick and cash considerations.

[@lagosfury5142]

I forgot about that...back then I was like,,you know they got two pretty good centers...injuries hurt nurkic development

[@Lazar532]

Joker asked to be on the bench, and for Nurkić to be the starter, management would not do it, Jokić felt do bad for Nurkić, that's how Great of the Man he is. 😇

[@Mr_Muscollo_Dalmatian]

That's not true

[@Void7.4.14]

The craziest thing about Jokic is he's been killer for a minute, he just liked to keep the whole team involved. But when the defensive move against em was let Joker do whatever and lock down the other 4 guys on the court he said "cool, I can basically do it all i just haven't been" lol What do ya do with that??? Add all the pieces around buddy and its a problem fr

[@threefivetwogames2944]

i think the lack of highlight reel culture in Europe is a big factor as well. kids are taught a team first mentality and flashy individual talent is not rewarded as it is in the US at a youth level

[@AC-zl2so]

They aren't selfish players and focus on technique over athleticism.

[@theokingshango]

Mic placing is wild here🤣

[@gemox3225]

My team, the Cavs, has 2 bigs who can't shoot the 3, Mobley and Allen. We got killed last year in the playoffs and i think this was a factor. Nowadays, 1 big who can't really shoot the 3 seems to be the max for a team if it wishes to be successful.

[@lotuslife3239]

No defensive 3 sec makes it harder to play in Europe but the good Euro players come over to the NBA and dominate cause its easier to score

[@Kevinjimtheone]

Julius Randle: "In my position, if you can't shoot the 3, you can't play.". Randle is shooting 28.4% at 5x 3PA (worse than Giannis), with a career average of 34.4% which is massively boosted by an outlier year when he shot 41.1%. So, by his definition, Randle can't play in the NBA.

[@commonsense999]

the difference is in Europe they practice more and play half the games...so they can work on both individual and better team players...In the US most teams practice maybe 20 times in a 82 game season...AAU circuit they play tournaments and games and rarely practice

[@dusanvuckovic17]

Clubs are integrated from juniors to youths to junior seniors and seniors. This lets them develop a program that introduces the total basketball philosophy from a young age.

[@justachef-jm6gu]

It's nothing new. Imagine Divac having the freedoom to play as Jokic.. or Tony Kukoc in todays game..

[@3piecespicycards930]

They didn’t grow up in a coddled AAU culture. They were actually coached. They also are appreciative to be in the nba vs a lot of the American guys wanting to flock to the same 4 media markets.

[@ZoinksScoob-lu9ko]

Its just that professional sports and school arent linked together so kids as young as 6 years old get trained by professionals instead of by someone’s dad until they’re like 15. The gap is huge.

[@wonderlandian8465]

Americans keep forgetting Giannis whenever they talk about "European" players.

[@ivorsubasic4013]

Whole bunch of things in Europe that give them an edge. The system of a game itself is totally different, there is no space like in NBA. Everything is tactical because no one player can carry the game like they do in NBA. You are just forced to do things as a process and not based on a single individual skill. In Serbia especially, they created training and development system that is same through all ages and stadiums of a players career. So basically the kids are learning the same stuff as the pros are. That is why the transition from U18 team to professionals is not an issue. Than you have this culture of coach authority. No European coach would last more than couple of months in NBA because they would bench LeBron or Steph or anyone who goes wild on the court and does not stick to the tactics. Just imagine what a backlash that would cause on ESPN and so on.

[@eddy562]

It’s not so much turning pro from a young age but they’re taught to play the game the right way from an early age.