Why European Players ARE TAKING OVER THE NBA

Time to admit the truth. Hope you enjoy.

[@awesomereviews1561]

Rules in Europe are for sure tougher than the one in the modern NBA.

[@advancedapathy1531]

Well, kinda, but even more significant is the smaller court in FIBA and no 3-second rule under the basketball... This means it's MUCH easier to play defense and not get exposed, as long as you know what you are doing. Team USA doesn't know how to play under these circumstances and they get lit up by Lithuania for 110 points in a 40-minute game... Most FIBA games end with 78-85 type scorelines... These teams know they don't have to run around like headless chicken they just need to be compact on defense and that's it... I think if you gave the US players 1 year to adjust to FIBA and having the same teammates like these EURO teams do, they'd be winning most games by 30 again... The talent gap is still huge for the most part... Jose Alvarado has destroyed Italy and Lithuania recently... And you're telling me a team made up of 12 players much better than him can't do it? There's no way it's because of lack of skill or talent... It's purely because of other things like lack of experience, lack of chemistry, lack of team hierarchy, poor roster construction etc.

[@perfectibilist]

Apparently, those European players have strong fundamentals while American players are concerned with jumping high and fancy dribbling.

[@Icebuckets78191]

@@perfectibilist exactly

[@augustinevelajr3915]

American thugs

[@zinjgreen3398]

No when the NBA allowed to be physical, allowed bumping Euro Basketball can't match the NBAbeven though they are much better in shooting and playing in a system. Once the physicality was gone the best players in the world came from Europe.

[@mrboast2826]

Ja morant😅 in the nutshell...Good jumping ability and offense but damn he average on defense despite having athleticism

[@mrboast2826]

​​@@zinjgreen3398 I beg to differ...Dirk nowitzki exist...Pau exist...Kukoc exist...Just because athleticism been removed didn't mean they can't dominate...At that time, NBA barely went international so there are smaller sample that European player can't play in that era...If Giannis exist in that era , he for sure dominate a lot of top player especially with no offensive foul

[@tjcarr8097]

Kobe said these things decades ago

[@dreamcage1801]

Last decade yeah

[@hashbrown4278]

Doesn’t mean he’s right

[@Herzeder]

Kobe said a lot of things, he spend the last decade of his career and his unfortunately short retirement giving his opinion about absolutely everything, but for some reason we dont often bring up is shit takes tho

[@nicolascamus3417]

@@hashbrown4278 I mean, some mvp caliber players say this, while they played in the 2 championships. Maybe it's true ?

[@hashbrown4278]

@@nicolascamus3417 doesn’t mean they’re right

[@your_royal_highness]

They know how to play basketball, that’s why they’re doing so well. NBA players have to be taught fundamentals!

[@MikeTheD]

Sound fundamentals exactly.

[@hashbrown4278]

Wrong

[@hashbrown4278]

@@MikeTheDno

[@cyrilleribeiro5030]

Not the individual fundamentals but the collective fundamentals of basketball.

[@cyrilleribeiro5030]

The problem that Americans have is that they don't use the collective tools of basketball because in the NBA the players don't need them. The players are far too strong individually and beat their defenders 1 on 1. So why use the pass if 2 dribbles are enough to create your shot or lay up.

[@Icebuckets78191]

Their is a lot of reasons why Europeans dominate the NBA. The American AAU basketball system is broken in Europe they don’t have 5 star recruits or 4 star recruits also in Europe they practice unlike AAU just pull up to a game with no practice in Europe they develop them and teach them the fundamentals of the game in Europe.

[@ntrong32]

This comment is just the video, but with no punctuation.

[@augustinevelajr3915]

Houston we have a culture problem.

[@swen1208]

@@ntrong32even Kobe said the same thing.

[@user-lt1fx2he5s]

@@swen1208Because Kobe was trained and taught the basic fundamentals of the game of basketball in Europe.

[@colpul2103]

This: USA great on ball skill, EU great off ball skills. AAU kids learn how to create highlight reals and huge box scores, EU Club kids learn how to play as a team and how to win.

[@Bilious303]

Its crazy how Adam Silver sat down with Kevin Garnett and straight up told KG to his face that defense is boring, too physical, and takes less skill than offense.

[@mrboast2826]

I mean with a lot physicality it for sure will add injury..With no physicality still a lot of player got injured, imagined when physicality exist it would at more injury

[@logomarkz]

Such a dumb take. Remove defense and offense takes no skill at all.

[@fadercreek]

Adam silver is a dumbass

[@Dotsetc]

Adam Silver spoke for what fans think, not for what he thinks. And he's right. The new generation doesnt appreciate defense and physicality. He simply adjusted the rules to make offense easier for casual watchers so they'd be interested.

[@Bilious303]

@@Dotsetc its too easy to blame the consumer imo. Happens everywhere. We assume people are too lazy or stupid to want a quality product. Even if they are, its not their fault, just a product of their environment.

[@bdifferentb]

European ball is much more like 90's NBA.

[@garak55]

Which makes sense since it's staffed by coaches and players who grew up watching 90s NBA basketball

[@maartenvz]

Bro, did you watch 90s NBA? The illegal defence rule made it an iso heavy game. European basketball is very team defence oriented, something that wasnt possible with illegal defence. I dont understand why you think 90s NBA was anything like European basketball...

[@JPmaxlevel]

nope 😂😂😂

[@raddad1464]

@@maartenvz They've never really watched any European leagues like Eurobasket. They just use times like these to validate the opinions they already had. The motion offenses are far more complex and they use screens far better than any team did in any era in the US. Now that basketball players make real money in those countries, they have programs that nurture talent like the US does, and GASP now they have comparable talent. Shocker

[@DRoyale1]

The NBA and NFL have decided to remove a significant portion of defense from their games…for the sake of scoring to draw in more fans…but it makes the games boring at times because there seems to be little resistance on the defensive end. The NBA brought NBA Jam and 2K to life with the defensive settings on rookie.

[@ThatLampTho]

For very casual watchers it might be exciting but after watching for some time it becomes boring, like watching an exhibition match. And this isn't coming from me, this is the reason my a friend gave on why she stopped watching the NBA after just 1 season

[@Woody13woodpecker]

EXACTLY

[@maartenvz]

You clearly didn't watch the playoffs

[@DRoyale1]

@@maartenvz watched at least 3 games of every series, been digesting basketball since 1990 my guy…

[@user-jw5qj8kv2y]

I really respect Dražen Petrović because I know that a lasting part of his athletic legacy will be that he paved the way for other international players to compete successfully in the NBA. His contributions to the sport of basketball were enormous.

[@dhruvadude808]

He was really starting to find himself as a major force in the NBA.

[@BlackRB21]

The first international player to play in the NBA was Hank Biasatti in 1946

[@raymondsmith2040]

Dražen would have been so good. He was like a more physical Reggie Miller.

[@JDB1322]

If they go back to the old rules, a lot of players won't be able to do what they do in the NBA.

[@InverselyComplicated-ve3ls]

Exactly, if they went back to man defense and got rid of zone defense, a lot of Euros would be unplayable.

[@urbaindelva7869]

I disagree. I think that a good number of the players would learn to adjust to that.

[@user-lt1fx2he5s]

@@InverselyComplicated-ve3lsAnd a lot of the American born players would be unplayable also

[@hashbrown4278]

@@user-lt1fx2he5swrong. That a lie

[@BOSSDONMAN]

It's interesting to think about how much of an impact Kobe growing up in Italy had on his overall game and career. Who knows, maybe if LeBron grew up in EU, he might learn to play basketball without traveling and charging every possession!

[@MegaMjjordan]

You say that like his Body type isn’t hand in hand with his style same for Giannis. If you’re built like that you better fucking drive it, travel or not

[@jordanjenkins1671]

That's one of the things that made Kobe so unique as an NBA player -- raised by an NBA player, trained in Europe in his youth. That's why he was able to objectively call out the AAU circuit many years ago in a way somebody who's stayed in America all their lives wouldn't know.

[@hashbrown4278]

@@jordanjenkins1671no. Kobe was very iso

[@cyrilleribeiro5030]

Kobe learned nothing from the collective game of basketball in Italy! He just learned to work on his dribbling and his use of footwork. But Kobe played exactly the NBA game perfectly, 1 against 1 against his defender and even often 1 against 2.

[@jqualls7901]

The NBA changed the rules for LeFraud #Facts‼️💯💯

[@BlakOwlEntertainment]

And the ratings have suffered ever since

[@shaunphillips3236]

@@jqualls7901 I remember when NBA ratings were at all time highs in the 90's

[@sunbear3324]

Name one ?

[@maartenvz]

Please, this comment adds nothing to the discussion. What rule are you talking about? The main problem is not the rules but the fact that refs often wont call by the rules...

[@maartenvz]

​@@shaunphillips3236and revenue was at an all time low after Jordan retired....

[@colpul2103]

Look it isn't just the defensive 3 seconds rule. It is also that EuroLeague only plays 34 games and mostly only play one game per week. This means that more effort is put into each game, each game means more as only 6 of those 18 teams make the playoffs (there's is a play-in for 7-10). EuroLeague teams generally practice most of the week game planning for their opponent that week. As most nations only have one or two EuroLeague teams they can use games in the National Leagues a little freer, don't want to say as scrimmages but far less pressure as they tend to be player far weaker teams. There's more like how the rules are enforced and EuroLeague officials very much not wanting to be a factor in the game. Less general athleticism meaning team defense, off ball defense, offensive rebounding... become the fore of defense.

[@chrisreid4711]

Someone that actually knows what they are talking about.

[@Smido83]

You do know that all Euroleague teams play in their national leagues as well... right? Thats another 30+ reg season games + playoffs... Euroleague Teams play around 75-100 games each season as well...

[@1tw33t]

@@Smido83 exactly! i.e. in serbian basketball best teams play euroleague (minimum 34 games+p/o min 5g). then they play the regional "champions league", the aba league (minimum 26 games+p/o min.7g). then there is the state league and cup with the minimum of 7 games. other non regional countries play more in their own state league and cup because they dont have a joined league - the aba league. so yeah about 75 games per season is a minimum.

[@jordanjenkins1671]

I really wouldn't mind less games in an NBA season if it meant greater quality of product.

[@cyrilleribeiro5030]

@@jordanjenkins1671 Yes it's just obligatory to have fewer games to increase the level of a game. Today in the NBA no teams train 5 vs 5. They spend their time traveling and preparing for games. The only training that the players do is training alone in front of the basket with personal trainers and in addition for the players who play the game, it is often 1 to 2 hours before the game. They therefore do not have any collective training except the 2 to 3 week training camp which is physical preparation training.

[@jackpackage4278]

American players in general rely way too much on their athleticism and natural talent but many don’t put in the necessary work anymore. European players are very fundamentally sound. I love Luka but the man is so slow when he moves with the ball that it boggles my mind how good he is.

[@JRRM97]

you do know that the best shooter,dribbler,rebounder,defender,passers of all time are american right?

[@jackpackage4278]

@@JRRM97 I’m talking about current era obviously which is why I said American players don’t put the work in anymore.

[@dreamcage1801]

They care about likes, being a celebrity and women

[@hashbrown4278]

@@dreamcage1801you’re lying

[@hashbrown4278]

@@jackpackage4278that’s not true

[@327Jhigh]

EXCELLENT VIDEO 👏🏾 I’ve been addressing almost every last one of your points for the last 5 years and now I can just copy and paste 😂😂😂

[@Sammyk94950]

The pace of the game is not catered to defense. The game has become a track and field meet and all they play is iso ball. 15+ years ago teams were running designated plays which allowed the defense to play because it was less back and forth which is why we see more injuries. This new style of back and forth just teaches kids to be fast and not learn on new skills.

[@Jonteponte71]

And yet. This years Celtics won on primarily defence and moving the ball to an open shooter or driving to the hoop on offence. People call it "boring" :)

[@user-lt1fx2he5s]

@@Jonteponte71Also look at how many threes they got up as a team

[@hashbrown4278]

Wrong

[@foualter102]

i agree with this video, its that NBA rules prioritizing offense over defense and THE FUNDAMENTALS

[@tnsxpm]

They need to get rid of the defensive 3 second rule & the hand checking rule. It's as simple as that. The game is already so advanced that rules like that only hinder it not help it.

[@cyrilleribeiro5030]

No, that would be denying the history of the NBA! These rules were not created for fun! Everything is a consequence of the past. If you remove the 3 second rule then for someone like wembanyama of 7.5 it would be too easy to stay and wait for the ball. In Europe this is the case but the collective game is much more advanced and the ball moves much more than in the NBA which is an individual game league

[@user-lt1fx2he5s]

Because in Europe they actually teach their players the basic fundamentals of the game of basketball and they teach them how to play team basketball.

[@JRRM97]

yep thats why there is only 3 european fmvps since 2000, thats why the best player in euroleage history failed in the nba and went back to europe

[@urbaindelva7869]

​@@JRRM97Okay. And?

[@akirosakuragi9279]

​@@urbaindelva7869he's hinting that all that"euro dominance" shit is bs

[@user-lt1fx2he5s]

@@JRRM97And look at the teams their team beat. And talk about the MVPs that the Europeans have won since 2019. Talk about the 4 out of the 5 players that made first team all nba are European/international players.

[@JRRM97]

@@akirosakuragi9279 it is

[@momo.maru-kun]

One of the reasons why the NBA struggles in international competitions like FIBA and Euro league. Because these international leagues follows the NBA rules established since 1992, so it is full court hard press physical defense on inbound. Most people don't realize is that these bumps throughout the course of the game, causes you to wear out. The lane is also crowded, centers are allowed to roam the paint, the shorter 3 point distance made it quickers for defender to cover the shooters, NBA had to mentally visualize the distance where they shoot. The are more motions and cutting unlike the NBA where there are overused 1 to 3 plays. Giannis and Jokic explained that there is so much space in the NBA, that they feel they're always open. The 2010 Lakers and 2014 Spurs championship teams struggled and were beaten by EuroLeague champion teams and the NBA have ducked these "friendly" exhibitions ever since. Now they are sending collections of their best superstars to avoid the embarrassment, if they want to make a fair competition, because Europe has smaller area per talent, then have the whole Europe select the best players to represent the whole continent.

[@hashbrown4278]

No

[@microvan1234]

I bet the 3sec rule was implemented because audiences like to see scoring over defense. Seems like a money move

[@ajfanotreally2523]

It’s ruined the league

[@parkinsaw]

Was always moving towards that (allowing gather step) hand-checking being taken out (moment prime Shaq was no longer a major factor eased on things lol. Not to mention palming, travelling rarely being called NBA is pretty lax now.

[@elpoiro]

Once i saw the title, my answer was : your AAU system. In Europe, coaches of youngsters have the priority to teach the game. In the US it seems the priority is to identify future stars the earliest possible. When i see AAU i usually see one guy soloing to the basket with no collective defense. Kobe warned you years ago.

[@frontrowviews]

The main reason is club basketball in Europe. Every country has is its own leagues. Compare that to every state having their own NBA. All the champions of each state would then go to the national level NBA. That’s basically what the Euroleague is. There is 100s if not 1000s of professional basketball teams in Europe. Young talents get to play in these teams and can progress up the ladder all the way to the Euroleague. They get to play with other professionals, but more importantly are taught to win. The teams they play for don’t want to develop players, they want to win their league and go to Euroleague. That’s why European players are much more well rounded than American players these days.

[@ghost-type]

Silver did a great job of making the NBA much worse. He changed things to make it more "exciting" but ended up making it a boring 3-point shooting contest. No one wants to watch sloppy games with no defense.

[@thatoneguy1741]

I forgot how insane that joker half court shot was 😭

[@RudolfSikorsky]

Davis does LeWhine impressions pretty well. On clean block.

[@drewmeyer9679]

The issue with AAU is the competition is hit or miss. A lot of the US player rely on athleticism which everyone is athletic in the NBA. Europeans don’t post their highlights on social media.

[@dusandjordjevic8556]

The defence rules aren't looser because of the Europeans, they are loosend because they wanted more dunks and highlights.

[@landongray8687]

Its because in europe they play basketball like we did in the 80s and 90s, now in america everyone wants to be the curry/harden/westbrook of their team.

[@hashbrown4278]

No

[@marcbuisson2463]

​@@hashbrown4278 Indeed. We just have superior talent aquisition and kid training facilities, with a lot of local team's facilities supported by the local governments. Sport is a social policy here. It's a luxury in the US.

[@hashbrown4278]

@@marcbuisson2463 sane in the us

[@marcbuisson2463]

@@hashbrown4278 Not on our level, nor with clubs being fully integrated with the youth training academies. There's a reason why we're producing with more regularity than any other countries some of the best players in football, rugby, basketball or handball every year in the world. There's a reason for why even amongst afro-american players, the share of NBA players coming from a poor background is lower than the percentage of poors in the US. Families have to invest in their kids, much more so than here.

[@hashbrown4278]

@@marcbuisson2463 production isn’t really that high. Only a few euro players are at the top.

[@alinoskillz977]

Giannis looks like 2k in first clip

[@bswizzle5227]

I think the hand check rule had as much of an impact, as it literally makes a defensive player defend with their hands tied behind their backs.

[@michellemaree3555]

Even in Australia we are looking to Europe not the USA on how to improve our juniors. Europe keeps the rings lowered for much longer to focus on fundamentals. COVID has made a huge impact and we can see obviously what young people missed out on developing fundamentals during that period and it shows. Just my experience as an Australian coach of young men/boys in particular FWIW

[@d3m1g0d4]

What's happening in the NBA is what has happened in the EPL. It's normal, they should up their game or move out of the way

[@spymaster3366]

in europe you learn to play all 5 positions so you can defend all 5 positions and generaly understand them plus if you are a star player the other coach will smother you with defencive schemes something you dont see in the nba

[@hashbrown4278]

Wrong

[@SDesWriter]

His defense makes it close but I wouldn't put Giannis over Luka. Luka's a slightly better scorer, a much better shooter, almost as good a rebounder (although mostly defensive), and a much better passer. Also, Luka already owns a ridiculous number of NBA records while I'm not sure if Giannis owns any. It's definitely the three of them in some kind of order, depending on what traits you value most.

[@MattEffect]

Tim Duncan and David Robinson played 4 seasons before the defensive 3 seconds rule was implimented. I´d put them a bit below Hakeem and Sampson but still very tough for the opponent.

[@AsturiasPrimus]

It's not just the rules but how the rules are enforced. For example, illegal screens. There are so many moving screens that aren't called these days even though the rules on setting screens hasn't changed. And don't get me started on the new interpretation on traveling.

[@Klud987]

1:51 When comparing stats per game, remember to consider that a FIBA ​​game is almost 4/5 of the time of an NBA game.

[@Skills50]

Theyre more worried about securing the next contract

[@user-lt1fx2he5s]

Instead of working on their game to win championships and get better

[@hashbrown4278]

That’s a lie

[@hashbrown4278]

@@user-lt1fx2he5sanother lie. Celtics just won the championship and likely to win another

[@MikeTheD]

The American players individually learn great defense if they apply themselves, the one-on-one situation just is what it is, and years of instincts apply themselves. But the overall game these days is also very individual in America, whereas in Europe that same idea of instincts over years applies to their team-oriented style and how the game is best played. Their best players produce a Bird, and ours produces a Lebron.

[@JRRM97]

bird isnt european nor are there any good europeans that play like him, and 2 of the best european players luka and giannis play like bron/harden(luka) and shaq(giannis)

[@christopheb.6121]

When he talks about Bird, it was just an analogy, and he's right. European players are much more complete, like Bird was in his era.

[@JRRM97]

@@christopheb.6121 european players are not complete tho, jokic and luka cant defend, giannis and wemby are the only european players that are good at everything, and his analogy is dumb because lebron is a more complete player than bird

[@hashbrown4278]

@@JRRM97giannis isn’t good at everything. Can’t really shoot

[@chan13153]

Funny thing was during the early 2000s and late 90s European players were all seen as soft. But not it’s the opposite. Luka himself said it’s easier to score in the NBA than in the Euroleague. Says a lot about the NBA.

[@rastaman2722]

Differences between NBA and European basketball. 1. The coach is the leader of the team. There are no divas. You play bad you warm the bench. 2. Eight minute less playing time 3. Smaller court. Less space. 4. Fundumentals in Europe are the most important. 5. Defence is tighter. 6. Refs are stricter. Especially in travel violation. 7. 3PT distance is different. But i don't consider this big. A good shooter can shoot. 8. The 3sec rule. Always the bigman in the paint. Fewer layups. 9. The handcheck rule. And proof about no1. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rInZn4podruhn5Y

[@Lomno12]

Man, i can't imagine what Drazen would do in today's NBA. That would be a a tear in the ahole. Well, tbh any player from 80s and 90s would be a superstar or a star today. Bit some were just built for today Drazen, Mark Price, Bird, Miller

[@Mouchoo]

stop with the "Doncic ain't athletic" narrative already ffs some of y'all 6'2-6'5 strong lookin americans with good muscle def can't dunk HE CAN "huhhh but i have more bounce than him" bro has cardio noone of us will ever have fucking hell STOP IT ALREADY...... '-'

[@jixx18]

because NBA nowadays is for "Entertainment" not "Competitiion/Competitive" as they used to. probably adam silver thought fundamentals are boring.

[@chan13153]

NBA = Entertainment Basketball Olympics/Fiba= Real Basketball

[@Skills50]

Lots of these guys are groomed from an early age. I know Bronny is the worst example of this but a lot of the U.S. pipeline are players with connections to the league. It's no longer a meritocracy, it hasnt been for a while. Notice a lot of players don't have that dog in em, that's been bred out. Im not saying its a shoe in but all of these guys play on stacked AAU teams, go to the best prep schools, don't even have to perform well in their 1 year in college, they're almost guaranteed a lock to be drafted.

[@user-lt1fx2he5s]

And they get to the league and teams game plan for them

[@user-oi3su7sw5n]

Y'all so obsessed with l.b.j in son dam

[@terrance_35]

Definitely 💯 agre College Basketball 🏀 player content NBA players 👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿

[@heirrose1606]

I'm DRose's biggest fan. DRose might've had more refined skills later but he sure af wasn't better than he was in Chicago.

[@urbaindelva7869]

D-Rose refined his skills after the damage was already done. If he had done that earlier in his career, things would've turned about better for him.

[@heirrose1606]

@@urbaindelva7869 FOH w/ that BS. It was a non-contact injury. Nothing could've prevented his injuries. The point is refined, or even more skills doesn't automatically mean better. Sometimes pure unbridled freakish athletic ability transcends the sport and supercedes any skill level. Pre-injury Rose was so special he created so many unprecedent plays at such a breakneck speed, brutal power, and had as much hangtime as any player his size ever had to improvise on the fly, pun intended. Remember his double-pump pass to Noah ad he floated in midair? That's superskills only possible because of his athleticism. Rose was like the Mike Tyson or Bruce Lee of shorter NBA PGs. I used to say Rose was a better, next-level Westbrook but with a Brain and way more clutch control over games. Players were scared of Rose. Recently, Giannis was the undisputed best player on the planet using his freakish athletic ability even though he wasn't as skilled as others. The Best that Basketball ever gets is when the freakish 1% of it's athletes do things we've never or rarely seen. At it's purest Basketball is the one sport where the possibilities of athletic ability pushing the boundaries of human physicality can be realized. It's what allowed Jordan to take the Game global and captivated the imagination of so many people worldwide.

[@TheJinjo75]

​@@heirrose1606"Non contact injury" that nothing could prevent? Bro, you just showed that you don't know what you're talking about. His worst injury was the result of awful fundamentals. He was reckless. Completely out of control. On top of that he didn't even take the time to learn how to land from his jumps

[@heirrose1606]

@@TheJinjo75 You're lame af asking players to hold back their athleticism. He did it on a fundamental simple 2 footed jump stop. Tf are you talking about? Ja is reckless, Westbrook was reckless, but Rose was in control and balanced as he went 100mph. That's what made him different. Rose was like a cat on his landings and rarely fell off balance. Go back and do your homework because most of his awkward falls were a result of fouls or contact with Bigs.

[@TheJinjo75]

@@heirrose1606 Did you even watched Bulls games back them? They constantly talked about his recklessness on those broadcasts. Rose in the Bulls was more like Iverson in the sixers. Almost exactly alike. Both of them shaved years from their prime thanks to their reckless style of playing. Is not holding back. Its protecting their body.

[@trogdor8942]

Seventh Woods is even worse. There was a time early in their high school careers where there was a debate if he was better than Dennis Smith Jr. Dennis Smith flamed out in the NBA and Seventh Woods flamed out even sooner.

[@BOSSDONMAN]

I fully believe Silver effectively made defense illegal primarily so LeBalco could keep posting his inflated stat line. Yeah, it's totally just LeBalco's SKILL that 39 year old LeBalco's stats are nominally equivalent to his 28-year old one's!

[@parkinsaw]

What nonsense are you even talking about lol. Shaq (hand-checking was pretty much a must against him during his prime), gather step (allowed way before Lebron entered the league), allowing carry's/palming (Iverson says hi), so on and so on. Oh and very key incidences kind of helped change the league going forward *(malice in the palace)* being a prime one, also the emergence of Steph Curry. Oh yeah it's just Kareem's SKILL that his old ass self was able to utilize an unstoppable move for his whole career, has Lebron dropped in mass? nope how about his speed (slowed down a bit but still a tank), shooting? Actually shoots better (especially from 3 than his younger self) An old Lebron adapting how dare he lol.

[@BOSSDONMAN]

@@parkinsaw You're a buffoon. It's what's being interpreted as a gather step that's the issue.

[@RMGCBG]

Brilliant take

[@donzhang3444]

No way this guy just put Tatum as a top 5 player in the League. This guys not even top 2 on his own team 💀

[@BOSSDONMAN]

I remember watching a vid about Team USA Olympics basketball. Such a flawed rationale of "We JuSt NeEd MoRe NuKeS!!!11"

[@hashbrown4278]

They have more talent

[@AndreInThe416]

Zach Edey will be the change that people have been waiting for.

[@GuTOHGT]

Usa basketball in decline

[@hashbrown4278]

Wrong

[@kishorhegde7218]

I think the defensive 3 second rule helps in increasing entertainment value of the sport by increasing attempts at the rim. If there is a 7 ft parked in the paint no one is going for a fancy layup/dunk. And let's be real, without entertainment aspect sport loses most of its value.

[@douglasreid7330]

Energetic, persistent, coordinated defence is a thing of beauty and highly entertaining. But you damn well have to know the game to appreciate the beauty of D. D takes sustained effort. Silver, with his unravelling of the rules, has spared far too many of today's players of the need for that kind of intense effort.

[@kishorhegde7218]

@@douglasreid7330 With the 5 out modern offense I think the value of defense has surely gone up. And teams have started to recognise that. You can't send help anymore without giving up a good look to a decent shooter.I think nba defense is far more beautiful and physically taxing if executed properly..It's just that players think they can get those points back on the other than and put in less effort.

[@douglasreid7330]

@@kishorhegde7218 agreed. When it is played. However, the space to be covered, the moving pucks with all the attending extra-curricular activities, and the refs have softened the league and the players.

[@AidenAndAleiaTV]

It’s hard to get on board with this current crop of players and I'm going to openly root against this 2024 USA basketball team... Can't wait to see these American players get exposed on the international level.

[@Winsorvy]

Good video idea “why Europeans dominate the nba but the nba dominates Europe.

[@javonestephens7856]

He ain’t lying

[@hashbrown4278]

He’s lying

[@thomastaylor4178]

I agree with Gil on his assessment! The league is way softer than it was when it was at it's best in the 80-00's! There's no defense allowed in the NBA! The Europeans are more skilled not more talented or athletically gifted! American born players are more talented by far not even close the game here is just softer because of the lack of physicality allowed!

[@solemagus4761]

JJ Reddick sounding dumb sarcastic and Luka is like Yes it is😂 JJ racist is funny 😂

[@DunningKrugerJnr]

Luka #3? 😮😂

[@casparbenjaminseymour]

Its like US basketball is obsessed with creating players that would win 1on1 and less on the fact that its actually 5v5. Warriors were special as they didnt have a ball hog mentatlity and played as a team.

[@urbaindelva7869]

Even since Bronny was drafted controversially, a lot of people have been joking that he will end up going overseas if he doesn't pan out in the NBA. I think that might actually benefit him, especially if he goes go to the EuroLeague given what we know about the way they operate. What about the college system? You covered the EuroLeague and the NBA, but maybe the college system also has a role in why basketball has become more individualistic and players are not as fundamentally sound as they once were. I could be wrong, but that's something to think about. I've always been against the one-and-done rule; I think that it should be a 2-and-done rule at best.

[@user-mp2fb9ku5o]

Bronny can't play for the Euroleague. If he averages 4 points in college , he won't make it half-court in EUroleague. Don't forget that Pat Bev was a bench rider for Olympiacos Maybe if he plays for China or something , i don't know how good their league is

[@hashbrown4278]

Wrong

[@hashbrown4278]

@@user-mp2fb9ku5opat Bev is a bad example

[@chrilpy]

It’s ironic how Luka is basically saying the NBA is soft when he embodies everything that makes it soft. He foul baits, constantly whines because he thinks he should get free throws every time he’s touched, and he usually doesn’t play defense

[@Skills50]

Because they reward this cheap style of basketball. In Europe similar to FIBA, that doesn't slide. Real hoopers expose this.

[@septimiusseverus165]

You should watch some of his Madrid games. He does that now because that’s what the NBA rewards

[@chrismill85]

that's why he and Slovenia had lost to Croatia few days ago, and got crushed by Greece and Giannis an hour ago. He was whining and looking towards the refs, but they just waved him away

[@greenmanalishi6963]

Makes sense considering LebUm china Flop fruad king JMes was his idol

[@SOLDIERTECHGAMING]

Luka does play defense. He does wine a lot. I will give you that

[@yodon6867]

One day the coach is not going to listen to the GM period a player built like Karl Malone play light Rasheed Wallace aggressive like Rodman and Kevin Garnett and start punking everybody again and we're right back to Old NBA basketball

[@justeuik]

I mean, if we're just lumping Europe together, then the emergence of European stars was bound to happen as basketball becomes more global. Just look at the populations of Europe and the US. Maybe it's not all about the "American basketball is so soft now" narrative. More foreign stars just means that basketball has become more popular. It's a good thing.

[@weswarden2216]

Its fundamentals over athleticism... simple as that. Thats why guys like luka and jokic are dominating the league. For some reason americans think as long as they are athletic, then they dont need to work on their game and fundamentals. High athleticism isnt nearing as important to the game as theyd want u to believe...

[@nothingspecial295]

.......why nobody TALKING bout nich korea league ........rhy lit over there they rules are Insane

[@yoinkhaha]

Jokic and Giannis are pretty much the only players who have “taken over the NBA” these days. People always cite Doncic, but he is a wash, virtually a net zero in terms of impact because he cannot defend whatsoever, as proven by the Celtics exploiting him in the Finals. Don’t even mention Gobert- he is the most overrated piece of all time, if he dribbles once his FG% instantly drops like 25% or something ridiculous. He’s also overrated as a defender; the Mavs had no problem with him. The Wagner Bros utterly disappeared vs the Cavs; Banchero barely managed to keep them fighting. (Though Franz will be a fairly valuable player for sure.) If Wembanyama can improve his defensive awareness (he gets a lot of blocks off of length, but often looks lost defensively out there), he could be the next great European player, for sure. A unicorn like Giannis (different styles of course). But it isn’t like there aren’t just as many and as great American players. It’s really cool Europe has a few really big stars finally. Let’s not over blow it or give credit to lousy defenders (or in Gobert’s case, impotent scorers). Without putting them in any order, 3 of the NBA’s top 6 players are American and one is Canadian, 2 are European. If you look at the top 20, the ratio of Americans increases exponentially.

[@robertalston4609]

Crap.. 34 games a year, one game a week, c'mon! Where is their rings?

[@minfamous5841]

How is Luka considered better than SGA. SGA clearly outplayed him head up in the playoffs

[@caelevstephan4283]

lol you ain’t rooting for team usa… i wonder why👀

[@robbon5457]

Muricans just dog walked yall favorite euro in the finals 🤣🫵🏀🏆💪🏼

[@caladanrude6395]

So Luka doncic Rudy Gobert, Nikola jokic? Those guys are tough?😂

[@logomarkz]

Don't put Jokic with these 2, he's not a paper tiger like them.

[@caladanrude6395]

@@logomarkz he's definitely a step above but not particularly tough.

[@jeanvian3935]

They're NBA players. Watch one high level Euro game and you'll see what tough is

[@nikki-op4xj]

people overreacting . its cool to watch top players being european but USA has way way deeper roster . sure luka giannis , wemby and joker are in top 10 and after that you got Porzingis , rudy , lauri , sabonis and then nothing ... (ok maybe Vucevic but thats where it ends ) if u look at that list they almost all centers (except for luka - whos still rly big for a guard ) my point is the list of good USA players is way way way deeper . (im european , im not saying that to downplay anyone just stating my opinion)

[@Trizzer89]

The only difference is that Europe doesnt have elite 3pt shooters, who spread the floor

[@jeanvian3935]

lmao

[@Light23K]

If it’s really tougher than the European is the new NBA and everybody would want to play there. So easy to get the facts.

[@RhumFr]

In Europe they play real basketball, in the United States it's more of a show than a sport, which brings them a lot of money. It is therefore normal that European players want to play in the NBA, not only are they paid more but to do less.

[@hashbrown4278]

@@RhumFrthat’s a lie. You’re lying

[@eugeniollamera771]

Imagine we changed to let Europe catch up to us and now they've surpassed us. I never thought that i would live to hear someone say that European league is more physical, and We still have morons out there with hashtag I'm done with the 90's what a joke.

[@hashbrown4278]

They haven’t surpassed

[@bradleyparks812]

USA has become more individual and less fundamental. AAU and 1 and done positionless basketball. We have no centers or point guards. Mostly stretch 4s and shooting guards it's bad basketball.

[@dreamcage1801]

USA culture is just completely cluttered

[@hashbrown4278]

No

[@hashbrown4278]

@@dreamcage1801no

[@camschells]

American has grown insanely soft over the last decade, not just talking basketball

[@Tarquin2718]

Wemby has exactly the thing on Def what is allowed. For the rest it is softer.

[@MegaMjjordan]

Really it’s just the fundamentals and lil intangibles. Makes a huge difference

[@BreathlessMoments]

Rules vs norules and just POLITICS CIRCUS

[@bluntedspetsnaz718]

Thank Michael Jordan for all of this, when the dream team was formed in 92 for the Olympics that team inspired all of Europe to get better at basketball, everyone in the entire world 🌎 wanted to be like Mike, when was the last time an American won the NBA MVP? Luka, Wemby, Giannis, the Joker, the REAL faces of the NBA all inspired by Michael Jordan

[@Parlimant_Strifey]

Clearly one must take lil Bronny James over any of these European stars.

[@Bornpoe]

Rule changes to make the game softer for foreign wytes and all half breeds! They got rid of all the American style tuff basketball. The game has been outsourced by design. Very few nba players from poor working class family’s anymore, no hunger.

[@dreamcage1801]

America became sissies

[@XY-uc1tw]

Well honestly, most of europe do not even care about basketball. In US every kid is dreaming about NBA.

[@LL-iy7bg]

Peple only talk about Europians in NBA but nobody talk that, the best and the most players in Eurligue are Americans

[@vincanity63]

for your information en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EuroLeague_career_statistical_leaders

[@rongee4433]

NBA screwed it all up , 80s 90s golden age of ball , NBA .....ok we gotta stop playing defense more scoring more traveling go baby go

[@jeimairuzu7056]

It came from their own mouths. The ring is wide open and the defense is not that great. There you go, softest era in the NBA. 😂

[@inquisitive6786]

The NBA turned into WWE and exactly that is LeBron’s legacy

[@JPmaxlevel]

nba is like amateur basketball for europeans lol

[@user-tr6gc2hc2m]

A lot of travel in nba... Curry, travel, James, travel, etc...

[@shaunphillips3236]

F.I.B.A rules are like 90's rules. Today's NBA is soft af. The European players are HUNGRIER than American players. They WANT to win. American players WANT money #FACTS There's the difference

[@javonestephens7856]

Factssss

[@shaunphillips3236]

@@javonestephens7856 Bro I keep telling people that. European players WANT to be the best. American players WANT to get paid. It's 2 COMPLETELY DIFFERENT things. That's why American players are ok with losing because at the end of the day, they're still rich

[@JRRM97]

@@shaunphillips3236 name 6 european players today who are top 15 in the nba, name 5 europeans that are not luka,jokic,giannis,wemby,kp

[@dreamcage1801]

Real men don’t play real men no more

[@shaunphillips3236]

@@JRRM97 U forgot Embiid too

[@weinaracewarandslaverystar3408]

I hear all that but Americans just won the chip, Luka got cooked by Americans and Joker got cooked by Antman Naz Reid and Mcdaniels, Americans are good, the NBA been trying to globalize the sport and shift from American players to international players,

[@caladanrude6395]

It's so inaccurate. Where is the domination? I just don't see it. And I don't live this era of the nba. But they're not dominating. That's just a fact

[@JRRM97]

@@caladanrude6395 exactly, if there are only 5-6 elite non americans in the nba then they clearly arent dominating anything

[@terterman8585]

That doesn't change the fact that Jokic, Giannis, Luka and other Europeans have been dominating, while the two dpoy candidates are European as well

[@caladanrude6395]

@@terterman8585 your comment is nonsensical. I'm saying they are NOT dominating. How are they dominating? If you can enlighten, me please do

[@terterman8585]

@@caladanrude6395 OK, the NBA is an American league, 3 of the top 5 players are European, the two best defenders in the league are European, the top picks in the last drafts are European, and I reiterate, the NBA is an American league. Maybe domination is not the correct term, but American dominance is no longer

[@michaeljohnson2000]

They not tougher NBA is weaker

[@colorgreen5578]

So why do the Europeans come to the NBA??? That is how you know they don’t play because of their love for the game they play cause they love to take your money.

[@angelbarrios5302]

The Olympics are around the corner, if usa looses I will agree, if not the European players are soft, the seeds of lecrybby era

[@snakebitten6967]

They play real b-ball in Europe, not the exhibition style adopted by LeSilver for Lebron to shine. If you listen to Luka, Giannis etc, they play 90’s style b-ball. MJ averaged 30+ pts in that era. The 90’s stars would kill this soft as Charmin leleague.

[@user-lt1fx2he5s]

Also these American born players don’t spend enough time in college to learn team basketball, how to break down defenses, setting screens, pick and rolls etc

[@Manus_0813]

@@user-lt1fx2he5sthat wasn’t an issue decades ago though. That shouldn’t be an excuse.

[@user-lt1fx2he5s]

@@Manus_0813Because back then players actually wanted to stay in college for multiple years to work on their game and weaknesses. These players nowadays are money driven to get to the league.

[@urbaindelva7869]

No, they wouldn't because most of them are old and retired now.

[@Hc_Paisano]

@@snakebitten6967 Giannis might have played if Europe, but he’s not European