Reddick doesn't just say stuff. He strikes me as a genuine guy.
Yeah, I see him the same way. I remember when the NBA did their 75 best players list and JJ Redick was talking about. He was pretty derogatory towards the older players on the list. He didn't think anyone from the 50s should be on it and he talked about guys in the 60s playing against plumbers and the like.
He very much believes on today being the best the NBA has ever been. That players today are better than they ever have been before. That this is the most skilled players have ever been. The best shooters, the best ball-handlers. The quickest, most athletic best trained athletes.
That today's players do more in terms of practicing and getting developmental coaches, doing more with their diet and nutrition, doing more with physical exercise and weight training.
That players from the past cannot compare to players of today.
He very much comes from that type of viewpoint. That everything is better today than it was before. Rather than some things are better and some things are worse. Everything is better. Today is the best day there ever has been. And tomorrow will be better.
So this comment on the 80s and physicality is on fairly similar lines of thought to things I have heard Redick say in the past.
I think I have also heard him say the physical demands of today's game are higher than in the past. Something along the lines of how much you have to run and scramble on defense compared to the best. There is more short burts, sprints, explosive movements in today's game. That the physical demands are higher than in the past. Not exactly the same as physicality but nearby.