J.J. Redick: The NBA is more physical than in the 80s, 90s

[Roy H.]

I agree with Redick. No one wants to hear it because it flies in the face of what all the old timers claim, many of whom are the ones with the mics shaping the narrative now but if you actually go watch the film, what Redick is saying is true: the NBA cleaned up the hard fouls and the fighting but the general gameplay is more physical now than it ever was.

I was born in '88, starting watching basketball around '00. I certainly have no experience playing basketball at a high level. I'm solely going on old film. Cue up a random game from the 80's and just look at how much daylight there is between a defender and a ballhandler on most possessions. Look at how easily screens get navigated.

To my eye, there is a lot more bumping and jostling off the ball now than there was in the 80's and early 90's.

The fact that so many of the older players calling out Redick go directly to the "he wasn't any good anyway" ad hominem says a lot.

Reddick wasn't saying that the NBA now is more physical than earlier eras. He's saying that, with the exception of hard fouls and fighting, the current NBA is just as physical as in past eras.

Hard fouls, fighting, post play (the most physical play there is), and rampant hand-checking.  And, plenty of clutching and grabbing, too, particularly in the 1990s.

[Big333223]

I agree with Redick. No one wants to hear it because it flies in the face of what all the old timers claim, many of whom are the ones with the mics shaping the narrative now but if you actually go watch the film, what Redick is saying is true: the NBA cleaned up the hard fouls and the fighting but the general gameplay is more physical now than it ever was.

I was born in '88, starting watching basketball around '00. I certainly have no experience playing basketball at a high level. I'm solely going on old film. Cue up a random game from the 80's and just look at how much daylight there is between a defender and a ballhandler on most possessions. Look at how easily screens get navigated.

To my eye, there is a lot more bumping and jostling off the ball now than there was in the 80's and early 90's.

The fact that so many of the older players calling out Redick go directly to the "he wasn't any good anyway" ad hominem says a lot.

Reddick wasn't saying that the NBA now is more physical than earlier eras. He's saying that, with the exception of hard fouls and fighting, the current NBA is just as physical as in past eras.

Hard fouls, fighting, post play (the most physical play there is), and rampant hand-checking.  And, plenty of clutching and grabbing, too, particularly in the 1990s.

There's a lot less post play now, for sure, but there's a lot more movement away from the ball since the illegal defense rules changed in the '00s. All that off-ball movement has resulted in, to my eye, a lot more bumping and grabbing off the ball than there was in the 80's and even 90's.

[gouki88]

Redick is obsessed with trying to bring older generations of basketball down a notch, for some reason. This obsession leads him to pursuing some wild clickbaity takes

[LilRip]

When he started, I thought redick was a decent analyst. Now, he’s just like one of them. Hot takes after hot takes.

The previous eras (especially the fight club that was the 90’s) were more physical. The removal of hand checking is what allows players a lot of razzle dazzle. It would be significantly easier to cover Kyrie or Steph, for example, if you could just grab or hold them, instead of having to rely solely on your feet. And then there’s all the jump shooting fouls. Players are protected more than ever today.