Column: The big man is alive and well in the era of threes

Published 12:00 pm Thursday, April 21, 2022

There are narratives that exist in the national discourse that the big man and playing in the post are a dying art in the current age of basketball.

If that were the case, then why are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic – three big men – the three finalists for the Most Valuable Player award in the NBA, a year after Jokic won the award, following Giannis winning it two years in a row? That makes four straight years with a big man winning MVP in the top basketball organization in the world.

Furthermore, how does one explain Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe winning the Associated Press’ player of the year award in college basketball?

It seems to me that the big man is still very much alive and well in basketball at all levels.

Sure, the NBA has changed significantly from the 80s, 90s and even the early 2000s, where teams frequently played bully ball. The physicality of the game has certainly changed.

No one is going to create the “Durant rules” where the Celtics make sure to put K.D. on the floor every time he drives to the rim, which is what the Pistons did with the “Jordan rules” for Michael Jordan.

It just wouldn’t happen in today’s NBA.

However, since when did a change in physicality lead to a change in the value of a big man? If anything the big man has just had to adapt with the times.

For example, in the era of three-point shooting, catalyzed by the takeover of Steph Curry, big men have simply had to develop better shots. The era of Charles Oakley and Bill Lambier literally shoving people to the floor on layups are over.

Anthony Davis, Karl Anthony Towns, Embiid, Jokic and Brook Lopez are all examples of players at the power forward or center positions being better and more efficient three-point shooting big men than their predecessors.

While analytics and trends are pushing teams more and more towards three-point shooting, it has become obvious that the most dominant players in the NBA and college basketball are the big men.

Take Giannis, for example. During his two MVP runs, he put up stats that had not been seen since the likes of Shaq.

Now, Jokic has created his own statistical club, being the only member of the fraternity of players to score 2,000 points, total 1,000 rebounds and produce 500 assists in a single season.

Furthermore, Embiid won the scoring title this year, with a mixture of premier footwork, post-play and shooting that makes him a lethal weapon on the court.

While that covers the collegiate and professional levels, the same can be said about the high school level as well.

There is nothing more reliable in high school basketball than an athletic big man down low. The only thing that even comes close is a player who can create his own shots.

The point is that a big man at the high school level can easily be the most dominant player on the court, and is one of the best ways to propel a team to a championship.

So, someone please tell me how the big man is dying. It is evident to me that the big man still very much has a place in today’s basketball climate.

In the era of Steph Curry, Damian Lillard, K.D. and Trae Young shooting from the logo, all the while laughing to the bank on huge contract deals that match their demand in today’s NBA, I advise basketball fans to remember that the athletes at the power forward and center postions are alive and well and bringing unquestionable value to winning.