Bigger and stronger today right? I mean... who am I to argue with the "data". It says Fultz weighs more while being 7 inches shorter, and having a fraction of the muscle.
Reminder that they use the same weights on ESPN for the current players.
But for the classic players they dont include height or weight.
I could do this all night. You have some instances where the actual weight difference between players is probably 50 to 70lbs off, but it is in favor of the current player.
This is why it is important to use your eyes, do independent research, and keep an open mind.
Stop just using data that is thrown at you, stop parroting the media who in a lot of cases is CLEARLY trying to push agendas and keep it simple while manipulating you. Stop blindly believing and following influencers, etc
Use your head, be independent, and think for yourself.
Players are NOT taller today on average, certainly not BIGGER, and we know they are not STRONGER.
It goes against everything you see with your own two eyes. Stop falling for all the "evolution" BS, it is a way to make kids feel good about themselves, market the game, and more.
Gordon Hayward listing
Height: 6'7"
Weight: 225lbs
Otis Thorpe listing
Height: 6'9"
Weight: 225lbs
PJ Tucker listing
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 245lbs
David Robinson listing
Height: 7'1"
Weight: 235lbs
Jamal Murray listing
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 215lbs
Dennis Rodman listing
Height: 6'7"
Weight: 210lbs
Going by bballref, Murray outweighs Rodman by 5lbs while being 4 inches shorter (less muscle as well)
They have Duncan Robinson as 5lbs heavier than Rodman and the same height.
Andre Drummond listing
Height: 6'10"
Weight: 279lbs
Patrick Ewing listing
Height: 7'0"
Weight: 240lbs
What you are seeing with a lot of these classic players are pre-rookie season weights, and a lot of them are just off to begin with.
The ones I showed though are inexcusable, and ridiculously inaccurate for any point and time. And I could show hundreds more examples.
I also want to point out that at times current players are not updated either. I find it hard to believe that Jayson Tatum is still 210lbs at 6'8".
But it is far more common with the classic players with weights being WAY OFF (LOW) like I showed.
The overall point is: Stop BLINDLY believing "data". THINK, SEE, keep an open mind, and do research yourself.
Listen, I believe the Brogdon weight. But I have trouble believing that at 6 inches shorter he outweighs even the rookie PJ Brown.
Either way, not accurate for P.J.
Weight doesnt always mean STRONGER, and sometimes a player can not look as big at a lower weight than someone with a slightly higher weight while being around the same height.
But the inaccuracies are OBVIOUS here. You can't argue that the data is flawed.
REALGM has more accuracy, but still some players are not updated. They have David Robinson at 250lbs (bballref has him at 235), and they have Willis at 245lbs (bballref has him at 220)
But they still have Oakley at 225
So more accurate for some, but not overall accurate data
So again, all the people who are arguing FOR the data, stop. You know damn well it is not accurate, and you have conflicting data (often by 20 to 30lbs differences) on other sites, with a ton of players still being off even on those sites.
Stop using all the weight data as fact
People in the comments stating that muscle doesn't = weight gain
Muscle is more dense than fat, and putting on muscle absolutely adds to the scale. My brother is a certified trainer, runs his own gym, and has multiple certifications and he laughed hard at people arguing this.
Dont argue this...it doesnt make sense. That is my point.
I didn't say that Duncan Robinson isn't 215 or close to it, I said that no way in HELL does he weigh 10lbs more than Xavier McDaniel at the same height.
People would look at the NBA in the early 70s entirely different if it had the ABA talent. People would consider it a much stronger stretch for the league.
63 of the 84 ABA players entered the NBA at merger (1976). 10 were all-stars in the 1st season.
And with that ABA talent in the NBA, you could have seen results altered. Including champions, all-stars, stats, accolades in general, etc
It also would have made the NBA more exciting in general, as the ABA was fast paced, fun, and had a style that the NBA overall was missing.
Here is some of the talent that was in the ABA at some point during its run.
Julius Erving
Rick Barry
Artis Gilmore
George Gervin
Connie Hawkins
George McGinnis
Moses Malone
Spencer Haywood
Maurice Lucas
David Thompson
John Williamson
Etc etc
I can't even begin to tell you how exciting it was to watch the Jason Williams Kings.
"The first impression one gets from watching the Kings play basketball is the right impression: the razzle-dazzle bunch enjoys the game and eachother and it shows" - David Dupree
I put that team against any team today (Same with the Bibby, Webber, Stojakovic Kings) and they win in a 7 game series
Era, depth, competition matters
No team today plays with close to the same exciting style, you kids today just don't get it. You missed out on some great hoop.
When you see Garnett sell out and say that he questions if players from 20+ years ago could play in todays game, and you remember that you played for the late 90s/early 00s Kings.
Listen, if 6'3" SG Lu Dort is the hill you are going to die on trying to prove evolution of the game, you lost the debate before it even started.
Not only did the NBA have overall bigger SGs than Dort in the past (Like 6'6" Jim Jackson below), but guys who were FAR more skilled.
Nobody said that Dort isn't rugged, or that he isn't a great athlete.
But don't be ridiculous. Dort is not proof of anything.
And if you think Dort is an evolved athlete for the NBA, you don't know the history of the game.
So stop it with the BS.
Clyde Drexler was a 6'7" SG that was far more versatile, a better overall athlete (better footwork, higher leaper, better body control/coordination, etc), and was FAR MORE skilled as a player (do I even need to say that?)
Want to know why we are still in awe of Michael Jordan?
👇Because since he retired nobody has matched what he could do on a basketball court. Double team? Triple team? didn't matter.
I've never seen better from an athleticism, skill, control and determination standpoint.
Go ahead... double him... triple him... it doesn't matter.
His movement was so smooth..... nobody has moved liked him since.
I watched Jordan live throughout the 90s, and I watched him with the Wizards.
All of these years later and I still get the same feeling watching his games and highlights. I see him do stuff that we never see today, in a style that is unmatched.