Research Papers

Mbeledogu, Dubem

Since the “super team” era in the NBA started, understanding a basketball player’s offensive adaptability has been crucial to team construction. This holds true of all positions, skill levels, and usage rates. The best, highest usage players are expected to team up with other high usage players and must adapt to each other’s playstyles in a way that maximizes the output from all players. Power forwards and centers are not only expected to grab rebounds and score from in the paint, but also space the floor and score further away from the basket more than ever. The “3” or small forwards are increasingly taking advantage of all the space, running offenses and creating opportunities for others as well as creating their own shots from all areas of the court. Even point guards are getting bigger and stronger, not just shooting from the perimeter but also scoring in the paint when available. Without at least a couple players on the team that are adaptable, it seems that offenses can become stagnant and predictable and star players’ potentials can be wasted.