The NBA has changed quite a bit since Pau Gasol was in his prime, and the two-time champion is not happy with the direction the game has gone.
Gasol spoke about the current state of the NBA in a recent interview with Movistar NBA. He said he feels like defense has “disappeared” and “doesn’t matter anymore.” While Gasol has only been out of the NBA for four years, he said the game is far more individual now than it was when he played.
“It’s just who scores more now. I don’t quite like that the essence of this game is lost, which is playing as a team, moving the ball, creating an inside-outside balance, [playing with] a little more tactics,” Gasol said, as transcribed by BasketNews.com. “Earlier, if you shot in the first 8 seconds of a possession or shot a (three-pointer) on a counterattack without an offensive rebound, you’d be sent to the bench so you could think about it a little.”
Gasol noted that the NBA has been rewarding the new style of play, as the goal seems to be having high-scoring games.
Gasol, a six-time All-Star who helped lead the Los Angeles Lakers to two championships, was hardly expressing a unique opinion. There is no arguing that the NBA has trended toward more perimeter shooting and less defensive intensity. No one has been more vocal about that than Shaquille O’Neal.
