Thinking Basketball 21st century peaks Ep 6 | Global impact and modern midrange isolation
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Sep 1, 2025 The discussion kicks off with the incredible scoring abilities of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Joel Embiid, underlining their midrange shots' impact on their teams. It delves into the complexities of evaluating star players like Anthony Davis, especially during playoffs. The podcast also explores how players can influence team dynamics beyond their scoring, referencing legends like Wilt Chamberlain. Lastly, it highlights the evolution of Al Horford and the importance of both offensive and defensive skills in modern basketball.
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Measure Global Impact, Not Just Box Scores
- Evaluate players by their global team impact, not only individual stats.
- Measure how a player's presence changes teammates' shot locations and overall team outcomes.
Embiid Lowers Offensive Rebounding
- Embiid reduces his team's offensive rebounding significantly because he spaces out rather than boxing out like traditional bigs.
- That leads to roughly seven fewer offensive rebounds per 100 possessions when he's on the court.
Big Playoffs, Imperfect Defense
- Embiid's playoff on-off impacts are often huge, but his teams aren't elite rim-protecting defenses overall.
- He remains a very good rim protector, though not an automatic one-man defensive wrecking ball.
