After Shaq and the mid-2000s the league really moved out into a perimeter game, with the best players being guards (Kobe, Steph, Harden, Westbrook, Wade) and then large wings (LeBron, Kawhi, Tatum).
Now however it seems we’re in a new age of modern big men who rule the league again: Jokic, Embiid and even Giannis, AD and Wemby who do not play center technically would absolutely be in that group as true 7+ footers.
Will we see another arms race for size and will teams need a dominant big man to win in the modern NBA, similar to the 80’s and 90’s?
We’re in an era where the rules are mere suggestions unless it’s a contact foul.
Bigs today travel and carry when they handle the ball, and there aren’t any exceptions because unless they’re in the post, they’re doing it on every single possession. It’s also why you never saw them do it 20 years ago: they used to call the violation. People love to blow smoke up the asses of current players, saying how “talented” they are. That isn’t talent. That’s willfully ignoring the rules. The refs have gotten so bad at it that there’s plenty of footage where players just pick balls up and walk with them and nobody calls anything. A lot of bigs from the past would have more shit in their bags if they could do the same thing.
Bending the rules and using athleticism is part of the modern nba. Gotta accept it.