For someone that hasn't paid much attention to NBA in the past decade, what should I know about today's game to help me enjoy it more?
The league has introduced so much ball movement and inherent spacing that one team is challenging the conventional wisdom by basing their offense around isolating their best player on the perimeter and letting him take stepback threes fifteen times a game.
Posting up is now one of the least efficient ways to start a possession.
Positions literally mean nothing, two of the best teams in the East roll out a point center who defends forwards most of the time.
I'm aware of all of this. I've semi-followed the NBA. It was my main sport growing up so it's hard to impossible to completely tune it out. So I'm aware of the GSW and their rise, the rise of the three pointer as an offensive tactic, the loss of the big man and the center, the fluidity of the positions.
That doesn't translate to enjoying it more though. Don't get me wrong, as basketball is basketball. So I still like it and enjoy watching games.
But it's still a big transition for me especially considering my favorite position has always been the center. Hakeem is my favorite player and I always mimicked his post moves growing up. I get really frustrated seeing no one under the basket to catch a rebound until the final second when a shot is made just in case. At the same time, fluidity makes for fun ball to watch too. It's not worse - or even better - it's just different basketball than what I'm used to and it exacerbates many issues I already had with modern NBA basketball, as someone that grew up watching 90's era Rockets and Spurs.
I think if I keep watching like I have been I'll get used to it.
As for the Rockets, I'm starting to research the new players. I'm familiar with Harden and little else. I have found myself really enjoying Westbrook's play and how the team acts on the court with him on it compared to Harden. They tend to play more defensively is my observation? Could be wrong. Other than that, I know jack about the current roster. I know we've had every player under the sun on our team this past decade though: Lin, D Howard, Melo. But I don't know anything about their stories and that's usually a big hook.