NBA stripped defenses of the tools needed to counter offenses. Scoring sells, but the NBA needs to be careful because scoring only sells when it feels like it's impressive. If it starts feeling too easy the charm fades.
I wonder if the 3 point explosion could open up Eurobasketball. It looks like sag off is a lot safer in Eurobasketball - if you can't stay in the paint, defensive 3 seconds won't matter. The shorter line does make defence easier regardless, but long 3s could play the same role.
@@blackjacktrial I was looking at some Euro-league stats, teams average about ~25/g vs ~34/g in the NBA, maybe on-ball defense can be more aggressive since the help can camp the paint?
There was high scoring in 50s, 60, 70s and 80s. Why? Because pace was ridiculous. Pace is the biggest factor into scoring. All this talk of “bring back handchecking” isn’t going to bring scores back to 85-83. You will never see those scores again. 3 point emphasis along with pace has opened up The game even beyond the NBA’s intention
Now keep in mind Wembanyama is leading his league in pts with 22ppg, and also in rebounds and block, at only 19 in a similar level (There are Euro League teams in the French league). Americans are so funny they all talk about how Wemby never have 50pts games but what they don’t understand is that 50 is the equivalent of 30 in Europe, and Wemby had a stretch of 5 games over 30 if i remember well, im telling you this kid will be unstoppable in the NBA he will average minimum 25pts, 8rebounds and 3Block with a defensive impact unheard of for a rookie, Wemby is like a 6 inches taller mix of KD and AD … Even Luka only averaged 13ppg when he won the FMVP, scoring is really different in Europe.
Another thing is that in Euroleague and European coaches put a lot on emphasis on defense and defensive intensity. Last night Olympiacos' coach, while the team was up by 20+ in the 4th quarter, took a timeout and had a go at his players for giving up 2 easy layups. Yelling at them that this is not an exhibition game.
I played for the London Leopards junior team when I was a kid, my coach once benched me for 3 games because I didnt run back to defend after making a layup, twice, in a game we were winning by 15 points. After that I made sure I ran every single moment I was on the court, lol.
I personally enjoy watching euroleague more for these reasons. However, one thing that's not mentioned is the setup of the league. Every game in the euroleague regular season matters. So you can't rest anybody, you can't just decide not to defend one game. Even point differences matter because if two teams end up at the same ranking, the point difference in the 2 games they play during the regular season is taken into account.
I there are also a lot fewer games (28 EuroLeague games. And in France the championship is 34 games. That's 62 games in total for clubs that play in the Euroleague. 82 minimum in NBA + playoff). 8 minutes less it doesn't look like much but in the long run it also wears out. So players' bodies are slightly less stressed and have few more time to recover. Fewer games make games more important. And allows players to be in better shape (physicaly and mentaly) in these higher-stakes games.
@@kingjasko Yeah Obradovic laid the foundation for most sets run in europe and also pop said he stole some plays from him.. His years in PAO are a testament to his offensive mind.
These guys are top 5-10 in the NBA. If they say that the NBA is easier then it's easier. On the other note, seeing how Europeans play defense is just beautiful.
because of the rules. and everybody knows. small field, no 3 seconds etc. luka himself says the the players in nba are way better and impossible to guard....
I've been saying this for years. It was evident in the last Olympics and world cup where we saw a lot of NBA players completely taken out of their game because they are used to so much spacing and no contact. I wish the NBA would go more in the direction of the FIBA game as scoring is so easy now that stats are hyperinflated and don't mean as much as they did in prior decades. I have a hard time watching the NBA the past few seasons
i disagree, fiba should look at nba rules and "grow up". athlets in europe should also be fit enough to play on a bigger field an play more minutes. and its wonderful for the game, players and the fans if teams dont just park their tall players under the basket.
I get what you're saying, but I disagree. There are some rules over there that I definitely do not want in the NBA. Goaltending and 3 sec rules should stay the way they are.
@@trollking4058 I'm not saying all the rules. I agree no goal tending and parking in the paint. But at least bring back hand checking and allow for more physical defense. Keep the court the same and the time of the game the same. Just little things so there aren't as many wide open threes and drives to the rim
Idk if you ever follow euroleague or not But its way way better than NBA Im talking about the league, the system, etc Discount the names of the players
@@sherlock4791 because Adam Silver thinks that basketball is a shooter's game more than a big man's game like Kobe Bryant said that physicality is absent in today's NBA.
I live in Switzerland/Europe and been playing/watching basketball since '92. Anybody over here only watches the NBA because the players are so much better. I couldn't tell you who our National Champion is. There's not even news coverage or any games on TV. Our best athletes become soccer players, the tall one's goalkeepers. Second best athletes become Tennis players or Track and Field athletes, then Hockey, Cycling, Skiing and so on. It's very rare someone really talented becomes a Basketball player. Europe has double the population of the US, if our Basketball teams were any good 2/3 (66%) of the NBA players would be Europeans. In reality it's not even 15%. Since '92 there have been 8 Olympic Summer games. USA won 7, Argentina, which is not in Europe, 1 and every time they send their A-Team the US wins the World Championship as well.
@@benitofranklyn4237 En Suiza sois malos en baloncesto, pero no compares con España o Eslovenia o Grecia. En España el baloncesto es el segundo deporte nacional por ejemplo. Pau Gasol o Navarro son prueba de que los europeos también son buenos. ¿Luka es de USA? No, es esloveno... Solo porque Suiza sea malo en baloncesto no cargues a todo Europa, te recuerdo que España ha llegado a estar en el ranking FIBA como la primera mejor selección... Y que en 2019 ganó el mundial. Además hoy en día la mayoría de jugadores de la NBA qué son estrellas son de otros países. Y casualmente las estrellas estadounidenses dejaron de ir a las competiciones internacionales cuando Estados Unidos empezó a ser alcanzable para Europa...
@@kori2.034 True, Spain is the 2nd best Team in the world, and Switzerland is terrible, but they still always lose to Team USA at the Olympics when they bring their A-Team, it's only the Worlds when the US players don't take it serious and don't bring their best team. But I always root for Spain and other European teams to beat the US. But this year as well, Team USA will beat everybody, including Spain and take the Gold.
People don't understand how small a basketball court is. When you have several tall and athletic players near the paint, the amount of pressure that is put on the attacker is huge, and it leads to seemingly basic mistakes because the players don't even have the time to think.
I feel like in Europe basketball is in the hands of the coaches. They have a lot of power, they can scream at their star players because it's clear: team comes first, starpower is not a thing. As a consequences, a team is a team and there is a system where every player has his share. In the US the coaches come AFTER star players, especially if he's Lebron, Luka... Can you imagine a coach constantly taking the ball away of Lebron/Luka to run set plays and survive more than a couple of games? But the "star system" is the way more prolific way from a sponsoring point of view, and that means money. Therefore things won't change any time soon, maybe it'll get even more "star-centered"
It already is star-centered. Look at how KD and Kyrie influenced the situation with Nash. Only a handful of GMs in the league are old school like Pat Riley when he didn't succumb to Bron's wishes to fire Spo. If any GM did that nowadays, they'll be out the next day for sure.
There's rumors of a famed player constantly telling that it is players that win games and not the organization and that tirade went on for a quarter of an hour during his hall of fame speech. I rest my case.
Well there's another thing that contributes. In the Euroleague there's no redundant games whatsoever, you lose 3 in a row and it's really really hard to recover in time to make the playoffs. In the NBA the Lakers lose a bazillion games this year and we still think they might make it. In Euroleague every single game matters a tonne, the intensity is through the roof. Not so much in the NBA.
Don't forget most teams have roughly the same amount of games they play in the Euroleague also in their national league. Although some teams bring kind of their B-team and bench players to let their stars rest for the harder Euroleague games.
One thing I noticed and people don't point out often, Position actually means something in euroleague. You clearly see the forwards take forward responsibilities seriously. In the NBA most 4s and 3s have tendencies to take Guard duties. It's like whoever is the best scorer gets to be or at least play like a guard.
I noticed that as well, most Forwards labeled as "wing players" are just essentially big guards and it is really hard to find great scorers that thrives off-ball.
Yeah but there’s nothing wrong with that. Why limit your players to do certain things based on their position or height? Since Jokic and Giannis are big men with guard-like skills, they should be allowed to take guard duties.
Its because of the same reason pointed out in the video.. heliocentricity.. luka, jokic, giannis, they're the main man of the team and thats why they have the ball most of the time.. dribble, pass, and shoot the ball most of the time.. compared to sasha of Olympiacos.. hes a forward and do forward duties.. doesn't hold the ball to often. Just giving screens, cutting, passing and taking 3s and still leads the league in scoring..you know its a really good team when a role player that doesn't hold the ball that much and still lead his team in scoring..
@jovansveti1469 Euroleague is just for the top teams of every national league. And even they play regular season games on the weekend and Euroleague on Wednesday. That's it. No back-to-backs. Much more time for practice, for set-plays, for defense. You can't afford to lose a lot of games in Europe. Because National Leagues usually have only 32-36 games a season..
Less games? My team ASVEL played over 100 games last season! Regular Euroleague and French league season + playoffs + national cup + mid season cup! Not even counting our players who where on the national team.
@@thomasarnal The Denver Nuggets played 102 games to win their Championship. So about the same game count. But keep in mind, an extra 8 minutes in a basketball game is like eternity.
I am European, and I would really like to see how NBA would look like if there was no 3 defensive seconds rule. At least we would not see this much of power driver players propelled to some kind of stardome.
@@saksit247 but there was no zone then. I watched a lot of 90s games. What I meant to say, I would like to see today's players playing without defensive 3 seconds rule
Another big diffrence is that in Europe every player is playing serious defense because they play less games and almost every one of them is important.
Also less games in Europe, so always maximum intensity. You see players rip balls away from their opponents, centers slashing their elbows around after a rebound, guards battling like maniacs to go over a screen to stick with their man etc. All that is kinda gone from the NBA, because they need to play so many games in one season.
Especially the NBA regular season is kinda embarrassing. On the other hand, literally too many games, too many injuries. They should limit the amount of games per year.
@@TheDamirBosna 82 games in a NBA season if you do not make the playoffs. Nikola Jokic needed 102 games to win his Championship with the Denver Nuggets. Also, the extra 8 minutes in a basketball game is eternity.
@@panagiotisatmatzidis9972 Agree 1,000,000% but that's never going to happen. TV ad revenue will prevent it from happening. A random sort of meaningless regular season game in early December will still generate revenue.
Another major difference is you can only take 2 steps without dribbling the ball (it's 3 steps in the NBA). Which means players like Giannis will not be able to drive to the basket as easy as they can in the NBA
i've always said if you want to make 3 pt shooting harder in the nba make it shorter these guys are already good at long range shooting if you make it shorter these guys will be able to cover enough ground to contest the shooter
As someone who s been watching EuroLeague for more than a decade i gotta say that Sasha is the exception. I ve never seen such an elite scorer act like a role player in europe in general not just EuroLeague. Best example of a high usage player in europe is Spanoulis aka the European Kobe
@@adr916sac idk very much bout the financial stuff of bball with the salaries etc. I think that the Kings have the rights for Sasha or something like that. But if u see just the bball part it seems ideal. The kings came back to the playoffs after 15 or so years by being the 1st team to imitate the warriors to this extent. The warriors dynasty as we know it might be over by being eliminated while healthy (if I m not mistaken) for the 1st time in almost a decade. Meanwhile at the other side of the Atlantic Bartzokas turned a solid EL starter to the greatest off ball player in FIBAs history. Additionally we saw that Olympiakos did so well with that off ball movement and we are pretty close to seeing a BIG playmaker establish himself as the best player in the world by winning FMVP. For me everything lines up for Vezenkov being next NBA season s 6th man and off ball movement becoming the next big thing after the 3s evolution. That s my wild take but I m all for it
@@adr916sac it would be cool to see the Kings do well but as an NBA fans I have to say unfortunately, despite their recent success, the Kings are going to find a way to screw it like (like the Clippers always do). I am sure there are similar teams in Europe. Teams that seems to have the pieces, show flashes of brilliance but for some reason can never get it together. Could be bad luck like running into to a dynasty like the Warriors as you mentioned. But something always happen. 😁
I think as a whole, European players are more fundamentally sound, and have higher basketball iq. They're also all about running the system, instead of exploiting mismatches. The NBA is more individual matchups than the system. Warriors have helped change that to some degree
¿De verdad creéis los estadounidenses que las estrellas no van al mundial por miedo a lesionarse? ¿No resulta raro que justo cuando Estados Unidos empieza a ser alcanzable para el resto de equipos dejen de ir? ¿No será una estrategia para que la NBA no pierda prestigio?
The FIBA ruleset is perfect. The only thing I would change is the court size and 3pt line to match the NBA, but this is difficult to implement since it would affect countries that may not have the resources to reform their current infrastructure. NBA players earning their accolades under FIBA rules is the ultimate basketball show.
coach it blows my mind that vezenkov isnt with the sacramento kings, his off ball movement and spot up shooting would be perfect in their offense. fox would have him and monk for kick out passes for 3s and if sabonis is in the post his cutting would be great. not to mention hes a fantastic rebounder as well
The problem is Euro players don't want to come to the NBA without a pay rise and most teams think they can get better or comparable american based players on minimum contracts while capped out, rather than having to pay the MLE or other exemptions to an unproven Euro. Truth is, most European drafted players that are considered NBA ready are not stars or close to it in Europe but are 18-20 years old. They get a pay raise and help their future financially by getting in the door. Whereas European star veterans, like Vesenkov are getting paid multi millions and will have to either appear incredibly enticing for MLE or take a pay cut to under a million and move across the world. Micic, for example wanted 6+ million a year, to play on a competing team, a rotation role AND that team would have to trade with OKC to get him. Thus he, despite being one of the best non nba players in the world, did not get signed
@@dxfifa yes, if I was pro youd have to give me a massive pay rise to live in the shithole US, if the raptors came calling however, I might be tempted
Another difference is that in Euroleague (and most places in Europe in particular) every game is a war, period. The teams are always playing like it's a game 7. You can't rest anybody, you can't slow down one bit. Whereas in the NBA 95% of the regular games are more like preseason in Europe, where the NBA players seems almost indifferent to the trained European eye. Obviously Europeans appreciate the overal quality of the NBA, yet only a very small percentage of them truly care about the (indifferent) NBA regular season, even fewer care to watch more than 10-20 regular season games in total. Finally let's not forget that those guys we saw in the video (except Mike James or Bacon, who was dismissed from his team anyway) play tactical basketball from the age of 10, so it's in their blood. There's no AAU crap or streetball or exhibition games or whatever. Either you're playing in a league IN a team FOR the team, or you're out before you reach 15. US-bred NBA players haven't played any real organized basketball till they're 19, at which age the majority of European players are already professionals and play against professionals of all ages.
But at the end of the day the talent level is different no? Are you saying guys like LeBron James or Kevin Durant or Steph Curry would not play well and/or excel in Euro League?
@@saksit247 They would excel more than everyone else, because they have enormous talent, basketball IQ AND physical abilities. There's no question about that, nor about any other NBA hall of famers. Whether they would average the same points (or stats in general) in Europe, well no I don't think so, simply because the game pace in Europe is different and the defenses are generally more consistent and less indifferent. But that's not my point. My point was mostly that there are hardly any indifferent games in the Euroleague, as everyone always plays at 100%. You can tell that when we're watching games with a difference of 15-20 points in the last 4-5 minutes. 99% of NBA teams simply drop the game, admit they've lost, switch to their weakest reserves and save energy for the next game (which could be in 1-3 days). In Europe there's no such notion, the teams will usually keep battling until the very end with very few exceptions, even if the next game is 2 days down the line. Among other things in cases of ties at season end, score differences do matter so the teams do care if they lose 10 points versus 20 points in an October game. This makes games more interesting, whereas in the NBA you just forget about the game and think about the next one. It doesn't even matter if you lost 10 points or 20. NBA regular season of 82 games is super boring for most fans, especially when most games turn our to be indifferent and/or develop into a 3-point circus as they often do nowadays. It would be better if they played 58 games instead (or whatever) but there's no chance this'll ever happen as it'll probably lead to lower TV contracts, ergo lower lower salaries for everyone and this has been discussed and rejected several times. Look at how much more interesting NFL is, where each team is only playing 17 games/season, so each game is a final and it's a terrible loss if you get defeated in a single game. Euroleague used to be like that in previous years, with 16 games/season plus one round of best-of-3 playoff series plus the final four. The team winning the Euroleague trophy would have played exactly 20-21 games in total. Nowadays there are 34 games/season, but competition is fierce and each game remains a final for most teams. As for my last paragraph about AAU-bred players, you can tell the difference between Europeans and Americans when national teams are involved. Just look at what happened in the latest Mundobasket in the Philippines. Team USA didn't even win a medal and they had an overall record of 4-3, while in the previous World Championship in 2019 they finished 7th or something. True, the best All Stars weren't in the roster but this means that the US can now win international trophies ONLY if the likes of LeBron or Durant or Curry make it to the roster and this happens only in the Olympics. Curiously enough the Olympics tournament of basketball is considered the top international tournament only by the Americans, whereas everyone else on earth believes it's the Mundobasket that's the most important one and sometimes few even care about the Olympics as much. That's probably because the Americans are investing tons of money on the Olympics on sponsor and TV rights, so as usual it's a money-related discussion. Finally even a team of LeBron and Durant and Curry and co, would have a super-hard time defeating an All-Star team of Europeans (read Giannis, Jokic, Doncic, Markkanen, Porzingins, Sabonis, Gobert, Bogdanovic, Wagner etc). Would such a matchup be fair? Well, depends. USA team can join international tournaments as a country of 330 million citizens, distributed across 50+ confederated states. And they'll play against e.g. Lithuania with a population of fewer than 3 million people. How is that fair? Then why couldn't the Europeans in theory create a single team of the entire continent with countries confederated under the EU? Then an All-Star Europe team would be able to (sometime) defeat even the best US NBA players. The BASKETBALL gap is closing fast, that's why the NBA is consistently picking up the best European or other international basketball talent. Because they appreciate that the new generations of US-bred players aren't as dominant over internationals as they used to be. Because much in the AAU, high school and even college systems needs to change or these systems are simply not able anymore to catch up with European/world talent. The FINANCIAL gap is not closing at all though, if anything it widens. And that's because scoring sells and NBA games now tend to be a scorefest of 3 pointers, which is more pleasing to the average eye of the average Coors Light consumer (as opposed to the eye of hardcore fans who appreciate proper basketball where/when they see it, no matter where it comes from). The next step is to have European head coaches in the NBA. I guarantee you, the average American coach has much to learn from his counterparts. The top 5-10 European coaches are fare better than the majority of the coaches in the NBA at the moment. But that's a bit difficult for the average Coors Light fan to digest, so no owner in his right mind (read: they're only in it for the money) would dare that.
@@captainzeppos you made many fair, and interesting points! As an American and (former) NBA fan (of the Jordan and Kobe era) where basketball was much like what European Basketball is today, I agree!
The nba removed defense and calls every soft foul possible to increase scoring output, the focus on marketing stats made the game softer. Watch the celtics vs lakers in 08 Kobe and Pierce battling for position without getting soft fouls and the heat and the spurs series in 2014 and you'll see the difference, Not everyone who goes to the paint gets a whistle, now even players away from the ball are getting fouls. Fiba and Europe are exciting to watch because they still allow physicality. Full games should be more exciting than 9 minute highlight clip, now to get to an entire game we have to watch a ton of freethrows.
The rules have made it easier for offensive players. Playing defense in this era is harder then it's ever been. The best you can do is put your hand up and move your feet 🤷
The thing is, Mike James and Dwayne Bacon aren't going to put up those kinds of numbers in the NBA because the talent level is just much higher. The lack of Defensive 3 second is a huge difference. Imagine Gobert or Embiid being able to just camp in the paint the entire possession, that takes away all layups
Luka said that score is EASIER in the NBA but the players are BETTER so I take it if their wasn’t such a substantial gap talent that USA would probably lose some FIBA world Cups or Olympics
Think about it: 3 of the Top 5 players right now are Euro basketball-bred players. And most players coming into the NBA from Euro basketball (whether through the draft or free agency) have that certain polish that players from NCAA don't. They're more prepared to impact the game in more areas.
We can only say that about Luka. He was ready day one in the league. Jokic and Giannis took 4 years to get to an all star level. And Giannis especially did a lot of developing in the nba
@@mosstwig3591 i was the guy telling my courtymen to not have their hopes so high for jokic and how he will be good but not a star and my bball iq was brought into question directly very explicitly about not believing in Jokic starpower. A fool i was really lol i even watched him carry Serbia nation team and still thought he wont be a star
@@mosstwig3591 uhmnmm Nurkic was actually benched then requested for a trade because the Nuggets made Jokic their starter. So he didn't flourish because Nurkic left. He was already flourishing despite of Nurkic that's why they made him the starter.
In Europe referees favor the defender by calling the change foul. This is the main difference and the reason it's more difficult. And you can touch the ball after it touched the basket.
*Thanks to the euroleague for actually using their brains better than the NBLAme and getting rid of the useless defensive 3 second rule.* Also this Vezelenkov guy probably taught Curry a thing or two with his quick releases...
Now keep in mind Wembanyama is leading his league in pts with 22ppg, and also in rebounds and block, at only 19 in a similar level (There are Euro League teams in the French league). Americans are so funny they all talk about how Wemby never have 50pts games but what they don’t understand is that 50 is the equivalent of 30 in Europe, and Wemby had a stretch of 5 games over 30 if i remember well, im telling you this kid will be unstoppable in the NBA he will average minimum 25pts, 8rebounds and 3Block with a defensive impact unheard of for a rookie, Wemby is like a 6 inches taller mix of KD and AD … Even Luka only averaged 13ppg when he won the FMVP, scoring is really different in Europe. In only 2 games with NBA rules vs G-League Ignite Wemby scored 37 and 36 back to back, both career high in points for him Thats the proof its easier to score in the NBA/with NBA rules and court.
for the fun of things, they should do a NBA vs world match during all star games, with FIBA rules~ it'll be a nice challenge to prove to the world that they are the best in the business; then again, it wouldn't be popular to see your favourite stars get beaten...
The only reason I prefer NBA over Euroleage is that Euroleage's teams are so hard to pronounce (as an asian). Also, we grew up with NBA 2K. That was a major factor.
It's as if the Euroleague way of playing was like the NBA in the 90s. However, in the 90s the NBA still had more physical contact than the Euroleague. I remember people commenting on how the North Americans adapted to not commit too many fouls when playing under FIBA rules. Nowadays, physical contact in FIBA basketball remains the same, but the NBA was the one who changed the rules for a more open and offensive game.
The NBA changed because they do not want anything like the mid 2000s back. Defense was vital during those days and there wasn’t that many isos. The rules have changed to get to where we are.
More players seeing court time too. More variety of schemes, plays etc. From one game to the next a completely different player will be the focal point of their offence or defence. They have a much greater variety of players. I think it's due to their season being so much shorter.
@@august6281 Rest of the world agrees on rule changes, NBA is like we invented basketball, we are best at it, we change the game according to our needs. So NBA is rules are different from rest of the world, and team USA needs to study and practice FIBA rules for international matches and Olympics. FIBA is more focused on developing and spreading the game, NBA is more about $$.
@Jovan Sveti the US was third in Golds for "real wrestling" behind Russia and Japan last Olympics with 3 gold medals... And I don't think you know what the word circus means. I understand that you're just some hick from eastern Europe complaining about America on social media, which is a common occurrence... But this is just a super low IQ anti American take.
Imo, the perfect game would be nba court dimensions and time with FIBA rules and reffing. I wish the nba would stop trying to manufacture entertainment and treat the game like it's a competitive sport again. It's the same story just like every form of entertainment these days. Everything is dumbed down and formulaic to appeal to casuals, ie the lowest common denominator. Corporate entertainment will only get more corporate so I have no hope that the game will get better. I love the sport, but just like movies, games and music these days, industry changes were made to broaden the audience. Those changes werent designed to attract me or hold my attention. I honestly havent watched and finished an entire nba game in 3 years.
Basically, the NBA back in the day is how Europe is now somewhat, but better. The NBA today is super soft with relaxed D measures. This is why Giannis, Luka, Jokic, and Embiid are dominating the NBA today.
Even in amatueur ball I feel like the court is not large at all and that zone defenses can easily overwhelm a ballhandler. Even 40 minutes is not enough imo, but it just asks for different measures and you have to adapt. Currently my amateur team doesn't have a court so that makes it even harder lol, but we'll figure it out.
I think that NBA should remove defensive 3 seconds, that would re-balance the game back to where offense and defense are on a more even playing field. It's not like you can just plant a guy under the basket if his man can shoot anyway, but it means that guys don't have to stand outside the paint to help on drives.
Vezenkov was drafted to the NBA in 2017. So... for the last 5-6 years not a single team in the NBA has needed a sweet-shooting floor-spacing PF. Not one.
The past two season he improved dramaticaly he went from a 5 to 8 minute role player with 3 ppg to becoming the favorite for regular season mvp. Also last season the kings were about to snatch him but i think he decided to stay for another season in europe
Can he defend the pick and roll? Lot's of shooters (Europe or Americans) can't stay on the floor in the NBA because they can't defend the perimeter. As this video demonstrated, the NBA game and the Euro game are setup different. Perhaps his skill set is a perfect fit for the Euro game and not the NBA game.
Can you please analyze offense from Zeljko Obradovic, greatest European coach. Partizan have the best offensive rating in the Euroleague and a lot of coaches are stealing sets from him, for example he invented Spain and many others. If you go back to his old videos you will find that he run it first. I don't know the names but plenty of sets that NBA coaches are using massively today was created by him. So he runs now some new variations and I'm curious what do you think? Then maybe you can spot some sets that can be utilized in the NBA and probably will be because Coach Pop is huge fan of his and he actually introduced a lot of his sets to the NBA.
Thats why we love the Euroleague mire than the nba its way more competitive and people really try oit there put their all into it trying not to allow anyone through
I remember in the late '80-ies that USA Baketball players, Afroamericans above all, were super tall ands physically huge and the Europeans were "normally" muscled guys. During the matches Euro players were easily displaced by force. Now, we can see that muscle mismatch has been reduced. So I think that, if there were the possibility, we could estabilish a "Basketball intercontinental cup"
Yes it is. NBA is attracts casuals and basketball enthusiast but Euroleague is strictly for basketball enthusiast. You can find real basketball in Both leagues but euroleague is more frequent all season but in the nba it’s more prevalent in the playoffs.
90% of defense is simply effort. Can't deny the advantage of a smaller court and closer perimeter making it easier to close on perimeter shooters but it still comes back to just putting in the effort.
It seems like shooters like Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, etc would fair really well in Euroleague. The shorter 3 point line, and the no 3 second violation makes it seem like it would be much tougher to drive and score. It’s interesting that the best players from there are the ones who are experts in the paint even though it’s so tough over there. Have they just not tried spacing out further from the 3 point line or do they not have those quality shooters that the nba seems to have an abundance of?
jokic not knowing the 3 pt line is closer and asking jamal was pure gold.....and how tf do you not have a 3 second violation....it looks so ugly when the 5 can camp all game long
I think euro league doesnt have 3 seconds defense. Nba didnt have it too but added it to “encourage more driving to basket aka layouts or dunks” (cuz dunks sell more). Reason why its harder to score when shooting is already hard. But like its just like watching ncaa basketball.
I do love it how "heliocentric" doesnt really apply to anything in Euroleague. But instead, the top scorer plays like Klay Thompson, but dribbles even less. Maybe US colleges should also remove defensive 3 second rule. I assume thats the main reason why bigs from Europe are so often such great shooters.
You must be aware that NBA authorities, coaches and owners, have had a meeting back in 2002 or 2003 and the subject was increase in number of points per game. They changed the rules to accomplish 200 points per game. Defensive 3 seconds and handcheking were introduced for that reason. They made a different game. That is all there is. Ask yourself why USA team when playing OI or WC cannot score more than 80 in average against good opponents. It is a different game.
I'm not going to lie, Euroleague is way more entertaining basketball. After getting accustomed to Euroleague style of play watching NBA is like watching some form of circus for basketball.
The ball movement is pretty good, but the overall off ball movement of those without the ball is kind of a let down. I’ve yet to see a properly set screen in this whole video. I know the nba lets guys get away with moving screens a lot, but your avg. nba player can set a solid by the rules screen in day of the week.
My guess is that one of the most critical reasons why it is easier to score in the NBA than the Euroleague is less meaningful off-ball movement outside of sets. This combined with no defensive 3 second violation, allowed to goal-tend and less spacing makes it really inefficient to have a Luka type of scorer(or the D'Antoni offense) b/c you have teammates that provide less spacing, requires less defensive attention, and just runs a slower offense; which gives the defense more time to defend. Also, more physicality also slows down the game, which makes it even a worse idea.
Don't underestimate the cost of the single game. Teams usually play 1 Euroleague game/week, so there is a lot of time to have a proper rest and tactical preparation. And let's not forget that currently the difference between 6th and 13th place are 2wins, and only 8 teams advance to the playoffs. So the cost of every game is huge. This forces players to go all out in every game.
Contact initiated by the offensive player is typically not a foul on the defender. This really makes it harder for smaller guards to score in the Euroleague.
europe is heavy in zone defense and box and 1 style of strategy's wich leads to a lot of crowded paint and constant double teams and crazy and more help rotation , specially against the top players.wich leads. then to run plays till clock..(is so bad for big players) they tend to be pressure heavy teams and the NBA factor of having superstar and star players.. changes cause from the moment you are star your skillset is already in an Unguardable level, so it expands the floor. and you don't need to design team plays as much as in euro-league, and . cause there is a lot of weapons to use, and Euroleague the talent pool is more balanced, wich leads to more team play... if NBA would adopt those rules, first the big man post up game would basically disappear..and I believe even if NBA would use this defensive tactics you would have. guys like Llilard averaging 45pts a season..
True, true. But also, NBA has better shooters and this helps to open the defence a bit. Also in NBA they almost dont count the steps, it s like there is no travelling rule, and they transfer the ball too much :) This also helps to open the defence.
They count the steps. A gather step is a real tricky thing. It requires great timing, and if a player can consistently do it, then all power to them. What refs really fail to call, is carrying the ball on each crossover
@@markibash2689 the gather step has been introduced to euroleague as well, few years ago. The problem with NBA is that sometimes, actually quite often, they do not count. they prioritize the spectacle.
Also, another factor is that during regular season the NBA teams are defending well (too many games). During playoffs they defend better. In euroleague they defend also in regular season (less games, so they have time to prepare defence etc)
@@mikpitr I mean officiating the gather step is tricky but usually called correctly. but for the most part, it’s not as significant as the carrying considering it basically happens on every possession.
@@markibash2689 usually? have you not watched a game in a while? There is an endless amount of travelling in every NBA game but star-power (among other reasons) prevents the whistle.
Scoring sells but nobody wants to watch "all star" games with no opposition to the attacker. Just look at the effort European defenses put into it! It looks more like a real battle rather than a training shootout session
Wow a Bball breakdown video without a sponsor that’s a first. Usually there’s a sponsor in the middle of the video that throws off the pacing of the video.
It's funny when you say that "role players" get to shine in Europe. I've been watching European (Serbian mostly) basketball from the late 80s, and it's only recently that I heard the term "role player", because it's recently that I started watching NBA. We call those players "defenders"/"wings". We didn't have "star players" until a few years ago, because the players were mostly equal. No one had guaranteed minutes, and no one was bigger than the team game. And I like that. Djordjevic, Danilovic, Paspalj, Bodiroga, Divac - not one of them was a "role player" who waits in the corner ready to shoot a three pointer, and not one of them was a star player with guaranteed minutes.
Imagine a world where nba has euro defense?! The offensive talent the nba has mixed with euro defense would be much more entertaining! I also like this because this should force basketball here to be more team oriented than hero ball oriented. If this was to happen, I hope mixtape would disappear! So many fraudulent players get hype just because of highlights rather than actually having skill smh.
The league thought that making scoring easier would entice fans to want to watch it more, but they over corrected in a way that makes the game absolutely boring now. Nobody wants to see 170 point games. it's utterly ridiculous and a mockery of what basketball used to be.
I stopped midway. Big thing also in allowing stars to violate rules of the game. Stars in NBA can travel, they can carry, they can commit fouls in offense. In Europe they don't care that much about commercial aspect of the show/game.
NBA stripped defenses of the tools needed to counter offenses. Scoring sells, but the NBA needs to be careful because scoring only sells when it feels like it's impressive. If it starts feeling too easy the charm fades.
I wonder if the 3 point explosion could open up Eurobasketball. It looks like sag off is a lot safer in Eurobasketball - if you can't stay in the paint, defensive 3 seconds won't matter.
The shorter line does make defence easier regardless, but long 3s could play the same role.
@@blackjacktrial I was looking at some Euro-league stats, teams average about ~25/g vs ~34/g in the NBA, maybe on-ball defense can be more aggressive since the help can camp the paint?
@@shibity Hand checks also eliminate easy looks off ball screens.
There was high scoring in 50s, 60, 70s and 80s. Why? Because pace was ridiculous. Pace is the biggest factor into scoring. All this talk of “bring back handchecking” isn’t going to bring scores back to 85-83. You will never see those scores again. 3 point emphasis along with pace has opened up
The game even beyond the NBA’s intention
Now keep in mind Wembanyama is leading his league in pts with 22ppg, and also in rebounds and block, at only 19 in a similar level (There are Euro League teams in the French league).
Americans are so funny they all talk about how Wemby never have 50pts games but what they don’t understand is that 50 is the equivalent of 30 in Europe, and Wemby had a stretch of 5 games over 30 if i remember well, im telling you this kid will be unstoppable in the NBA he will average minimum 25pts, 8rebounds and 3Block with a defensive impact unheard of for a rookie, Wemby is like a 6 inches taller mix of KD and AD …
Even Luka only averaged 13ppg when he won the FMVP, scoring is really different in Europe.
Another thing is that in Euroleague and European coaches put a lot on emphasis on defense and defensive intensity. Last night Olympiacos' coach, while the team was up by 20+ in the 4th quarter, took a timeout and had a go at his players for giving up 2 easy layups. Yelling at them that this is not an exhibition game.
All European coaches are emphasizing on DEFENSE …
@@amin.moozarmilike every general in war
I played for the London Leopards junior team when I was a kid, my coach once benched me for 3 games because I didnt run back to defend after making a layup, twice, in a game we were winning by 15 points.
After that I made sure I ran every single moment I was on the court, lol.
@@bipolarminddroppings :D nice story, i imagine you running back like Sonic😃
which explains why jokic and luka are such defensive juggernauts
I personally enjoy watching euroleague more for these reasons. However, one thing that's not mentioned is the setup of the league. Every game in the euroleague regular season matters. So you can't rest anybody, you can't just decide not to defend one game. Even point differences matter because if two teams end up at the same ranking, the point difference in the 2 games they play during the regular season is taken into account.
That’s such a great point!! 👍🏀
@@bballbreakdown which one, they made multiple points?
@@antcantcook960 ? Point difference
I there are also a lot fewer games (28 EuroLeague games. And in France the championship is 34 games. That's 62 games in total for clubs that play in the Euroleague. 82 minimum in NBA + playoff).
8 minutes less it doesn't look like much but in the long run it also wears out. So players' bodies are slightly less stressed and have few more time to recover.
Fewer games make games more important. And allows players to be in better shape (physicaly and mentaly) in these higher-stakes games.
@@trorisk Yeah, you can't really compare the two. 82-100 games at 48 minutes per game is way more than ~60 games at 40 minutes each.
Coach we need a dedicated video for olympiacos. Coach Bartzokas has done an insane job and their basketball is a thing of beauty!
Yeah - I think I'll do one on the best offenses in Euroleague... no question Vezenkov benefits from more space and movement
@@bballbreakdown euro basketball is just so much more entertaining. I do not enjoy watching NBA even though I follow so much basketball content
might as well cover the best european coach ever, Željko Obradović
@@kingjasko Yeah Obradovic laid the foundation for most sets run in europe and also pop said he stole some plays from him.. His years in PAO are a testament to his offensive mind.
@@pantrywarriors9577 another reason I dont enjoy NBA is the crowds are so dead
These guys are top 5-10 in the NBA. If they say that the NBA is easier then it's easier. On the other note, seeing how Europeans play defense is just beautiful.
Not europeans but in europe is not the same
@@papadoc331 seeing how *Euroleague players* obviously.
@@s_ame1135 😁
because of the rules. and everybody knows. small field, no 3 seconds etc. luka himself says the the players in nba are way better and impossible to guard....
these guys are the top 3 or 4 in the NBA
I've been saying this for years. It was evident in the last Olympics and world cup where we saw a lot of NBA players completely taken out of their game because they are used to so much spacing and no contact. I wish the NBA would go more in the direction of the FIBA game as scoring is so easy now that stats are hyperinflated and don't mean as much as they did in prior decades. I have a hard time watching the NBA the past few seasons
Same here. It becomes less impressive when they make scoring so easy. This is the least I've watched NBA in my life.
Agreed.
i disagree, fiba should look at nba rules and "grow up". athlets in europe should also be fit enough to play on a bigger field an play more minutes. and its wonderful for the game, players and the fans if teams dont just park their tall players under the basket.
I get what you're saying, but I disagree. There are some rules over there that I definitely do not want in the NBA. Goaltending and 3 sec rules should stay the way they are.
@@trollking4058 I'm not saying all the rules. I agree no goal tending and parking in the paint. But at least bring back hand checking and allow for more physical defense. Keep the court the same and the time of the game the same. Just little things so there aren't as many wide open threes and drives to the rim
Definitely enjoyed this conversation. This is pure team basketball.
Idk if you ever follow euroleague or not
But its way way better than NBA
Im talking about the league, the system, etc
Discount the names of the players
@@sherlock4791 because Adam Silver thinks that basketball is a shooter's game more than a big man's game like Kobe Bryant said that physicality is absent in today's NBA.
As short as possible: Euroleague is a sport event meanwhile NBA is show business
Europe: clubs
America: franchises
Cry. FRANCHISESS = SHOW
I live in Switzerland/Europe and been playing/watching basketball since '92. Anybody over here only watches the NBA because the players are so much better. I couldn't tell you who our National Champion is. There's not even news coverage or any games on TV. Our best athletes become soccer players, the tall one's goalkeepers. Second best athletes become Tennis players or Track and Field athletes, then Hockey, Cycling, Skiing and so on. It's very rare someone really talented becomes a Basketball player. Europe has double the population of the US, if our Basketball teams were any good 2/3 (66%) of the NBA players would be Europeans. In reality it's not even 15%. Since '92 there have been 8 Olympic Summer games. USA won 7, Argentina, which is not in Europe, 1 and every time they send their A-Team the US wins the World Championship as well.
@@benitofranklyn4237 En Suiza sois malos en baloncesto, pero no compares con España o Eslovenia o Grecia. En España el baloncesto es el segundo deporte nacional por ejemplo. Pau Gasol o Navarro son prueba de que los europeos también son buenos. ¿Luka es de USA? No, es esloveno... Solo porque Suiza sea malo en baloncesto no cargues a todo Europa, te recuerdo que España ha llegado a estar en el ranking FIBA como la primera mejor selección... Y que en 2019 ganó el mundial. Además hoy en día la mayoría de jugadores de la NBA qué son estrellas son de otros países. Y casualmente las estrellas estadounidenses dejaron de ir a las competiciones internacionales cuando Estados Unidos empezó a ser alcanzable para Europa...
@@kori2.034 True, Spain is the 2nd best Team in the world, and Switzerland is terrible, but they still always lose to Team USA at the Olympics when they bring their A-Team, it's only the Worlds when the US players don't take it serious and don't bring their best team. But I always root for Spain and other European teams to beat the US. But this year as well, Team USA will beat everybody, including Spain and take the Gold.
People don't understand how small a basketball court is. When you have several tall and athletic players near the paint, the amount of pressure that is put on the attacker is huge, and it leads to seemingly basic mistakes because the players don't even have the time to think.
Then combine that with no 3 second defensive rule on the paint.
I feel like in Europe basketball is in the hands of the coaches. They have a lot of power, they can scream at their star players because it's clear: team comes first, starpower is not a thing. As a consequences, a team is a team and there is a system where every player has his share.
In the US the coaches come AFTER star players, especially if he's Lebron, Luka...
Can you imagine a coach constantly taking the ball away of Lebron/Luka to run set plays and survive more than a couple of games?
But the "star system" is the way more prolific way from a sponsoring point of view, and that means money. Therefore things won't change any time soon, maybe it'll get even more "star-centered"
It already is star-centered. Look at how KD and Kyrie influenced the situation with Nash. Only a handful of GMs in the league are old school like Pat Riley when he didn't succumb to Bron's wishes to fire Spo. If any GM did that nowadays, they'll be out the next day for sure.
Trae just sent someone packing
There's rumors of a famed player constantly telling that it is players that win games and not the organization and that tirade went on for a quarter of an hour during his hall of fame speech. I rest my case.
@@Ometecuhtli Yeah MJ might have started it...
That's why in the NBA endorsment is bigger than the game itself.
Well there's another thing that contributes. In the Euroleague there's no redundant games whatsoever, you lose 3 in a row and it's really really hard to recover in time to make the playoffs. In the NBA the Lakers lose a bazillion games this year and we still think they might make it. In Euroleague every single game matters a tonne, the intensity is through the roof. Not so much in the NBA.
In the Euros they don’t play 82+ games a year, though. They play the rough equivalent of a college schedule. Big difference.
@@grahamstrouse1165 and thats a good thing
@@samuelpinder1215 Εxactly.
That's why i also want the regular season of the nba to be shortened. I feel like there are many unnecessary games.
Don't forget most teams have roughly the same amount of games they play in the Euroleague also in their national league. Although some teams bring kind of their B-team and bench players to let their stars rest for the harder Euroleague games.
One thing I noticed and people don't point out often, Position actually means something in euroleague. You clearly see the forwards take forward responsibilities seriously. In the NBA most 4s and 3s have tendencies to take Guard duties. It's like whoever is the best scorer gets to be or at least play like a guard.
I noticed that as well, most Forwards labeled as "wing players" are just essentially big guards and it is really hard to find great scorers that thrives off-ball.
You make zero sense
Agree, but that isn't better or worse, just different really. And well, still think nba teams are way better
Yeah but there’s nothing wrong with that. Why limit your players to do certain things based on their position or height? Since Jokic and Giannis are big men with guard-like skills, they should be allowed to take guard duties.
Its because of the same reason pointed out in the video.. heliocentricity.. luka, jokic, giannis, they're the main man of the team and thats why they have the ball most of the time.. dribble, pass, and shoot the ball most of the time.. compared to sasha of Olympiacos.. hes a forward and do forward duties.. doesn't hold the ball to often. Just giving screens, cutting, passing and taking 3s and still leads the league in scoring..you know its a really good team when a role player that doesn't hold the ball that much and still lead his team in scoring..
in europe we have much less games in regular season not just shorter games and smaller pitch so this is also reason why games are so intense
@jovansveti1469 Euroleague is just for the top teams of every national league. And even they play regular season games on the weekend and Euroleague on Wednesday. That's it. No back-to-backs. Much more time for practice, for set-plays, for defense. You can't afford to lose a lot of games in Europe. Because National Leagues usually have only 32-36 games a season..
Less games? My team ASVEL played over 100 games last season! Regular Euroleague and French league season + playoffs + national cup + mid season cup! Not even counting our players who where on the national team.
@@thomasarnal They are seperate tournaments. Euroleague is the most important and it still has like only a quarter of the games NBA has
@@1vaultdweller Yeah but all teams in it also play in their national leagues + cups. In the end it's the same number of games played regardless.
@@thomasarnal The Denver Nuggets played 102 games to win their Championship. So about the same game count. But keep in mind, an extra 8 minutes in a basketball game is like eternity.
Fantastic video. I think the smaller court is so interesting but it'd bet most of the difference is explained by the lack of defensive 3 in the key
I am European, and I would really like to see how NBA would look like if there was no 3 defensive seconds rule. At least we would not see this much of power driver players propelled to some kind of stardome.
I am sure you can search old games from the 90s with Michael Jordan's Bulls. Defensive 3 was not instituted till 2001.
@@saksit247 but there was no zone then. I watched a lot of 90s games. What I meant to say, I would like to see today's players playing without defensive 3 seconds rule
Another big diffrence is that in Europe every player is playing serious defense because they play less games and almost every one of them is important.
Yup nba season is way too long
They still have to play games in there own countries tho so they still play around the same number of games
I would love to see NBA teams play under FIBA rules. With that kind of quality players, it would be so much fun.
Also less games in Europe, so always maximum intensity. You see players rip balls away from their opponents, centers slashing their elbows around after a rebound, guards battling like maniacs to go over a screen to stick with their man etc. All that is kinda gone from the NBA, because they need to play so many games in one season.
Not really mate, they play euroleague and national leagues & cups aswell 😅 (most players play for national teams aswell)
Especially the NBA regular season is kinda embarrassing. On the other hand, literally too many games, too many injuries. They should limit the amount of games per year.
This is why the nba can never compete with the nfl
@@TheDamirBosna 82 games in a NBA season if you do not make the playoffs. Nikola Jokic needed 102 games to win his Championship with the Denver Nuggets. Also, the extra 8 minutes in a basketball game is eternity.
@@panagiotisatmatzidis9972 Agree 1,000,000% but that's never going to happen. TV ad revenue will prevent it from happening. A random sort of meaningless regular season game in early December will still generate revenue.
Another major difference is you can only take 2 steps without dribbling the ball (it's 3 steps in the NBA). Which means players like Giannis will not be able to drive to the basket as easy as they can in the NBA
zero step/gather step is an established rule in fiba
@@mikeesteves8427yeah, i'm from Spain and i can say that IS not exatly 3, 2 and middle taps
i've always said if you want to make 3 pt shooting harder in the nba make it shorter these guys are already good at long range shooting if you make it shorter these guys will be able to cover enough ground to contest the shooter
As someone who s been watching EuroLeague for more than a decade i gotta say that Sasha is the exception. I ve never seen such an elite scorer act like a role player in europe in general not just EuroLeague. Best example of a high usage player in europe is Spanoulis aka the European Kobe
Do you think he’ll come over to the kings next year?
@@adr916sac idk very much bout the financial stuff of bball with the salaries etc. I think that the Kings have the rights for Sasha or something like that. But if u see just the bball part it seems ideal. The kings came back to the playoffs after 15 or so years by being the 1st team to imitate the warriors to this extent. The warriors dynasty as we know it might be over by being eliminated while healthy (if I m not mistaken) for the 1st time in almost a decade. Meanwhile at the other side of the Atlantic Bartzokas turned a solid EL starter to the greatest off ball player in FIBAs history. Additionally we saw that Olympiakos did so well with that off ball movement and we are pretty close to seeing a BIG playmaker establish himself as the best player in the world by winning FMVP. For me everything lines up for Vezenkov being next NBA season s 6th man and off ball movement becoming the next big thing after the 3s evolution. That s my wild take but I m all for it
@@adr916sac I just realized that my answer is far off topic so sorry bout the long read lol
@@bamb8s436 I appreciate your reply. I agree that Sasha would be a good fit on the kings. Sasha and Domantis Sabonis would be a fun combo.
@@adr916sac it would be cool to see the Kings do well but as an NBA fans I have to say unfortunately, despite their recent success, the Kings are going to find a way to screw it like (like the Clippers always do). I am sure there are similar teams in Europe. Teams that seems to have the pieces, show flashes of brilliance but for some reason can never get it together. Could be bad luck like running into to a dynasty like the Warriors as you mentioned. But something always happen. 😁
Hoping that Vezenkov will come out to play for the Kings. He’d be a great fit with Sabonis
would you trade Sabonis for Vezenkov?
@@panosg2475they don’t need to trade, Sasha Vezenkov is now a Sacramento King! 👑
I think as a whole, European players are more fundamentally sound, and have higher basketball iq. They're also all about running the system, instead of exploiting mismatches. The NBA is more individual matchups than the system. Warriors have helped change that to some degree
¿De verdad creéis los estadounidenses que las estrellas no van al mundial por miedo a lesionarse? ¿No resulta raro que justo cuando Estados Unidos empieza a ser alcanzable para el resto de equipos dejen de ir? ¿No será una estrategia para que la NBA no pierda prestigio?
Vezenkov scored 275 points with only 26 dribbles. Pretty mad
The FIBA ruleset is perfect. The only thing I would change is the court size and 3pt line to match the NBA, but this is difficult to implement since it would affect countries that may not have the resources to reform their current infrastructure.
NBA players earning their accolades under FIBA rules is the ultimate basketball show.
coach it blows my mind that vezenkov isnt with the sacramento kings, his off ball movement and spot up shooting would be perfect in their offense. fox would have him and monk for kick out passes for 3s and if sabonis is in the post his cutting would be great. not to mention hes a fantastic rebounder as well
The problem is Euro players don't want to come to the NBA without a pay rise and most teams think they can get better or comparable american based players on minimum contracts while capped out, rather than having to pay the MLE or other exemptions to an unproven Euro.
Truth is, most European drafted players that are considered NBA ready are not stars or close to it in Europe but are 18-20 years old. They get a pay raise and help their future financially by getting in the door. Whereas European star veterans, like Vesenkov are getting paid multi millions and will have to either appear incredibly enticing for MLE or take a pay cut to under a million and move across the world.
Micic, for example wanted 6+ million a year, to play on a competing team, a rotation role AND that team would have to trade with OKC to get him. Thus he, despite being one of the best non nba players in the world, did not get signed
@@dxfifa yes, if I was pro youd have to give me a massive pay rise to live in the shithole US, if the raptors came calling however, I might be tempted
Another difference is that in Euroleague (and most places in Europe in particular) every game is a war, period. The teams are always playing like it's a game 7. You can't rest anybody, you can't slow down one bit. Whereas in the NBA 95% of the regular games are more like preseason in Europe, where the NBA players seems almost indifferent to the trained European eye. Obviously Europeans appreciate the overal quality of the NBA, yet only a very small percentage of them truly care about the (indifferent) NBA regular season, even fewer care to watch more than 10-20 regular season games in total.
Finally let's not forget that those guys we saw in the video (except Mike James or Bacon, who was dismissed from his team anyway) play tactical basketball from the age of 10, so it's in their blood. There's no AAU crap or streetball or exhibition games or whatever. Either you're playing in a league IN a team FOR the team, or you're out before you reach 15. US-bred NBA players haven't played any real organized basketball till they're 19, at which age the majority of European players are already professionals and play against professionals of all ages.
But at the end of the day the talent level is different no? Are you saying guys like LeBron James or Kevin Durant or Steph Curry would not play well and/or excel in Euro League?
@@saksit247 They would excel more than everyone else, because they have enormous talent, basketball IQ AND physical abilities. There's no question about that, nor about any other NBA hall of famers. Whether they would average the same points (or stats in general) in Europe, well no I don't think so, simply because the game pace in Europe is different and the defenses are generally more consistent and less indifferent. But that's not my point.
My point was mostly that there are hardly any indifferent games in the Euroleague, as everyone always plays at 100%. You can tell that when we're watching games with a difference of 15-20 points in the last 4-5 minutes. 99% of NBA teams simply drop the game, admit they've lost, switch to their weakest reserves and save energy for the next game (which could be in 1-3 days). In Europe there's no such notion, the teams will usually keep battling until the very end with very few exceptions, even if the next game is 2 days down the line. Among other things in cases of ties at season end, score differences do matter so the teams do care if they lose 10 points versus 20 points in an October game. This makes games more interesting, whereas in the NBA you just forget about the game and think about the next one. It doesn't even matter if you lost 10 points or 20.
NBA regular season of 82 games is super boring for most fans, especially when most games turn our to be indifferent and/or develop into a 3-point circus as they often do nowadays. It would be better if they played 58 games instead (or whatever) but there's no chance this'll ever happen as it'll probably lead to lower TV contracts, ergo lower lower salaries for everyone and this has been discussed and rejected several times. Look at how much more interesting NFL is, where each team is only playing 17 games/season, so each game is a final and it's a terrible loss if you get defeated in a single game. Euroleague used to be like that in previous years, with 16 games/season plus one round of best-of-3 playoff series plus the final four. The team winning the Euroleague trophy would have played exactly 20-21 games in total. Nowadays there are 34 games/season, but competition is fierce and each game remains a final for most teams.
As for my last paragraph about AAU-bred players, you can tell the difference between Europeans and Americans when national teams are involved. Just look at what happened in the latest Mundobasket in the Philippines. Team USA didn't even win a medal and they had an overall record of 4-3, while in the previous World Championship in 2019 they finished 7th or something. True, the best All Stars weren't in the roster but this means that the US can now win international trophies ONLY if the likes of LeBron or Durant or Curry make it to the roster and this happens only in the Olympics. Curiously enough the Olympics tournament of basketball is considered the top international tournament only by the Americans, whereas everyone else on earth believes it's the Mundobasket that's the most important one and sometimes few even care about the Olympics as much. That's probably because the Americans are investing tons of money on the Olympics on sponsor and TV rights, so as usual it's a money-related discussion.
Finally even a team of LeBron and Durant and Curry and co, would have a super-hard time defeating an All-Star team of Europeans (read Giannis, Jokic, Doncic, Markkanen, Porzingins, Sabonis, Gobert, Bogdanovic, Wagner etc). Would such a matchup be fair? Well, depends. USA team can join international tournaments as a country of 330 million citizens, distributed across 50+ confederated states. And they'll play against e.g. Lithuania with a population of fewer than 3 million people. How is that fair? Then why couldn't the Europeans in theory create a single team of the entire continent with countries confederated under the EU? Then an All-Star Europe team would be able to (sometime) defeat even the best US NBA players. The BASKETBALL gap is closing fast, that's why the NBA is consistently picking up the best European or other international basketball talent. Because they appreciate that the new generations of US-bred players aren't as dominant over internationals as they used to be. Because much in the AAU, high school and even college systems needs to change or these systems are simply not able anymore to catch up with European/world talent. The FINANCIAL gap is not closing at all though, if anything it widens. And that's because scoring sells and NBA games now tend to be a scorefest of 3 pointers, which is more pleasing to the average eye of the average Coors Light consumer (as opposed to the eye of hardcore fans who appreciate proper basketball where/when they see it, no matter where it comes from).
The next step is to have European head coaches in the NBA. I guarantee you, the average American coach has much to learn from his counterparts. The top 5-10 European coaches are fare better than the majority of the coaches in the NBA at the moment. But that's a bit difficult for the average Coors Light fan to digest, so no owner in his right mind (read: they're only in it for the money) would dare that.
@@captainzeppos you made many fair, and interesting points! As an American and (former) NBA fan (of the Jordan and Kobe era) where basketball was much like what European Basketball is today, I agree!
The nba removed defense and calls every soft foul possible to increase scoring output, the focus on marketing stats made the game softer. Watch the celtics vs lakers in 08 Kobe and Pierce battling for position without getting soft fouls and the heat and the spurs series in 2014 and you'll see the difference, Not everyone who goes to the paint gets a whistle, now even players away from the ball are getting fouls. Fiba and Europe are exciting to watch because they still allow physicality. Full games should be more exciting than 9 minute highlight clip, now to get to an entire game we have to watch a ton of freethrows.
The rules have made it easier for offensive players. Playing defense in this era is harder then it's ever been. The best you can do is put your hand up and move your feet 🤷
And even then usually you get called for a foul.
Sasha vezenkov is an a elite player for olympiacos and its a perfect fit for the sacramento kings who own his nba rights
when nba players today dont give alot of effort on defense and are bad in being in help positions it does make sense
The thing is, Mike James and Dwayne Bacon aren't going to put up those kinds of numbers in the NBA because the talent level is just much higher. The lack of Defensive 3 second is a huge difference. Imagine Gobert or Embiid being able to just camp in the paint the entire possession, that takes away all layups
Maybe. In the 90s there were no defensive 3s and Jordan (along with many players) still went to the rack.
Damn that’s awesome. I didn’t really know the European rules so seeing this video sort of opened a whole can of worms. Great video coach!
Luka said that score is EASIER in the NBA but the players are BETTER so I take it if their wasn’t such a substantial gap talent that USA would probably lose some FIBA world Cups or Olympics
NBA should play FIBA rules. The basketball purist in me would love it but the casuals would hate it.
I hope I'm not the only one, but I really like it when you use the quote of a song to set the tone of a video
Think about it:
3 of the Top 5 players right now are Euro basketball-bred players.
And most players coming into the NBA from Euro basketball (whether through the draft or free agency) have that certain polish that players from NCAA don't. They're more prepared to impact the game in more areas.
We can only say that about Luka. He was ready day one in the league. Jokic and Giannis took 4 years to get to an all star level. And Giannis especially did a lot of developing in the nba
@@quikdeath100 jokic took long physically, in Serbia we were saying he is the best in the world before he got drafted
@Stefan Papdi which was a lie at the time. He didn't flourish till he Jusuf left and he was able to develop as the primary guy.
@@mosstwig3591 i was the guy telling my courtymen to not have their hopes so high for jokic and how he will be good but not a star and my bball iq was brought into question directly very explicitly about not believing in Jokic starpower. A fool i was really lol i even watched him carry Serbia nation team and still thought he wont be a star
@@mosstwig3591 uhmnmm Nurkic was actually benched then requested for a trade because the Nuggets made Jokic their starter.
So he didn't flourish because Nurkic left. He was already flourishing despite of Nurkic that's why they made him the starter.
In Europe referees favor the defender by calling the change foul. This is the main difference and the reason it's more difficult. And you can touch the ball after it touched the basket.
*Thanks to the euroleague for actually using their brains better than the NBLAme and getting rid of the useless defensive 3 second rule.*
Also this Vezelenkov guy probably taught Curry a thing or two with his quick releases...
Now keep in mind Wembanyama is leading his league in pts with 22ppg, and also in rebounds and block, at only 19 in a similar level (There are Euro League teams in the French league).
Americans are so funny they all talk about how Wemby never have 50pts games but what they don’t understand is that 50 is the equivalent of 30 in Europe, and Wemby had a stretch of 5 games over 30 if i remember well, im telling you this kid will be unstoppable in the NBA he will average minimum 25pts, 8rebounds and 3Block with a defensive impact unheard of for a rookie, Wemby is like a 6 inches taller mix of KD and AD …
Even Luka only averaged 13ppg when he won the FMVP, scoring is really different in Europe.
In only 2 games with NBA rules vs G-League Ignite Wemby scored 37 and 36 back to back, both career high in points for him Thats the proof its easier to score in the NBA/with NBA rules and court.
He's gonna be a bust 😂😂😂
I can’t wait to see what Vezenkov can do for Sac🏀
for the fun of things, they should do a NBA vs world match during all star games, with FIBA rules~ it'll be a nice challenge to prove to the world that they are the best in the business; then again, it wouldn't be popular to see your favourite stars get beaten...
Barzokas has really done beautiful stuff
The only reason I prefer NBA over Euroleage is that Euroleage's teams are so hard to pronounce (as an asian). Also, we grew up with NBA 2K. That was a major factor.
Every Euroleague game has intensity as NBA playoff games. And in Euroleague playoffs it is a war, hell let lose
It's as if the Euroleague way of playing was like the NBA in the 90s. However, in the 90s the NBA still had more physical contact than the Euroleague. I remember people commenting on how the North Americans adapted to not commit too many fouls when playing under FIBA rules. Nowadays, physical contact in FIBA basketball remains the same, but the NBA was the one who changed the rules for a more open and offensive game.
The NBA changed because they do not want anything like the mid 2000s back. Defense was vital during those days and there wasn’t that many isos. The rules have changed to get to where we are.
Smaller court, no 3seconds, little more physical, shorter games (less rest for better players)
More players seeing court time too. More variety of schemes, plays etc. From one game to the next a completely different player will be the focal point of their offence or defence. They have a much greater variety of players. I think it's due to their season being so much shorter.
A LOT more physical
smaller court? I didn't know that. I thought everyone used the same court size, ring size, height and ball size
@@august6281 Rest of the world agrees on rule changes, NBA is like we invented basketball, we are best at it, we change the game according to our needs. So NBA is rules are different from rest of the world, and team USA needs to study and practice FIBA rules for international matches and Olympics.
FIBA is more focused on developing and spreading the game, NBA is more about $$.
@Jovan Sveti the US was third in Golds for "real wrestling" behind Russia and Japan last Olympics with 3 gold medals... And I don't think you know what the word circus means.
I understand that you're just some hick from eastern Europe complaining about America on social media, which is a common occurrence... But this is just a super low IQ anti American take.
Imo, the perfect game would be nba court dimensions and time with FIBA rules and reffing. I wish the nba would stop trying to manufacture entertainment and treat the game like it's a competitive sport again. It's the same story just like every form of entertainment these days. Everything is dumbed down and formulaic to appeal to casuals, ie the lowest common denominator. Corporate entertainment will only get more corporate so I have no hope that the game will get better. I love the sport, but just like movies, games and music these days, industry changes were made to broaden the audience. Those changes werent designed to attract me or hold my attention. I honestly havent watched and finished an entire nba game in 3 years.
Basically, the NBA back in the day is how Europe is now somewhat, but better.
The NBA today is super soft with relaxed D measures.
This is why Giannis, Luka, Jokic, and Embiid are dominating the NBA today.
euroleague games are more intertaning then NBA games except maybe on the playoffs, in Europe every game counts and every team defends
Even in amatueur ball I feel like the court is not large at all and that zone defenses can easily overwhelm a ballhandler. Even 40 minutes is not enough imo, but it just asks for different measures and you have to adapt. Currently my amateur team doesn't have a court so that makes it even harder lol, but we'll figure it out.
if a guy in euroleague has 10 points or 5 assists then trust me they can really play
I think that NBA should remove defensive 3 seconds, that would re-balance the game back to where offense and defense are on a more even playing field. It's not like you can just plant a guy under the basket if his man can shoot anyway, but it means that guys don't have to stand outside the paint to help on drives.
That would force my golden state warriors to have a legit center and stop small ball basketball.. 😂
@@sophiesacaben why would it force that? Draymond loves playing that free safety role. He'd be perfect for the rule change
Olympiakos is really magnificent this year. Bartzokas is the man.
Vezenkov was drafted to the NBA in 2017. So... for the last 5-6 years not a single team in the NBA has needed a sweet-shooting floor-spacing PF. Not one.
The past two season he improved dramaticaly he went from a 5 to 8 minute role player with 3 ppg to becoming the favorite for regular season mvp. Also last season the kings were about to snatch him but i think he decided to stay for another season in europe
Can he defend the pick and roll? Lot's of shooters (Europe or Americans) can't stay on the floor in the NBA because they can't defend the perimeter. As this video demonstrated, the NBA game and the Euro game are setup different. Perhaps his skill set is a perfect fit for the Euro game and not the NBA game.
Are you gonna do a video on Dames 71 point game?
Can you please analyze offense from Zeljko Obradovic, greatest European coach. Partizan have the best offensive rating in the Euroleague and a lot of coaches are stealing sets from him, for example he invented Spain and many others. If you go back to his old videos you will find that he run it first. I don't know the names but plenty of sets that NBA coaches are using massively today was created by him. So he runs now some new variations and I'm curious what do you think? Then maybe you can spot some sets that can be utilized in the NBA and probably will be because Coach Pop is huge fan of his and he actually introduced a lot of his sets to the NBA.
We found Spain being run in the 1993 NBA All Star Game, so I don’t think Obradovic invented it. But stay tuned I’ll do that next!
Thats why we love the Euroleague mire than the nba its way more competitive and people really try oit there put their all into it trying not to allow anyone through
I remember in the late '80-ies that USA Baketball players, Afroamericans above all, were super tall ands physically huge and the Europeans were "normally" muscled guys. During the matches Euro players were easily displaced by force. Now, we can see that muscle mismatch has been reduced. So I think that, if there were the possibility, we could estabilish a "Basketball intercontinental cup"
Euroleague actually sounds like real basketball
Yes it is. 😊
Yes it is. NBA is attracts casuals and basketball enthusiast but Euroleague is strictly for basketball enthusiast. You can find real basketball in Both leagues but euroleague is more frequent all season but in the nba it’s more prevalent in the playoffs.
I think the average nba player has more skill than the average euro league player but Euroleague team basketball is its strength
It is NBA is bussines project
Quality video congratulations
I love to watch Euroleag more than NBA. Why? It is a game of mind not a game of power.
Great video
Backs up the argument that the 90s-2000s era NBA was better, because they were allowed to play defense!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ah I was hoping you’d have a vid on dames big game vs Houston. Oh well. Nice video!
Luka being a Euroleague MVP before he enters the league has gotta be the most overlooked accomplishment of a draft prospect ever.
At 18 years of age
@@wonderlandian8465 won both eurobasket and euroleague that season
90% of defense is simply effort. Can't deny the advantage of a smaller court and closer perimeter making it easier to close on perimeter shooters but it still comes back to just putting in the effort.
Very good video.
It seems like shooters like Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, etc would fair really well in Euroleague. The shorter 3 point line, and the no 3 second violation makes it seem like it would be much tougher to drive and score. It’s interesting that the best players from there are the ones who are experts in the paint even though it’s so tough over there. Have they just not tried spacing out further from the 3 point line or do they not have those quality shooters that the nba seems to have an abundance of?
You should have talked little bit about Zeljko Obradovic, the greatest coach maybe of all time
In Europe even if your team is +20, they don't relax at all. And coach do not hesitate to attack his player if they do something wrong.
Europe is still coach-centric which is not a bad thing. Players having too much control in-game is ruining the NBA.
@@s_ame1135 in Europe if a player asks for a change team it will be banned for every team.
we have seen euro players in the nba, i'd like to see euro coaches in the nba, that would be a trip
jokic not knowing the 3 pt line is closer and asking jamal was pure gold.....and how tf do you not have a 3 second violation....it looks so ugly when the 5 can camp all game long
Coach finally saw euroleague, let's go. Check Olympiakos and Monaco gameplay, top teams in Europe , title favourites
I think euro league doesnt have 3 seconds defense. Nba didnt have it too but added it to “encourage more driving to basket aka layouts or dunks” (cuz dunks sell more). Reason why its harder to score when shooting is already hard. But like its just like watching ncaa basketball.
I do love it how "heliocentric" doesnt really apply to anything in Euroleague. But instead, the top scorer plays like Klay Thompson, but dribbles even less.
Maybe US colleges should also remove defensive 3 second rule. I assume thats the main reason why bigs from Europe are so often such great shooters.
You must be aware that NBA authorities, coaches and owners, have had a meeting back in 2002 or 2003 and the subject was increase in number of points per game. They changed the rules to accomplish 200 points per game. Defensive 3 seconds and handcheking were introduced for that reason. They made a different game. That is all there is. Ask yourself why USA team when playing OI or WC cannot score more than 80 in average against good opponents. It is a different game.
Coach, do you think Vezenkov could play in the NBA with his skillset?
I'm not going to lie, Euroleague is way more entertaining basketball. After getting accustomed to Euroleague style of play watching NBA is like watching some form of circus for basketball.
That 3 seconds rule is ridiculous, it's just dumb.
Unfortunately this vid BARELY scratched the surface of the matter!
The ball movement is pretty good, but the overall off ball movement of those without the ball is kind of a let down. I’ve yet to see a properly set screen in this whole video. I know the nba lets guys get away with moving screens a lot, but your avg. nba player can set a solid by the rules screen in day of the week.
My guess is that one of the most critical reasons why it is easier to score in the NBA than the Euroleague is less meaningful off-ball movement outside of sets. This combined with no defensive 3 second violation, allowed to goal-tend and less spacing makes it really inefficient to have a Luka type of scorer(or the D'Antoni offense) b/c you have teammates that provide less spacing, requires less defensive attention, and just runs a slower offense; which gives the defense more time to defend.
Also, more physicality also slows down the game, which makes it even a worse idea.
Don't underestimate the cost of the single game. Teams usually play 1 Euroleague game/week, so there is a lot of time to have a proper rest and tactical preparation. And let's not forget that currently the difference between 6th and 13th place are 2wins, and only 8 teams advance to the playoffs. So the cost of every game is huge. This forces players to go all out in every game.
Contact initiated by the offensive player is typically not a foul on the defender. This really makes it harder for smaller guards to score in the Euroleague.
Coach Nick! Get Ref Ronny Nunn in to review the game between the Clippers vs Raptors. The one Fred Van Fleet just got fined for. Thanks.
europe is heavy in zone defense and box and 1 style of strategy's wich leads to a lot of crowded paint and constant double teams and crazy and more help rotation , specially against the top players.wich leads. then to run plays till clock..(is so bad for big players) they tend to be pressure heavy teams and the NBA factor of having superstar and star players.. changes cause from the moment you are star your skillset is already in an Unguardable level, so it expands the floor. and you don't need to design team plays as much as in euro-league, and . cause there is a lot of weapons to use, and Euroleague the talent pool is more balanced, wich leads to more team play... if NBA would adopt those rules, first the big man post up game would basically disappear..and I believe even if NBA would use this defensive tactics you would have. guys like Llilard averaging 45pts a season..
True, true.
But also, NBA has better shooters and this helps to open the defence a bit.
Also in NBA they almost dont count the steps, it s like there is no travelling rule, and they transfer the ball too much :) This also helps to open the defence.
They count the steps. A gather step is a real tricky thing. It requires great timing, and if a player can consistently do it, then all power to them. What refs really fail to call, is carrying the ball on each crossover
@@markibash2689 the gather step has been introduced to euroleague as well, few years ago. The problem with NBA is that sometimes, actually quite often, they do not count. they prioritize the spectacle.
Also, another factor is that during regular season the NBA teams are defending well (too many games). During playoffs they defend better. In euroleague they defend also in regular season (less games, so they have time to prepare defence etc)
@@mikpitr I mean officiating the gather step is tricky but usually called correctly. but for the most part, it’s not as significant as the carrying considering it basically happens on every possession.
@@markibash2689 usually? have you not watched a game in a while? There is an endless amount of travelling in every NBA game but star-power (among other reasons) prevents the whistle.
Scoring sells but nobody wants to watch "all star" games with no opposition to the attacker.
Just look at the effort European defenses put into it! It looks more like a real battle rather than a training shootout session
Wow a Bball breakdown video without a sponsor that’s a first. Usually there’s a sponsor in the middle of the video that throws off the pacing of the video.
It would be cool to compare Lukas MVP euro year to his NBA ROTY year
Ooh. That’s interesting
A small recommendation. The greatest coach of all time, Željko Obradović, is someone whose work you should study.
Oh, I certainly do!!
It's funny when you say that "role players" get to shine in Europe.
I've been watching European (Serbian mostly) basketball from the late 80s, and it's only recently that I heard the term "role player", because it's recently that I started watching NBA. We call those players "defenders"/"wings". We didn't have "star players" until a few years ago, because the players were mostly equal. No one had guaranteed minutes, and no one was bigger than the team game. And I like that. Djordjevic, Danilovic, Paspalj, Bodiroga, Divac - not one of them was a "role player" who waits in the corner ready to shoot a three pointer, and not one of them was a star player with guaranteed minutes.
Imagine a world where nba has euro defense?!
The offensive talent the nba has mixed with euro defense would be much more entertaining!
I also like this because this should force basketball here to be more team oriented than hero ball oriented. If this was to happen, I hope mixtape would disappear! So many fraudulent players get hype just because of highlights rather than actually having skill smh.
Trash idea..no 3 in key..stupid 4 nba...
The league thought that making scoring easier would entice fans to want to watch it more, but they over corrected in a way that makes the game absolutely boring now. Nobody wants to see 170 point games. it's utterly ridiculous and a mockery of what basketball used to be.
I stopped midway. Big thing also in allowing stars to violate rules of the game. Stars in NBA can travel, they can carry, they can commit fouls in offense. In Europe they don't care that much about commercial aspect of the show/game.
🙄🙄🙄 Old White Guy Conplaining…
@@grahamstrouse1165 I am 31. I am watching and following NBA half of my life.
Just kinda getting sick of those unbeliveable players.
Breakdown the Knicks please
If NBA doesn't have the 3 second rules, Shaq/Yao Ming would lead the scoreboard for most blocks 😂
2:34 It's crazy that Dame is literally the only American on this list
Westbrook needs to spend at least a year there to improve his ball handling and finishing.
One more difference is that in europe there ARE referees
What's goal tending?