The 'Small Power Forward'

As we continue to fantasize about building twin towers for our national team, successful teams in the NBA are redefining positions to fit the modern game. The Golden State Warriors redefined the game in 2015 and made it a shooting league, and the paradigm of the typical starting five has changed drastically. Height Not Might? The adage of “height is might” has been floated since basketball began. After all, it is clearly a vertical sport with a 10-foot rim. Being tall allowed one to reach the goal quicker and easier. Thus, the early dominant players in the sport were centers, and the best example is George Mikan of the Minneapolis Lakers.  After Mikan, new generations of big men emerged like the rivalry of Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. The 1980s saw Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon, and David Robinson. Up until the 1990s, being tall pretty much guaranteed a ticket to the NBA.  Nowadays, being tall is no longer much of an advantage, and it’s not just in the NBA. As seen in the recent Asian games, the tallest team (China) got walloped by Akatsuki Japan, a team well-entrenched in the modern style of play.  Skillset Over Positional Size It’s ironic to brush off height these days...