The NBA has changed since Pau Gasol's prime and the two-time champion has some qualms with the direction of the game.
Gasol spoke about the current state of the NBA in a recent interview with Movistar NBA, explaining that he feels like defense has “disappeared” and “doesn’t matter anymore.” While Gasol has only been out of the NBA for four years, he said the game is far more individual now than in his day.
“It’s just who scores more now. I don’t quite like that the essence of this game is lost, which is playing as a team, moving the ball, creating an inside-outside balance, [playing with] a little more tactics,” Gasol said, as transcribed by BasketNews.com.
“Earlier, if you shot in the first eight seconds of a possession or shot a (three-pointer) on a counterattack without an offensive rebound, you’d be sent to the bench so you could think about it a little.”
Gasol noted that the NBA has been rewarding the new style of play, as the goal seems to be having high-scoring games.
The six-time All-Star, who helped lead the Los Angeles Lakers to two championships, was not necessarily expressing a unique opinion. That the NBA seems to be trending toward more perimeter shooting and looser defense has been on the mind of at least one other former Laker. This one a biggie. No one has been more vocal about the changes in the game than Shaquille O’Neal.
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