Why Are the NBA's Best Players Getting Better Younger? YouTube (wsj.com)

An anonymous reader shares a report: This is happening across the entire league. The best NBA players are getting better younger. They were born with advantages that weren't available to older players and had access to more information than anyone before them in the history of basketball [Editor's note: the link may be paywalled]. Justin Tatum, a high-school basketball coach, could tell his son to watch clips with three words: "YouTube this guy." Which sounds totally normal until you remember it wasn't possible until very recently.

NBA players who grew up watching Michael Jordan couldn't even watch clips of Michael Jordan. LeBron James didn't have YouTube. He's been in the league for longer than YouTube has been a company. But today's young players have spent their entire lives watching basketball on demand. The extraordinary amount of knowledge at their disposal is one of the reasons they're entering the league with polished skills and making their influence felt immediately. YouTube allowed Kristaps Porzingis to admire Kevin Durant all the way from Latvia, Joel Embiid to emulate Hakeem Olajuwon and Tatum to geek out about Bryant.

Comments

Not that unusual

[sjbe]

This is happening across the entire league. The best NBA players are getting better younger.

That's actually happening in a lot of sports. I coach another sport (wrestling) where the average age of an Olympic champion has gotten 2-4 years younger in the last 10 years. A big part of that is access to opportunities train and compete and information that older people like myself simply didn't have access to.

My question would be WTF this article is doing on slashdot? This is definitely not news for nerds or stuff that matters. While I'm sure there are NBA fans reading slashdot, this is pretty far away from what this site is supposed to be about.

Re:Not that unusual

[Fly Swatter]

My question would be WTF this article is doing on slashdot? This is definitely not news for nerds or stuff that matters. While I'm sure there are NBA fans reading slashdot, this is pretty far away from what this site is supposed to be about.

This is more about having easy access to unlimited information than it is about the sport. This type of easy access is having an effect on everyone, not just NBA players.

Re:Not that unusual

[geekmux]

My question would be WTF this article is doing on slashdot? This is definitely not news for nerds or stuff that matters.

Normally I would respond with something like You must be new here regarding this observation, but your UID tends to imply that you didn't fall out of the bit bucket yesterday.

So I'll just kindly say Welcome back. I see you've been gone a while...

Re:Not that unusual

[oneneo]

That's actually happening in a lot of sports.

And not just sports, but arts and music too. What some kids on America Got Talent do is just mind blowing.

Re:Not that unusual

[Anonymous Coward]

By the same token, Tom Brady is pushing past 40 and still making it to Super Bowls.

That's an aberration. He made it to a superb owl because he had four fewer games on his body. He also has a great team who could weather his absence on the field. He will hit his proverbial wall very soon.

Re:Not that unusual

[jellomizer]

This is happening across well every skill set beyond sports.
It is more to the access of information from the internet and YouTube is one source to get some information.

20 Years ago when I started my career. What I could program and how to program it was isolated to the knowledge-base in the Documents that gets shipped with the product+any wisdom from the people I work with+any thing I learned in school.

So my skills back then was in a bubble. Looking back there are lot of things I could had done better with the technology at hand, if I had such a wide base of information to search for.

Today I will search for how to do things, that I already know how to do to see if there is a better way out there. Back then that would be impossible or difficult.

But if you want to cook better, you can search for receipts faster and easier then getting a cook book, and you can get a video on how to cook this and pause it and rewind at your own speed.

Even if it is some stupid trivia on nearly any topic. Heck if I am eating lunch I will often Wikipedia some part in my lunch. Just because it was a passing interest. Such as how the Supreme Court had ruled that a Tomato is a vegetable, for Tariff and taxing purposes.

Re:Not that unusual

[DerekLyons]

My question would be WTF this article is doing on slashdot?

It used to be that slashdotters were interested in and enjoyed talking about the impact of technology. Not so much anymore.

Re:Not that unusual

[Anonymous Coward]

I tried, but all she said was "oh God, harder!"

Re:Not that unusual

[rogoshen1]

he probably hasn't taken as many hits compared to guys like marino or favre. He's also not the type of QB who does a ton of running plays (i.e. doesn't rely on sheer athleticism)

It's the guys like Nolan Ryan that really ARE aberrations. Rookie year was 1966. Retired in 1993 (!!!)

Re:Not that unusual

[Hadlock]

On a more broad level, I've noticed that myself and all of my friends have dramatically better cooking skills than those of our parents, or especially our grandparents. I grew up with disgusting casseroles and tough dry steak, which is what my mom learned from her mother (my grandmother) who lived mostly in isolation in the country.
 
My friends and I on the other hand, grew up watching pirated episodes of Good Eats which not only is taught by a trained professional chef, but gives you the physics and chemistry behind how food feels, tastes, and is held together. Not only do we eat/cook a wider variety of meals, it tastes a LOT better as we learned from the get-go many of the best practices that our parents did not have access to, to pass on to us.

Re:Not that unusual

[Mr D from 63]

A big part of that is access to opportunities train and compete and information that older people like myself simply didn't have access to.

This. Also, almost all colleges and even many high schools have 'professional' training methods and facilities. Coaches learning how to coach better is just as much a part as individual players learning how to train.

Re:Not that unusual

[chispito]

My question would be WTF this article is doing on slashdot?

It used to be that slashdotters were interested in and enjoyed talking about the impact of technology. Not so much anymore.

That's to be expected. Ten years ago, this would have been a little bit mind blowing. Now, most of us reference Youtube to hang a door or change our brakes, so the conclusion of the article is already intuitive.

Re:Not that unusual

[chispito]

This is happening across the entire league. The best NBA players are getting better younger.

That's actually happening in a lot of sports. I coach another sport (wrestling) where the average age of an Olympic champion has gotten 2-4 years younger in the last 10 years. A big part of that is access to opportunities train and compete and information that older people like myself simply didn't have access to.

My question would be WTF this article is doing on slashdot? This is definitely not news for nerds or stuff that matters. While I'm sure there are NBA fans reading slashdot, this is pretty far away from what this site is supposed to be about.

I can definitely see that. Instead of being stuck with a single worn VHS tape by a clinician with a different body style than you, you can find wrestlers who actually have similar strengths and learn from them.

I'd also suspect that the vastly greater resources on diet and conditioning (and cutting weight) probably have made a big difference.

Re:Not that unusual

[jellomizer]

Why is this news for Nerds?
Well I find a lot of activities that people find common and popular 20+ years ago use to be Nerd behavior and a lot of the stuff would be too nerdy for many nerds to do publicly.

Back in the 1990's that kid with a Digital Assistant, Watch Calculator, who on his free time dialed up on the computer to chat with other people on different computers, posting on message boards about those particular interest of the time. Who used the computer and this Internet thing to to get research from materials that the school would never think about getting. Would have you classified as a major Nerd, to a point where your parents would force you to go to parties filled with kids you don't like, just so they can safe face.

You know, I really don't miss the 1990's

Re:Not that unusual

[Sumus Semper Una]

My question would be WTF this article is doing on slashdot? This is definitely not news for nerds or stuff that matters. While I'm sure there are NBA fans reading slashdot, this is pretty far away from what this site is supposed to be about.

The pervasiveness of information at your fingertips has caused such a massive and fundamental change to how people live their lives that people are becoming highly skilled in complex activities that take years to master at a younger age than ever seen before in history. And we have conclusive proof of that direct effect in professional sports such as the NBA due to aspiring athletes ability to analyze great athletes of today and the past via websites like Youtube.

That's not news that matters? It's affecting the very fabric of society, with sports as just a readily demonstrable example. That's not nerdy enough for you? This entire change is being fueled by people leveraging technology for uses never even dreamed of before in the history of man.

And now I'm confused. What is news for nerds and news that matters then? I keep seeing the "this isn't news for nerds or news that matters" thread on submitted stories and often I agree. But this one makes me think some people have a fundamental expectation for the kinds of stories they want to see here that is different from mine. So, in all seriousness, could you please explain what, exactly, news for nerds and news that matters is and why this does not qualify?

Re:Not that unusual

[Matheus]

Here... we'll give it some relevance:

Welcome to the NBA singularity!!

[sigh]...

Re:Not that unusual

[Dragonslicer]

My question would be WTF this article is doing on slashdot? This is definitely not news for nerds or stuff that matters. While I'm sure there are NBA fans reading slashdot, this is pretty far away from what this site is supposed to be about.

As others have said, it's about the effects of increased access to information. The first analogue I thought of is science. All of us here have learned about how increases in access to information, particularly the speed of dissemination, have triggered major advances in science. This article is just demonstrating that scientific research isn't the only field that shows the same effects.

Re:Not that unusual

[Archangel Michael]

Such as how the Supreme Court had ruled that a Tomato is a vegetable, for Tariff and taxing purposes.

People wonder why I am a Libertarian, and this is one of those points that clearly indicate the government is overreaching. And this is such a "silly" point, that it it really doesn't matter, except it does. It is a key indicator of what is wrong with our view of governance.

If it didn't matter, it wouldn't have gone to the SCOTUS. The fact that the SCOTUS ruled on it (taking your word on it), is evidence that it takes itself too seriously, making my point; it is what with our view of governance.

Re:Not that unusual

[93 Escort Wagon]

By the same token, Tom Brady is pushing past 40 and still making it to Super Bowls.

It's amazing what you can accomplish when you're willing to cheat.

Re:Not that unusual

[David_Hart]

By the same token, Tom Brady is pushing past 40 and still making it to Super Bowls.

It's amazing what you can accomplish when you're willing to cheat.

Even more amazing when you don't....

Sigh....There once was a time when people on Slashdot understood how temperature affects air pressure....

Re:Not that unusual

[swillden]

My question would be WTF this article is doing on slashdot?

It used to be that slashdotters were interested in and enjoyed talking about the impact of technology. Not so much anymore.

That's to be expected. Ten years ago, this would have been a little bit mind blowing. Now, most of us reference Youtube to hang a door or change our brakes, so the conclusion of the article is already intuitive.

Perhaps, but that doesn't mean we recognize the breadth and depth of the impact. Hanging a door is, or at least seems to be, a completely different kind of thing from being an NBA basketball player. It's not so obvious that YouTube videos can cut years off the time it takes to develop a top-tier basketball player, which is what we are seeing.

Re:Not that unusual

[DerekLyons]

Now, most of us reference Youtube to hang a door or change our brakes, so the conclusion of the article is already intuitive.

No, I wouldn't call it intuitive at all... Because there's a vast gulf between performing a one-off task and mastering a complex set of physical and mental skills to a professional level.

What blows my mind is that such a blindingly obvious difference goes unnoticed.

john madden

[Anonymous Coward]

john madden pro nba

More info hasn't worked for me

[Anonymous Coward]

I also grew up watching basketball on demand, but I never really got any better.

Signed,

Short White Guy

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Magnus Carlsen too

[Subm]

Similarly, Magnus Carlsen attributes his greatness to having access to more games than his role models, at least in part, owing to the games all being online.

Re:Magnus Carlsen too

[Zontar_Thing_From_Ve]

Similarly, Magnus Carlsen attributes his greatness to having access to more games than his role models, at least in part, owing to the games all being online.

I'm sure that's true, but he has also has access to greater computing power for analysis than his predecessors did. That's a huge difference maker. Computers can brute force a lot of chess problems and come up with interesting ways to play them that humans didn't think of before. I used to really keep up with chess years ago and don't so much these days, but I do see to recall that one example where computer analysis and some new approaches paid off was that they figured out a way for black to play the Benoni Defense against the 4 Pawns Attack and have a chance to win. Back when I used to play I would sometimes transpose into the Benoni, which I liked to play, once the white player could no longer play the 4PA because the 4PA was essentially a guaranteed win for white with correct play if the players were at approximately equal skill levels. The 4PA was so powerful for years that it pretty much killed interest in the Benoni Defense as black, which is one of the reasons I liked to play it - it often surprised opponents. If white didn't make moves that prevented playing the 4PA, I would just play the King's Indian Defense, which I also liked and could handle systems similar to the 4PA.

Re:Magnus Carlsen too

[Kjella]

I'm sure that's true, but he has also has access to greater computing power for analysis than his predecessors did. That's a huge difference maker. Computers can brute force a lot of chess problems and come up with interesting ways to play them that humans didn't think of before.

While that's absolutely true, other chess players have taken more advantage of that than Carlsen. Particularly Anand that he had to beat for the world champion title in 2013 was famous for his prep work, he had a whole team of top players exploring opening possibilities. The goal for Carlsen was just to get him out of prep while staying even so he could use his immense memorization/pattern recognition skills. Watch him do simultaneous blind play games, most of us would get totally lost on where the pieces are much less be able to play any decent chess. A computer can't help you learn that.

Been There, Done That

[moschner]

They used to sell VHS tapes (it was that long ago) with highlights, interviews, etc. Titles included NBA Superstars, NBA Jam Session, and a lot of player and team specific tapes. For a while, highlight clips cut to music and sold as Basketball Music Videos were also a thing. If you were in the basketball community those tapes were everywhere as were bootleg copies of games and episodes of NBA Inside Stuff. Players, parents, and coaches were watching and studying those things.

What makes today different is that players can watch on the court via mobile devices. It is now a lot easier to break out a video at the park than it was back in the day (cause your mom was not letting you take the TV and VCR out of the house).

Competitiveness

[Nidi62]

It's not really Youtube so much as it is the competition has simply been getting better younger. In the case of basketball you have national AAU tournaments allowing kids to play in a competitive environment year-round. This can also be seen in baseball with the increase in national tournaments, both metal and wood bat. The competition level is also improving because kids are simply getting bigger faster. Whether through better diets, increased knowledge of exercise and strength training, or simple evolution, the size level of kids is just more than it was even a few decades ago. Take football: a couple decades ago 6ft 250lbs would be considered big for an NFL lineman. Now you have high school kids well over 6 ft and pushing 300lbs, and they're strong and quick.

Performance enhancing drugs

[sjbe]

By the same token, Tom Brady is pushing past 40 and still making it to Super Bowls.

Performance enhancing drugs are a marvelous thing. Maybe he's clean but I doubt it.

Re:Errr Okay

[ceoyoyo]

Slashdot: Political rantings for cranky old men. Plus a story that mentions a website now and then.

Not just the NBA, it's fitness in general, too

[Rick Schumann]

Back in the early 90's, when I was trying to figure out the whole 'fitness' and 'weight loss' thing, before the Internet became an easily and cheaply accessible thing, access to good and recent information wasn't anywhere near as easy, so I got sent down the wrong roads by bad information or just a plain lack of information. I doubt I'm the only one who had that experience, either. Since the Internet however there is plenty of information available easily and quickly; sadly you have to have a 'let the buyer beware' attitude towards such information found on the Internet, but otherwise it's much easier to be healthier, fitter, and of course a better athlete because of ease of access to relevant information -- assuming you're driven enough to actually do it all and aren't just looking for a 'quick fix', and I say that because we've got an obesity problem in first-world countries and all sorts of health problems, but they're not because of lack of information, they're because of lack of desire to actually do anything about those problems if it requires thought or work, apparently.

Re:Not just the NBA, it's fitness in general, too

[bazorg]

Pro sports are great at demonstrating what changes in society without having to wait decades to take new measurements.

The NBA did not have a lot of foreign born players in Jordan's day. The Bosman ruling in Europe confirmed that a football club with a broad talent pool for its recruitment will have an advantage in relation to regional/local clubs.

Looking at photos of what were considered strong players in the 1980s, I get the impression that now any semi-pro is bulkier. The NBA slam dunk contest apparently is losing viewers because more and more players can replicate what the best pros can do, and obviously a "specialist dunk artist" from youtube can do things that a more well-rounded basketball player doesn't have time to train.

It's globalisation in action, Youtube just lets people see the results with ease.

Should be on /., but...

[turp182]

A lot of it is based on better training and club teams for younger players.

A coworker of mine has a 9 year old in a Premiere club league sponsored by a large company. Their soccer field area has about 15 fields and several buildings (it is professional level for adults, they have Dr.s on staff). And the team is very good, they play regular games and even tourneys with kids a year older (called "playing up", and they win 95%+ of the time).

They have been visited by Olympic representatives and other teams are trying to court her. She has a personal trainer and plays a soccer variant (futsal) in the winter (heavier ball, small hard court, focus on foot skills).

And I meant "shoudn't"

[turp182]

Sorry about that.

Re:People Still Watch the NBA?

[goose-incarnated]

NBA viewership is near an all-time high.

In absolute numbers or as a percentage of population? Because last I checked sports viewership is at the lowest rate in decades.

Not that unusual-Instant nerd: just add water.

[Anonymous Coward]

Shouldn't this phenomenon be happening across ALL human endeavors? Heck even the nerds should be getting better, sooner.

Comment

[WallyL]

Wow, I have no idea who most of those people are. Could you give me a car analogy, please?

It's about access to information

[rsilvergun]

it doesn't get much nerdier than that. Thanks to the internet kids have information they didn't have before. A bad couch can be shown to be a bad coach by a skilled student and they can move on or learn on their own.

When I was a kid learning to code I hit a wall over something silly on my old C64. Years later I went back to it and had a good laugh that I couldn't understand it (It was just C64 basic data statements, it didn't make sense to my 11 year old brain that I could enter the statements at the end of the program and read the data at the front). If I'd had Stack overflow back then I'd have posted, taken a few lumps for being a dumb kid and got on with programming.

That's a huge technological change. We'd probably see it everywhere if we looked. And that's just talking about how it impacts people's success in life. The political ramifications to widespread access to information are crazy. I can find a list of every lie my President & Congress critter told since their term started. I can find evidence of climate change and how many people have died of Marijuana overdoes. There's a ton of things that, so long as I can think critically, I can confirm.

We're just at the tip of the iceberg that is the information age. The only thing that worries me is the powers that be are going to get tired of it disrupting their little fiefdoms and try to shut it all down. You're already seeing this with the end of Net Neutrality...

Re:Errr Okay

[cascadingstylesheet]

Maybe some rebranding in Slashdot is going on. "Slashdot: News for athletes and other boring trivial stuff."

But, it's athletes ... on the internet!!! (YouTube)

These young folks are so "techie"! All we oldsters knew how to do was program our own games on our Vic20s ... but these kids know how to use YouTube!!! Skills!

You can see why age discrimination happens, I mean come on.

Re:Performance enhancing diapers

[mnemotronic]

Testosterone infused Pampers. We got 3 year olds here that can bench 100 lbs. That kid over there, Jimmy, can squat 250. He's not even four. He's crankin 12 seconds for a hundred meters. That kid is gonna rip assholes in the olympics by the time he's 10.

Maybe...but consider this

[erp_consultant]

The rule changes have had a big effect on the modern NBA game. Hand checking is no longer allowed. Same for zone defenses. Travelling, at least for star players, is almost never called anymore. The fans want to see dunks, not plays halted by travelling calls.

The modern game is a lot more about isolation plays and 3 point shots.

Better shoes, better training and nutrition certainly help. With expansion, the talent is more watered down so the star players can exploit that.

If Wilt Chamberlain were playing today he would destroy these guys.