Better defense, lack of fundamentals and discpline. + lot of the teams hoist up less then 80 shots. Despite the zone defense, there's still alot of iso's which take a lot of time off the clock. I've seen so many bricks even when their open as well. There's a plague of nonconcentration with many of the players when having an open look.
Mid Range Games That list of current players that I have mentioned was not an entire list, but a short one of a few of the players with MRG's. This list is a solid, but some are questionable Rip Hamilton(Yes) Sam Cassell(Yes) Chris Webber(No, he has a solid shot, but most of his most dangerous repetoire is down low, where he should be dominating with his body and skills) Ray Allen(Yes) Michael Redd(Yes) Allan Houston(Yes) Kobe Bryant(Yes, the best in the league right now) Steve Nash(Yes) Dirk Nowitzki(Yes) Tim Duncan(Yes, but he doesn not use it often, but then again, with his low post game, why would he need to) Kevin Garnett(Yes, too good for a player his size) Michael Finley(Questionable) Mike Bibby(Yes) Peja Stojakovic(No, More of a pure shooter who can still be contained, still has trouble creating his own shot) Andre Miller (that's all he hes)-No he has more than that Marquis Daniels, his whole game is based on the mid-range J Joe Johnson(Yes) Laterll Sprewell(Yes) Paul Pierce's is okay but not that good-No, he' good Zach Randolph(Questionable) Glenn Robinson(Yes) Shareef Abdur-Rahim(Yes) Rasheed Wallace(Yes, especially a few years ago) Richard Jefferson(I have yet to see it) The list goes on... No it doesn't. In today's the best players are the ones with the best MRG's ,that is one of the reasons why they are the best. In the past, a good portion of the other classes of players had mid range games, where today's NBA the lower tier players do not have these games. Classes of players Superstars(Top 10)-Yes All Stars(1-24)-Yes Good Players(25-75)-Some Average Players(76-175)-A few Below Average Players(176+)-Not many Actually, I don't think the shooting is poor at all, when players are actually getting good looks most shots are falling, but IMO the shooting is worse nowadays because the defense is a lot better. It may not seem that way but when I look at the help defense now compared to maybe 10 years ago, it has really improved thus causing missed shots and turnovers. The midrange game has been less and less because star players can drive the lane and other players think they can do that too, but they mostly have to dish because of help defense. That why you have ball rotation, to counter help defense. The mid range game is suppose to compliment your inside game, actually initiate it. Shooting is so poor today's NBA because ZONE DEFENSE! No, only a few players in today's league are exceptional shooters. Look at the percentages, and view the play of the players and their shooting technique. They lost of reasons for poor shooting..but the biggest IMO is the overall lack of fundamentals and the over reliance on the one-on-one type game.The defense is not better than what it use to be. True, I made that point earlier. Even with that point, the quality of one on one players in the league is nowhere near what it was 10-15 years ago. I see very little creativity off the dribble in games from any players other than the best, as compared in the past. I do not mean flashy moves, a different variety of moves to counter exceptional defensive footwork. Most players only use crossovers and hesitations, even then they are not that effective. A few of the best examples Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Allen Iverson, Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley(who was once called one of the most unstoppable one on one players in the league in SLAM magazine)
Plain and simple...Defense is has gotten a lot better over the years. If you see the old tapes in the NBA, teams virtually got easy and open jumpers.
