Mark Jackson explains why there is less basketball IQ in the NBA nowadays: "We were not as talented"
There are lots of different qualities or traits that make up NBA-caliber basketball players. However, among them all, you can make a case that basketball IQ is the most important of the bunch, as you need to know how to play the game properly in order to become great at it.
Everybody has some form of basketball IQ, but guys who are advanced in their knowledge of the game have an inherent advantage over their opponents. If you ask Mark Jackson, though, there’s one big reason why there isn’t as much basketball IQ in the league as there once was.
Mark explains the change
Jackson is the perfect example of how basketball IQ can help you make a career in the sport. Mark was never the most talented player on the floor, but he understood the game quite well, and that helped him run his team’s offense at the controls as their point guard.
Nowadays, though, there isn’t as much emphasis on basketball IQ as there once was. According to Jackson, that’s because players making it to the league are so talented that they don’t necessarily need to know the game as well.
“It has diminished, and I’m saying that not as an old-school hater, but a respectful individual,” Jackson said on 'The Mark Jackson Show.' “Has the talent and skill level raised? Yes. I’m not hating on old school by saying these guys today are more talented and more skilled than old school…but because we were not as talented, skill wise, athletic wise, think about me. If I was born with the skill level of some of these guys today, I’d have never made it.”
“It forced me to attempt to get as close to being a basketball savant, a basketball genius, to put me in position to play. I had to be smarter than those guys on the court, or I couldn’t succeed. I had to know, be put in every situation by watching the game, studying the game, and preparing for the game, that I had all the answers. Now that don’t mean I was gonna be successful, but it wasn’t gonna be because I didn’t know what to do,” Mark added.
Is the diminishing basketball IQ of the NBA a bad thing?
Jackson makes a very good point, but it’s interesting to see that he doesn’t necessarily frame it as a bad thing. Typically, this would seem like an old-school player complaining about the state of the game, but that isn’t necessarily what Mark is saying.
Guys in the league obviously know how to play basketball, but the emphasis on training and developing skills is far more advanced than it was back in the day. In a way, it’s somewhat of a substitute for further studying and reviewing the game.
Rather than watching loads of film, players are working harder than ever to build up their physique and improve their skills in the gym. When they find themselves in an adverse situation in the game, they can use their abilities to bail themselves out in a way that Jackson couldn’t.
We still see some guys who rely on their advanced knowledge of the game to help them excel nowadays, but the increased talent level has diminished the overall basketball IQ of the NBA. It’s not a bad thing, but it will be interesting to see if this trend continues over the next few years.
