basketball - physique vs skill

there's this thread around here ranting about certain ethnical issue in NBA. i don't want to talk about race, but it got me thinking about which is more important to a basketball player? physique or skill?

in my opinion, a basketball player's physique (mainly height and body mass) is his/her most definitive and must-have criterion, because skill is something you can pick up and refine, but you can't learn height. i discovered this the hard way back in the days when i played basketball for years in high school, where i saw how easily big guys with average skills could own the paint where the game matters the most, not to mention the defensive edge they have over smaller players. one of them told me something i never forget - screw all the tall-tales about skill. in basketball, you're nobody if you're not tall.

what about you? do you agree that physique matters more than skill in this sports? what about other sports you play?

Ethnical?

Skill is the most important. If you don't have the skills it won't matter how tall you are. But you can be 5'3" and still be amazing if you have the skills to back it up....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhCw_7IIjIY

Height and size are still very important though obviously. Height may still give someone an advantage over someone who has more skill.

You need both to be amazing. In positions like center and PF yes size is very important. Guards not so much but it will be a plus to have a size advantage no doubt.

. try getting a 7 footer to shoot a three and see what happens...UglyDude_07

He is as good as any 3 point shooter in the game its all about natural skill and how much effort you put in it to improve.

but, as i say, you can't learn height. with training, a big guy has the potential to be as skillful as anyone, but when you're significantly shorter you have no future especially when you go pro. that's why nobody cares about Boykins.

[QUOTE="UglyDude_07"]. try getting a 7 footer to shoot a three and see what happens...kidsmelly

He is as good as any 3 point shooter in the game its all about natural skill and how much effort you put in it to improve.

Skill...without a doubt.... I own tall, clumsy amateurs on the court and I'm just 6 foot flat... try getting a 7 footer to shoot a three and see what happens...UglyDude_07

and if they're not clumsy and they train as hard as you do? THAT's what i'm getting at.

Dirk is a freak of nature...but typically, they struggle shooting threes because their hands are too HUGE....so I win...

UglyDude_07

Darn clumsy Yao Ming at the 3 FTL.

[QUOTE="UglyDude_07"]Skill...without a doubt.... I own tall, clumsy amateurs on the court and I'm just 6 foot flat... try getting a 7 footer to shoot a three and see what happens...Jinroh_basic

and if they're not clumsy and they train as hard as you do? THAT's what i'm getting at.

but, as i say, you can't learn height. with training, a big guy has the potential to be as skillful as anyone, but when you're significantly shorter you have no future especially when you go pro. that's why nobody cares about Boykins.

Jinroh_basic

If you have two people that have trained equally and have relatively equal skill levels then of course height will be the deciding factor (as is the case with someone like Boykins vs. other taller NBA PG's). You can't learn height but height isn't what makes a good basketball player... it's the combination of height and skill.

[QUOTE="Jinroh_basic"]

[QUOTE="UglyDude_07"]Skill...without a doubt.... I own tall, clumsy amateurs on the court and I'm just 6 foot flat... try getting a 7 footer to shoot a three and see what happens...UglyDude_07

and if they're not clumsy and they train as hard as you do? THAT's what i'm getting at.

it's more Kobe vs AI in my mind, and personally i'd pick Kobe - or any other taller, more muscular A list guards - over AI.

it's more Kobe vs AI in my mind, and personally i'd pick Kobe - or any other taller, more muscular A list guards - over AI.

Jinroh_basic

Well if we are talking about if both players have the same skill level then yes size well be a big factor.

I believe skill is very important but having physique helps a lot.. Ex. Deron William

[QUOTE="Jinroh_basic"]

but, as i say, you can't learn height. with training, a big guy has the potential to be as skillful as anyone, but when you're significantly shorter you have no future especially when you go pro. that's why nobody cares about Boykins.

Orlando_Magic

If you have two people that have trained equally and have relatively equal skill levels then of course height will be the deciding factor (as is the case with someone like Boykins vs. other taller NBA PG's). You can't learn height but height isn't what makes a good basketball player... it's the combination of height and skill.

and since players on the same level go through roughly the same amount of training, i argue that height ultimately becomes the most decisive criterion.

the reason i'm so insistent is that many seem to have an unrealistic perception about "skill". i think the grim reality is that not everything is fair in sports, and the best of the best are born before they are made.

If all NBA players go through roughly the same amount of training then how come all of the tallest players in the NBA are not the best players in the NBA....

I think about it the complete opposite way. Players at each position are all roughly the same height. PG's around 6'2", SG around 6'6", SF around 6'8", PF around 6'10" and center around 7' tall. Since players in the NBA are matched up with other players of similar size, skill becomes the main point of differentiation.

Skill is the most important. If you don't have the skills it won't matter how tall you are. But you can be 5'3" and still be amazing if you have the skills to back it up....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhCw_7IIjIY

Height and size are still very important though obviously. Height may still give someone an advantage over someone who has more skill.

Orlando_Magic

Wow I never knew there was someone that short in the NBA, what an amazing player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJYhV7A4ExY&feature=related- also this, guy dunks and he's only 5' 9", pretty impressive.

that shows at my school. All the centers are huge but all 3 of them suck, the coaches thought they were good because they were tall.

Skill is the most important. If you don't have the skills it won't matter how tall you are. But you can be 5'3" and still be amazing if you have the skills to back it up....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhCw_7IIjIY

Height and size are still very important though obviously. Height may still give someone an advantage over someone who has more skill.

Orlando_Magic

Everything that guy says basically

Skill > Physique.