Do weight and strength matter in basketball?

[Expedite]

The first and only entire basketball game I have ever watched in my life was when I watched an Atlanta Hawks game live on November 16, 2022 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.  So I am no basketball expert.  I have thought a lot about basketball, and I have a theory.

I have a theory that a basketball player's weight and strength might help him in a basketball game, and, conversely, my theory is that a basketball player's very low body weight and/or weak physical strength would limit a basketball player's capabilities.  Here's what I base my theory on:  When basketball players make a running jump to slam dunk a basketball, the bodies of the players on defense frequently end up colliding with the ball carriers' bodies when the defensive players jump up to block the ball carriers' slam dunks.  As a hypothetical example, let's say the ball carrier is 6'8" and weighs 275 pounds, and let's say that the defensive player trying to block the slam dunk is also 6'8" but he is extremely skinny and only weighs, say, 180 pounds.  The ball carrier weighs 95 pounds more than the defensive player.  The 275 pound ball carrier makes a running jump to make a slam dunk.  When the 275 pound ball carrier's body inadvertently collides with the 180 pound defensive player's body in mid-air, isn't the superior momentum of the 275 pound ball carrier going to push the body of the 180 pound defensive player backwards when they collide so that the 275 pound ball carrier keeps flying towards the hoop?  Conversely, if the 180 pound player was the ball carrier making a running jump to attempt a slam dunk, and if the 180 pound ball carrier's body collided with the 275 pound defensive player in mid-air, wouldn't the 275 pound defensive player's body likely stop the 180 pound ball carrier's body from making it to the basketball hoop?  I deduced this theory when thinking about how often basketball player's bodies collide in mid-air when a ball carrier makes a running jump to make a slam dunk.

 

This is a little bit analagous to me of how weight/strength determines which linemen push the other linemen backwards in football.  

Am I basically correct here that weight would be a factor in basketball due to mid-air collisions when ball carriers make running jumps to slam dunk?

Can anyone give me any interesting anecdotes about how weight alone has helped or hindered NBA players or college basketball players when making running jumps to slam dunk?
 

[Gray Mule]

YES!

[Expedite]

15 minutes ago, Gray Mule said:

YES!

According to your profile, you've been a basketball fan since 1950.  That's 72 years!  So you must be very knowledgeable about this. Can you elaborate on how weight and strength matter in basketball?

Edited December 13, 2022 by Expedite

[Gray Mule]

Yep.  Been on the trip around the sun a few times!

Inside, around the rim, bigger, more musclar players can hold their position and not be pushed around.  This applies on either offense or defense.  Speed, quickness matters to players who are not near the goal and they can often get around these big players.  But, is they are wise, they will not attempt to run them over.

[AHF]

25 minutes ago, Expedite said:

According to your profile, you've been a basketball fan since 1950.  That's 72 years!  Can you elaborate on how weight and strength matter in basketball?

Here is my take.  Basketball is a versatile enough sport that you see all body types and they have different pro's and con's.  Weight and strength go directly towards how easy you are to move and how easily you can move people.  If you think of players like Shaquille O'Neal their strength is what defined their dominance.  Shaq could knock people off balance with ease and then score on them and could own the space around the basket for defensive position, rebounding, etc. 

Someone like Charles Barkley was an elite rebounder in large part due to his weight and strength - it was why he had the nickname the "round mound of rebound" because he could use his wider frame to establish a rock solid center of gravity and he was very difficult to move.

Other plays have been more "string bean" types like Reggie Miller and very successful but Reggie didn't do it through his athleticism and strength - he did it by outworking the opponent, dancing through screen after screen, and having a deadly shot.

When you lack strength, it is very challenging if you are a big man playing an inside position because it becomes very easy to move you and to disrupt what you are trying to do on either end of the floor.  Big men without the necessary weight and strength tend to be more similar to large guards (think of someone like Bol Bol or his father Manute Bol for an extreme example of that) since they can't do the traditional "big man" things near the basket. 

For wings and guards, it can mean that they have trouble staying on their line as they try to drive, they can be targets to be posted up (where the opposing wing or guard will bang into them near the basket to get a favorable shot close to the rim), etc.

That said, it tends to be less problematic for guards and wings because their speed and agility tend to be more necessary characteristics for their success than pure strength but successful players who have a significant strength advantage can absolutely find ways to use that.

Guys like LeBron James have a ton of different tools that make them successful but strength is absolutely one of them.

 

[shakes]

when I started my obsession with playing basketball I was 18 years old and 5'10 and 250 lbs.    I thought I was a decent player, but in fact I was pretty terrible and just didn't realize it.   Then when I was 23 I lost 80 lbs and when I got back on the court I was instantly about 30x better than I was before the weight loss.   I went from being the 8th best player on the court to the 1st or 2nd in every game I played.

 

So yes, weight makes a big difference.

[Wretch]

Skill and intangibles are going to play a much larger role than height, weight, and even athleticism.  An anomalous example of this is Zion Williamson.  His height and weight would normally be a non-starter for a professional basketball career, but his strength and athleticism compensate for that and actually puts him at an amazing advantage. 

Larry Bird is another example where skill trumps physical attributes.  People routinely argue that Larry, being Caucasian and unathletic, wouldn't be able to dominate today's game the way he did in the 80's.  However, they completely overlook the fact that Luka Doncic is torching the league on a nightly basis with similar "shortcomings."

Trae is the smallest guy on the court and his game is at the rim and in the paint/midrange.  Consequently, he sees a lot of bodies (sometimes VERY large defenders) and takes a lot of contact in the lane.  People say his slight frame hinders his ability to finish and yet, he manages to maintain a place among the top scorers in the league.

So weight and strength matter, but skill is by far the more desirable attribute.  Suppose three very good wing prospects were available to you in the draft.  Pick one for your team, click the link, then go look at the players you passed on.

Player A: 6'6" 215lbs
Player B: 6'8" 225lbs
Player C: 6'9" 237lbs

 

[AHF]

4 minutes ago, Wretch said:

Skill and intangibles are going to play a much larger role than height, weight, and even athleticism.  An anomalous example of this is Zion Williamson.  His height and weight would normally be a non-starter for a professional basketball career, but his strength and athleticism compensate for that and actually puts him at an amazing advantage. 

Larry Bird is another example where skill trumps physical attributes.  People routinely argue that Larry, being Caucasian and unathletic, wouldn't be able to dominate today's game the way he did in the 80's.  However, they completely overlook the fact that Luka Doncic is torching the league on a nightly basis with similar "shortcomings."

Trae is the smallest guy on the court and his game is at the rim and in the paint/midrange.  Consequently, he sees a lot of bodies (sometimes VERY large defenders) and takes a lot of contact in the lane.  People say his slight frame hinders his ability to finish and yet, he manages to maintain a place among the top scorers in the league.

So weight and strength matter, but skill is by far the more desirable attribute.  Suppose three very good wing prospects were available to you in the draft.  Pick one for your team, click the link, then go look at the players you passed on.

Player A: 6'6" 215lbs
Player B: 6'8" 225lbs
Player C: 6'9" 237lbs

 

In fairness, I would guess the Player C you posted was the weakest of that group by a sizable margin.  Definitely an example of size not equating to strength.  

[JayBirdHawk]

Good topic.

[Alf]

Matters some sure but being technical with good bball knowledge and having a good shooting stroke is more important imo.

[shakes]

I bet Trae would be a better shooter if he spent the summer lifting weights.   most of his shots are long distance and off balance.  Often times his miss is front of the rim.    Seems obvious to me he needs a little more strength to get that ball over the rim more consistently.

[Spud2nique]

Or skilled like a mug .

[Spud2nique]

On 12/13/2022 at 12:36 PM, shakes said:

I bet Trae would be a better shooter if he spent the summer lifting weights. 

-nobody ever

[Expedite]

Wouldn't Trae Young be an excellent example of a lighter, weaker player who gets jostled around and cannot hold his position under the low post? Trae weighs only 164 pounds. Trae Young has no muscles to speak of.

[Wretch]

17 minutes ago, Expedite said:

Wouldn't Trae Young be an excellent example of a lighter, weaker player who gets jostled around and cannot hold his position under the low post? Trae weighs only 164 pounds. Trae Young has no muscles to speak of.

Dennis Rodman is also an example - and his game was literally to defend bigger players.  Moreover, they both get it done despite what they give up in size.  Skill is always going to trump physical size.  In fact, being average with positional skills while being a specific size and having a lot of athleticism will make you a classic "tweener."  Hard fits with lower career expectations and most often, less desirable. 

See Antawn Jamison and Josh Smith as case study PF/SF tweeners.

[AHF]

3 hours ago, Expedite said:

Wouldn't Trae Young be an excellent example of a lighter, weaker player who gets jostled around and cannot hold his position under the low post? Trae weighs only 164 pounds. Trae Young has no muscles to speak of.

Yes.  You will pretty much never see Trae trying to post someone up or trying to defend the low post.  He gets his interior points not through strength but by using his agility and ballhandling skills to get past his man and to the basket.  

The reason I don't think Trae is necessary a great example of a player who is lighter and weaker is because point guards aren't generally expected to be able to physically bully people or to play in the post.  So the fact that he can't do it well doesn't make him stand out from the many other PGs who also can't hold their own in low post situations.  He is lighter and weaker but that stands out less as a guard than it does as a forward or center.

[Spud2nique]

4 hours ago, AHF said:

He is lighter and weaker but that stands out less as a guard than it does as a forward or center.

Ya like for example our own @kg01 is 7’5” and 133 points soaking wet, imagine the dude in OKC, Poku, but way more exaggerated, like that ish stands out when he posts up lil Tattoo Fantasy Island mafckers. 

[Expedite]

5 hours ago, AHF said:

Yes.  You will pretty much never see Trae trying to post someone up or trying to defend the low post.  He gets his interior points not through strength but by using his agility and ballhandling skills to get past his man and to the basket.  

The reason I don't think Trae is necessary a great example of a player who is lighter and weaker is because point guards aren't generally expected to be able to physically bully people or to play in the post.  So the fact that he can't do it well doesn't make him stand out from the many other PGs who also can't hold their own in low post situations.  He is lighter and weaker but that stands out less as a guard than it does as a forward or center.

 

What does "post someone up" mean?

[Spud2nique]

1 hour ago, Expedite said:

 

What does "post someone up" mean?

Should I take this one? … I better not. So, you back that azz up.. and uhhhh, @kg01 lil help here.. 

[Diesel]

POST AI... No.  Not that much. 

Yao Ming was not the best player of his time.   I don't think he was even close.   Not even the best Center of his time.   Again not even close. 

Skill can overcome size and weight.. every day of the week. 

MJ is the GOAT...  Not incredibly tall, not incredibly strong.  He was not a Wilt Chamberlain or a Shaq..  However, he's the GOAT because he was incredibly skilled. 

If you want a lesson on Size and Strength vs. Skill..  Watch Hakeem vs. Shaq in the finals.