It's true that several significant changes that have occurred over the last few decades. The "Mark Jackson" rule, the changes in permissible defenses, the hand-check rule, all have played a role in altering the way teams look to score and defend. So, have these changes marked the death knell for the romanticized "NBA big man?"
Well, it depends on what that phrase means. The most basic definition would likely be the "20 and 10" stat line of a true big man.
Over the last 30+ years, an average of roughly five players have averaged 20 and 10 during the regular season. The early 90's clearly had a lot of guys that fit this criteria, and 2009-2013 clearly had a lower number. But this season? Back to the average number, with guys like Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, DeMarcus Cousins, Anthony Davis, and Blake Griffin.
Seeing the numbers, and noting the relative youth of all the guys in this year's 20-10 club, I'd say it's highly unlikely that the NBA big man is gone. If anything, it looks about how it has for some time, with guys like Dwight Howard, David Lee, and Nikola Pekovic just knocking on the door this year. But, somehow I can already hear a response brewing...
"Yeah, but it's not just about the numbers. These guys today aren't playing down low, they're floating around the outside shooting jumpers. They're not banging in the post, using old school post moves."
Since I can't condense 30+ years of games into anything anyone would take seriously, I'll just change the rules a little. Assuming that NBA players still shoot better from in close than further out, there should be a simple tweak to prove this out.
If you add the criteria that players had to shoot at least 50% from the field, the numbers change, but the idea is the same. Instead of averaging five guys per season, it's a little over three per season. Again, the early 90's had a lot of guys on this list, but in 2014, the number looks a lot like it has for every other period... two guys this year (Davis and Griffin).
There's several other ways that you can try to cut this list, but it ends up looking very similar.The league today has the same number of guys averaging double-doubles (12) as it has since 1984 (average: 11). If you add guys averaging 20, 10, 50% from the field, and at least one block per game, the league has the same number of guys today (3) as it has since 1984 (average: 3).
I think the answer to this question isn't necessarily as clear as everyone would want. Does every team have a seven foot center that blocks shots, shoots only jump hooks, and produces huge stats exclusively from inside the lane? No. But it's doubtful that was ever the case. The game has changed a lot, and there are a variety of ways that NBA big men can play effectively today. But the NBA big man has not disappeared. And anyone who tries to argue something similar may be on the wrong end of this.
