Popovich: Golden State's small-ball offense is an 'anomaly'
In the modern NBA, the center position is slowly being phased out by teams electing to go small and move the ball in up-tempo offenses with plenty of shooting and a ton of scoring.
The days of big men dominating the league are seemingly a thing of the past. The Golden State Warriors are at the forefront of this renaissance, utilizing a player like 6-foot-7 Draymond Green at the center position on occasion, most noticeably in Steve Kerr's "death lineup."
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich doesn't believe that strategy is the wave of the future that will forever change the way teams operate, though.
"Golden State is an anomaly, with the group of players they have," Popovich said on Wednesday, according to the San Antonio Express-News' Jeff McDonald. "And they're a monster. Definitely the toughest team in the league to guard. But the rest of us poor fools, 29 of us, are kind of hybrid. Everybody tries to be flexible. No team is going to be all big or all small.
"Every game, teams play small for a while, they play big for a while. That's the way it is. That's the truth."
The Spurs' roster bolsters two elite All-Star big men in LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol, who not only know how to work efficiently with their backs to the basket, but also stretch the floor with the mid-range game. It's a formula that's suited San Antonio well in the past, with the likes of David Robinson and Tim Duncan towering over the NBA for many years en route to five championships for the franchise.
Instead of simply going small, other teams are finding those bigs who show flexibility on offense, whether it's shooting, playmaking, or getting up and down the hardwood. The likes of Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Davis fit that bill to a T.
Considering Golden State's lack of size, perhaps pounding the ball with his frontcourt stars is the best course of action for Popovich as he looks to knock off a team many have pegged as the clear-cut favorite to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy in 2016-17.