From James to Paul, the future value of NBA veterans!

In the past basketball world, age often represented a decline. When players pass by 30, the outside world begins to slide and age to describe them; and when 35 comes, most players' careers are almost in the countdown. But looking at the NBA today, it seems that this traditional impression is gradually breaking.

James is about to enter his 23rd season, but he still maintains the top level; Chris Paul is already 40 years old and can still play a value as a tactical brain in a playoff team; even veterans like Horford and Lowry, who are not very famous, can play a key role in the team. Under such a phenomenon, for the modern NBA, veterans are no longer just spiritual leaders who cheer on the sidelines, they still seem to have the value of changing the game. Compared with the past, the biggest variable in a player's career is no longer just talent, but also technological advancement.

In the past, players had very limited awareness of recovery. Larry Bird declined early in the 1980s due to back injury, and Ewing regressed sharply in the late 1990s due to knee problems. These are all related to the lack of medical rehabilitation technology and inadequate training methods at that time. However, to this day, league players are strictly controlled almost 24 hours a day.

James invests more than 1 million yuan in physical care every year, including investments in private chefs, professional therapists, rehabilitation equipment, etc. This is also the key to his ability to score high points in a game at the age of 40. In contrast, players in the 1980s and 1990s rely more on their willpower and talent to maintain their career length, and rarely have scientific management. This is why today's players can extend their peak and still be an important role in the team by the age of 40.

In addition to scientifically extending career life, the transformation of tactical roles is also the key to the veteran being able to continue the key roles. James, who is over 40 years old, is still the core of the Lakers, but unlike in the early years, he no longer uses explosive power to hit the penalty area in every game, but uses more transmission and high-level control to control the game. He no longer breaks the penalty area as strongly as before, and turns into a tall ball-handling character to revitalize the entire team.

Chris Paul's case is more typical. As one of the most offensive point guards in the past, it has now declined with age, but the value of ball intelligence and tactical vision is still obvious. Although the Spurs had limited playing time last season, they still kept the team stable offensive while on the court. The value of this tactical brain is difficult for many young players to replace. Another example is Horford, who, although he is 39 years old, can still play the role of defensive core and space-based inside in the Celtics. Excellent game experience allows him to know how to choose a defensive position and how to open up the offensive space. These small details are often the difference between whether a team can decide success or failure in the playoffs.

In addition to on-field performance, the veteran's locker room value is equally important.

Haslem has almost no playing time in the last five years, but he is still regarded as an irreplaceable spiritual leader by the Heat. His role is to protect the team culture and ensure that young players can understand and accept the importance of Heat culture; Iguodala also played such a role after returning to the Warriors for the second time. Although his performance on the court was not as good as before, he could guide young players through experience.

These cases are enough to see the value of veterans. In addition to personal data, the inheritance of game experience and the continuation of team culture are more important. Judging from the data, a veteran may not have made much positive contributions, but he cannot be without them in the locker room.

In addition, veterans can not only generate value in the locker room, but they are also the team's economic assets.

For the Lakers, James is not only a veteran of the Lakers, but also a huge commercial brand of the team. In every game, fans buy tickets because of him, and the ratings of the game will also increase due to him. The team is willing to give him a high salary not only because of his contribution on the field, but also because of the additional commercial value he brings to the team.

At the same time, even if the data of stars such as Chris Paul and Curry declined in their later years, they can still maintain their exposure for a long time through business cooperation and media influence. Compared with the past, stars such as Iverson and McGrady in the 2000s had no team willing to make long-term contracts in their later years, partly because the market's attitude towards veterans was not as mature as it is now. Today's NBA teams know better how to transform veterans' value into off-court contributions.

Of course, the value of veteran players is not undisputed. The first thing to be affected is the risk of injury. The older the player is, the longer the injury recovery time; at the same time, the team's salary structure is also a challenge. For those stars who are nearly 40 years old, are they worth the team's spending tens of millions to sign?

Westbrook is a very negative example. Although he has accepted the basic salary, he still encountered many difficulties in his transformation. His personal data and performance on the field are obviously not as good as before, and there are constant controversies off the field. Even though he seemed to have successfully transformed in the Nuggets last season, he is still not accepted by the league. To this day, no team is willing to take over him.

, even Wall, who is the same type as Westbrook, has long been ignored due to injuries and has previously announced that he has retired from the high-end jersey. These special circumstances also show that veterans’ values ​​need to be correctly positioned, rather than blindly expecting them.

Looking back at NBA history, in the 1980s and 90s, Jabbar was one of the few stars who could still play at the age of 40. Most of the stars, such as Bird, Ewing, Olajuwon, etc., showed a significant decline at around 35 years old. Kobe and Nowitzki in the 2000s lasted for 20 seasons, but in the later stage, they were more of the team's spirit label.. At the moment, veterans such as James, Paul, and Horford can still play an important role in the championship team.

comparison is enough to show that the NBA has entered a new era where senior players are still participating in competition.

Looking to the future, with the advancement of the sports system and science and technology, will there be more players who can play until after the age of 40? At present, Curry, Durant and others may be potential long-lived stars, and even highly talented players like Wenban Yama who were strictly scientifically managed when they were young. Is it possible that they will play until they are over 45 years old in the future? These are all things that can happen.

Perhaps soon, the NBA will enter an era of overlap between the old and the new, and perhaps we will see the wonderful scenes of 20-year-old rookies competing with 40-year-old veterans.