05-20-2026, 10:27 AM
(05-20-2026, 10:09 AM)mvossman Wrote: Will they? Hartenstein is a very good player but he is getting played off the court in the playoffs. If anything we may be seeing a shift in what teams will look for in big men, specifically mobility.
Personally, I question whether a mobile big man isn't an oxymoron.
NBA history is replete with examples of really tall guys that were considered "mobile", but ended up with limited careers due to injury. Sampson, Chandler, Walton, Ming, Oden, Sabonis, etc. Despite his titles, even Durant has missed significant time due to injuries, and I will argue he's not considered very "mobile" now. I guess you could include Lively as a recent example. Even high-flying guards end up flying lower after a few seasons (e.g., D. Rose, J. Morant) TBH, I worry a little about Coops game and wouldn't mind seeing him improve his mid-range to avoid some of the aerial contact his drives involve.
I'm not wishing for bad luck for Wemby, I think he's playing in a unique space right now and we'll see how he holds up over the next few years, but I think you have to be careful using him as a prototype to build around.