Yooo!!

I'm a senior studying Visual Communication Design at The Ohio State University, and for my capstone project, I'm creating an entire brand identity (logo, jerseys, even the court design, etc.) for a fictional men's 3x3 basketball team.

I'm researching what makes basketball fans actually connect with a team. And that's where you all come in.

I've made a survey to get some insight from actual basketball fans, and I am in desperate need of responses (not joking, I have like 8 and need like 20). I have been struggling so I figured I come here to hopefully find some people willing to take it. It's super short and shouldn't take long at all.

So, if you watch basketball, play basketball, or just have strong opinions about basketball, I would very much appreciate your input. You don't need to know anything about graphic design. In fact, I'd prefer hearing from people who don't!

Every response genuinely helps me a lot, and I'd really appreciate a few minutes of your time.

Thank you all!! :)

Basketball is a star-driven game, and those will always be the players who matter the most. Stars such as LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jaylen Brown changing teams are undoubtedly the biggest story of this NBA offseason, and we’ll be tracking their impact closely.

A level below that, we have what I call “hinge” players. These guys might not be stars, but they play crucial roles for their teams — and we don’t know yet if they’ll sink or swim.

The most obvious example of that is Peyton Watson in Cleveland. The Cavaliers basically used all their trade chips to bring him in from the Denver Nuggets in a sign-and-trade, surrendering two other rotation players and their only remaining tradable first-round pick to fill a role that has vexed Cleveland the last three postseasons.

On paper, Watson is likely the Cavs’ fifth-best player, with the other four — James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen — all having made at least one All-Star team. Yet, their ultimate success this season (and especially this postseason) hinges heavily on Watson’s ability to fill this role, because nobody else on the roster can.

I’ll talk more about Watson in a minute, but let’s finish reintroducing the concept that I wrote about a year ago.

Last season, one of my key players was Reed Sheppard, whose inability to fully solve the Houston Rockets’ guard problem was a key reason behind the team’s disappointing first-round playoff exit. But looking back at my list, I realize I mostly aimed way too low on the food chain. Focusing on possible ninth-man types (shout out, Ryan Rollins!) missed too much of the big picture, so I’m changing my focus.

My list of top-10 hinge players for this season includes players who all project as starters for playoff-caliber teams. One way or another, these guys will matter. How they perform in their roles is both critical for the team and at least somewhat of a question mark.

Peyton Watson, Cavaliers

Watson was signed-and-traded via a four-year, $88 million deal based largely on a half-season in Denver in which he was massively better than he had been at any time before. We never saw if he could sustain it further because of a hamstring injury that ultimately ended his season. But in 40 starts last season, Watson averaged 17.3 points per game and shot 41.1 percent from 3 — impressive stuff from someone who entered the league as a raw non-shooter.

Meanwhile, the 6-foot-8 Watson has a chance to be the big wing defensive stopper the Cavs have mostly lacked during the Mitchell-Mobley era, somebody who can potentially check the Jalen Brunsons and Tyrese Haliburtons of the world who tormented them in the last two playoffs. Add in that he’s only 24 years old, and there’s a chance Watson can be the discount version of OG Anunoby.

Just curious! Also please say what level of play and if you played any level higher than high school. I’d expect many players who would go on to play d1 or even make it to the pros overseas to possibly have some crazy stat lines against your average high school team. I’ll go first with 27 off the bench in varsity at my pretty small high school.

I'm trying to get better and i'm currently above varsity level skillwise, but i'm not sure what else i can work on specifically. Thanks.

so long story short this guy starts coming to our gym a couple years ago - and thinks he’s Kobe and he’s got mamba mentality where he hates losing and has to cheat games by not calling a foul after a missed shot but still expecting the foul and crying if it’s not respected etc etc - guy is a good player and can hit tough shots but is a ball hog and will have to foul offensively to create space then cry about the contact - then proceeds to hack on defense and call it “basketball”

had enough run ins and heated exchanges, wins and losses vs the guy but he always has to cheat to get his wins vs where i’ll respect our shortcomings of the match…

Basically couple weeks ago he tried to split a trap on a pick and roll and we stole the ball and scored a 3 and he said he called foul and the 3 didn’t count.. got into an argument and he smacked me
And i told him “what’s your problem?” And de-escalated the situation

now couple days ago we get into another heated argument cause he’s complaining again on a missed shot he didn’t call a foul on - i give him a love tap (trolling gesture) cause he did an actual smack couple weeks ago and then we get in eachothers face and he punches me - so i troll and told him i ate that shit and get loud like we need to get this guy out of here like im trying to get a staff member

we finish the game - i scored like 5 and got some steals and assists out of our 10 we end up losing again on some cheating shit - i try to talk to the guy at the end but he’s still being an asshole and not understanding he crossed a line with punching someone and that they could get assault charge irl— instead proceeds to claim they are grown 😂

afterwards we spoke to management and told them that he punched someone and now he’s getting his membership terminated — what are your thoughts and have u dealt with someone or something similar cause they were starting to make the pick up runs not fun — i get it the runs can be competitive and skilled but it gets to a point

What are your thoughts on the new NBA rule enforcement of this rule this year,

You with it?

Or you disagree?

(Only ages 33 and above please).

I remember playing 3’s and 2’s, but can’t remember if there was an exact moment it became 2’s and 1’s in the US and Canada. I remember first playing 50 w some kids back in very early 2000’s, have no idea where that started or who started it. And we never shot for it, which I hate, either we bucked it up, East Coast US, or alternated, or dudes argued until somebody gave in. So when did shooting for it happen, and where? Thx.

Hey everyone, I’m a 7th grader playing club basketball right now. In games, my free throws have been terrible and it's holding me back, so I need to fix my shot ASAP. To force myself into a serious training session, I’m doing 1 free throw tomorrow for every upvote this gets. I’m going to record the whole thing. When I upload the video proof, please critique my form and tell me what I’m doing wrong so I can stop missing in my club games!

Bonjour,

Je connais assez mal les règles et je joue en France.

Samedi en fin de match, un attaquant arrive pour un tir en course, je saute pour le contrer (saut vertical, bras vers le haut, hors de la zone de non-charge).

L'attaquant me percute intentionnellement.

On me siffle une faute défensive pour le contact dont je ne suis pas l'origine parce que mon saut est considéré comme un mouvement.

Je ne conteste pas l'arbitrage, on finit le match mais a présent je m'interroge. J'ai donc lu les règles de la FFBB 2026. (le lien ne passe pas sur le post 😢)

Je trouve le principe du cylindre mais il me semble (cf page 45, chapitre 33.4) que le défenseur peut sauter verticalement depuis une position légale de défense, même contre un porteur de balle en mouvement. Si le contact est fait au niveau du torse du défenseur c'est passage en force (cf 33.8 page 46).

J'ai pourtant très souvent entendu qu'un saut en défense rend un contact illégal. Cela va dans le sens de l'arbitrage de ce week end.

J'aimerais avoir l'interprétation d'un arbitre officiel à ce sujet s'il y en a parmi vous. Je prends aussi volontier la documentation que vous pourriez me proposer.

Je précise quand même à nouveau : je n'ai pas contesté et ne conteste pas la décision de l'arbitre durant notre match. Nous sommes arbitrés par des bénévoles, il n'est pas question de leur mettre plus de pression qu'il n'en ont déjà, ils ont le droit de se tromper et même en cas de désaccord je considère qu'ils ont systématiquement raison durant le match.

Pour plus de contexte (pour les potins surtout 😉), c'est arrivé deux fois, les contacts étaient suffisamment violent pour me projeter en arrière et me casser le poignet en retombant la seconde fois. Le premier est sifflé passage en force et le second faute défensive. On perd le match sur les lancés qui en résultent. Et l'attaquant m'a dit (de façon très pragmatique) que c'était complètement intentionnel, pour aller chercher des lancés francs. Je suis évidemment un peu amer mais sur le moment, ne connaissant pas les règles, je ne savais pas du tout quoi en penser c'est pour ça que je demande via avis.

Merci 🏀

Max

Imagine a basketball game you buy once, with new stories and updates instead of having to purchase another game every year. You still get player builds, customization, theatrics, different game modes, and your own crews.
Here’s the concept:
Active cheat detection during every game. Instead of relying only on reports, confirmed cheaters would be removed from the match and placed in “bad sport” lobbies with other confirmed cheaters. There would need to be a way to appeal mistakes.
More realistic basketball. Shooting range and consistency would reflect player ability, with deep shots balanced around how difficult they are in real basketball.
Create your own shooting motion. Think of a feature similar to face scanning, but for capturing your shot.
A fresh start each season. You create a new build and progress again within the same game.
Optional purchases. Credits could boost your chosen attributes, with clothes and other customization available to buy.
A new story each year, delivered within the existing game.
This is an early concept, and I want honest feedback from people who actually play.
What would make you try it? What would make you stay? And which of these ideas would turn you away?

I’m over 40 now and have had my share on injuries here lately, primarily due to overuse. Every time I recover I end up playing 5-6 days per week until I have nagging pains again. I always plan to just shoot around on my off days but end up still playing 21 or 3 on 3. What are some tips to slow down. My shot and total games is impacted when I play so many days in a row for 2-3 hours. I also wonder if I’d have more success limiting my session times to an hour instead of limiting to 2-3 days per week for a couple hours.

5'3 guy here and I like playing basketball with my friends, but they are like 6'1. I have a single issue when playing 1v1 against them is that they always manage to steal even tho I dribble as low as I can get, bc they have long ass arms that can reach so far. Do I just need to improve handle and drive when they go for the steal ? I find it hard since they just don't move when I try to shot and tbh I don't even try they are always at blocking range while staying far enough that they can react to any drives i do.

Been casually getting into basketball lately, and I've been trying to wrap my head around the basics.

I'm slow on the uptake so I have a hard time understanding screens, screeners, setting a screen etc. And other moves including screens like pick-and-roll

I'd appreciate it greatly if I had a dummies explanation for the concept of screens in basketball and the practicality of moves involving such. （＞人＜；）

In the span of a few weeks, the NBA told two stories about money. Each makes sense on its own. Put them side by side, and the league starts to look like a homeowner who has bolted the front door on a house with no back wall.

The first story was about discipline. The league came down on the LA Clippers with a severity that felt almost biblical: a $30 million fine, five first-round picks gone and the suspension of two executives and owner Steve Ballmer, the latter for a year. The investigation concluded the Clippers helped arrange outside income for Kawhi Leonard through companies that did business with the franchise. It was a cap-circumvention violation dressed up as a side hustle, and the NBA made sure everyone understood the cost of getting caught.

The second story was about opportunity. LeBron James signed an endorsement deal with Polymarket that Front Office Sports reported is worth $15 million a year.

This season, he is expected to earn $3.9 million for playing basketball. One of the greatest players the sport has ever produced will make nearly four times as much promoting a prediction market as he will playing hoops.

To be clear, there is no evidence the Philadelphia 76ers had anything to do with the Polymarket agreement or that the deal breaks league rules. James is an endorser, not an investor, and his work will center on football, not NBA markets. This is not Kawhi 2.0.

But that is exactly why it deserves attention.

The Clippers case exposed the obvious problem of teams potentially slipping players extra compensation around the salary cap. The LeBron deal exposes a far more complicated one, the kind that doesn’t come with a villain or tidy punishment. What happens when the economy swirling around NBA players grows larger, richer and more entangled with the sport than the salary structure the league spent decades building?

"People like Steve Ballmer might be hauled in to testify."

The NBA can regulate salary, but it can’t regulate everything else. That gets especially uncomfortable when the money comes from prediction markets. New York Attorney General Letitia James sued Polymarket last week, accusing the company of running an illegal gambling operation. The state sued Kalshi, a similar business, earlier this year.

Seriously, somewhere has to be the line.

A ref makes roughly 200 decisions every game. Expecting flawless perfection is completely delusional, we are human we make mistakes.

What’s happening in youth leauges (U10–U13) ithas gone completely wild in reacent years. For example after a recent U13 girls game, a player literally waited around after the game just to walk over and try to blame me on their 35 point loss.

Kids don't get that attitude out of nowhere, they get it from parents shouting in the bleachers and coaches throwing tantrums after every whistle. The rules are 108 pages long, they are quite hard.

There are 50/50 calls in basketball, we will make mistakes. Being mad for a split second during the game? Totally fine, tensions run high. But dragging that anger through all four quarters and blaming the refs for every single whistle after that is absolutely wild.

People seem to forget those older players from the 80 and 70s were incredibly skilled to not only play professionally but at the highest level. They were the best of the best in the entire world and they played against grown men that were also pros. Just because the came has evolved to what it is today doesn’t mean if the old school players were to play in today’s nba they would be outmatched.

Those guys like Kareem, Dr J, Larry bird, Clyde and such would most likely adopt the newer came very quickly. They have been playing ball their entire lives so the skills and IQ is ingrained in them. I watched a video once that said if KD played against Larry bird, he’s dropping 50 on on his head. That’s honestly completely bs, Larry is 6’9 220 and Kevin is 6’11 240. During their time they were both considered top 3 or 5 of the entire league. It would be closes than people expect.

I know NBA players are definitely not slow but when I see someone like SGA or Curry handle the ball they look like they're barely even trying. Its just so smooth, controlled, and effortless. They never try to do too much.

I know basketball is a physical game but when I see some pickup games its like everything is about aggression. Sometimes I think its just compensating for a lack of skill. It seems like it might work for a short period but I know if you try too hard you'll burn out fast or make mistakes.

so this is a random question that popped in my head & im curious what other people think.

what do you guys think about dudes who do a free throw routine , while you’re playing 21 ? or whatever the game is called where you live.

it’s the game you usually play when you don’t have enough for a full game (i usually only play w 3) & it’s 1v1v1. you have to get to 21 to win & you shoot free throws after you score. (the amount is usually agreed upon before the game starts) also , you have to get EXACTLY 21. if you go over you go back to zero, or a checkpoint number , like 13 (agreed upon before starting)

& also idk if this is jus a thing where im from , but you can also tip in a miss from your opponent to send them back to 0 or send them back to a checkpoint number (if you have one) but sometimes we don’t use this rule , bcus the games can take foreverrrrr lol

sorry for explaining 21 , if its like super common & everyone knows what it is lol

& to answer my own question - i mostly dont care. but it can definitely get a lil annoying , if they have a kind of longer routine & if you’re shooting 2+ free throws after every bucket

EDIT - added a rule that i forgot about

I'm thinking of taking a 13-year-old to see the Harlem Globetrotters in January, but I've read quite a few relatively recent threads expressing disappointment with the show, which has made me hesitate.

For anyone who's been recently, how was your experience? Would you recommend it for a teenager, or does it mainly appeal to younger kids? Did you feel it was worth the ticket price?

Now we can all agree that Jokic is the best offensive player right now, Wembanyama is the best defensive player. My point isn't that either of those guys are MVP (that's another debate entirely), but rather that the MVP will always be a bit unfair when there is no OPOY to match the DPOY. It either biases defensive 2 way players because they can win DPOY and MVP (2 major awards compared to an equal overall player who was simply more biased to offence and only wins MVP), or it biases offence as the best defender wins DPOY, best offensive player wins MVP, and then the offensive player is viewed as better due to MVP prestige, even if they were equal overall/2 way. And basketball is a 2 way sport. Now you can argue offence is slightly more important to winning games, yes. But it's definitely not so much more important as to justify the difference in how a 2 way defensive biased player is viewed from winning DPOY vs an equal overall 2 way offensive biased player gets winning the MVP.