Everyone wants to watch exciting basketball.
From the top-tier high school squads, to the college level, to the NBA, people want to watch an exciting, entertaining brand of basketball. In today’s modern basketball landscape, nothing is more exciting than top-notch athleticism. Sure, the classic San Antonio Spurs ball movement is fantastic. And sure, the Mike D’Antoni Seven Seconds or Less offense can capture your attention.
Nothing, however, beats high level athleticism.
Looking at the current high school AAU scene, fans from all over the globe are going crazy over the athletic high schoolers dominating the game. From Zion Williamson to Shareef O’Neal, there is no denying it: good athletes make basketball fun.
This is not a new thing.
Vince Carter is a great example. Vince is one of the most athletic, high flying ballers to ever live (although, at 40, he flies a little lower now…). Back in the 2000 Summer Olympics, Carter threw down one of the greatest dunks in history.
In recent years, the NBA dunk contest, perhaps the highest test of athleticism the league has to offer, has been a joke. Nothing like the old days when superstars like Dominique Wilkins and Michael Jordan battled in instant classics. That all changed a couple of years ago when Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon squared off in one of the best dunk contests of all-time. The pair threw down dunk after dunk, one fabulous display of athleticism after another before finally LaVine was crowned champion.
There is no doubt; athleticism is the most visually appealing part of basketball today. So, just how do the Suns stack up to the rest of the NBA in terms of athleticism? Let’s take a look at the top-five athletes on this 2017-18 Suns’ team.