‘Undersized Big Man’ literally refers to a player who is in a position to defend the post, such as a power forward or center, but is shorter than the league average. Most of the cases in which he played as a big man because he was tall from an early age, and then did not grow as much as expected. Or there are so few tall players on the team that you have no choice but to play under the net.

A player who grew up as an undersized big man has two options. There are ways to acknowledge the limitations of a somewhat unfavorable size and continue to compete in familiar positions, or try to transform into a swingman by polishing the outside shot. If he succeeds in changing to another position, his size and strength, which were weaknesses in the case of a big man, can become strengths instead. However, there are players who insist on being a big man to the end despite these and other difficulties, and sometimes that itself becomes a charm and attracts many fans.

One of the first people to come to mind when thinking of an undersized big man is Alonzo Morning (52‧206cm), “Zo”. Morning goes beyond simply doing well and is remembered as one of the centers that will remain in history. While the majority of undersized big men fought with ‘survival’ in mind, Morning ran towards ‘the best’. Although he may not have reached the pinnacle he hoped for, he has had a well-deserved career, including one championship, seven All-Stars, two Defensive Player of the Year, two Block Shots, one First Team, and two Defensive First Teams. . 메이저사이트

As an undersized big man, the fact that he won the defense award and the block shot king twice each shows how competitive he was as a center. Moreover, what can be given a high score is the fact that the 1990s, when Morning was at his peak, was one of the best centers in NBA history. Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, and Shaquille O’Neal, who were called the ‘Four Centers’, were each of the team’s leading stars and deserved to be called big men who could represent their contemporaries.

Where is that? Dikembe Mutombo, who gained notoriety as a block shot monster, was evaluated as more than a top 4 center in terms of defense alone, and white centers such as Rick Smits and Sean Bradley also brought their own strengths to gain competitiveness. It was a time when good big men poured like a flood. Morning was the smallest among them in size, but was at the top in terms of presence. If you are watching his play at the peak, it is not strange to receive rave reviews saying, ‘He is a big man who would not be surprised to be included in the top 4 centers’.

In its heyday, Morning was a warrior itself. In the case of an undersized big man who is pushed back by his normal size, he often competes by polishing other weapons such as his excellent shooting sense, but Morning basically prioritized a head-to-head match. In addition to his unique quickness and athletic ability, he was also strong in physical fights to the extent that he was not easily pushed back even when stuck with O’Neal. He was bold enough to try a block shot without hesitation even when a bigger player than himself rushed under the goal, and he had many offensive options such as a middle shot, so the weakness of undersize was not greatly highlighted in actual games.