I normally buy Athlon so look forward to reading the article. I think all bball fans will agree that positionless ball has been the trend for awhile now. To me, ball has always sort of been a mixture of just three positions - ball handlers, scorers from wing/outside/slasher/etc, and bigs that will rebound. One player can be more than one obviously (freaks like LeBron can do all three), and the taller they are, the better. Classic positions of 1 to 5 fit my categories very conveniently and were a way to address all needs on the court.
With the advent and increased importance of the 3 point line, bigs have become less focal to offense, and there's been a need to have mobile bigs instead of big space eaters, although I think anybody would take Shaq on their team. As classic post play has diminished, bigs have become more skilled, so stretch 4's have become more popular than the bruisers like Oakley and Mason.
So, if you can get five players that are all 6-4 to 6-9 (or higher), but all do at least two of the three positions I listed, then great. There's no need to be looking for a point that is shorter, quicker, and a better ball handler if you can get serviceable ball handling from three of your players. Is it nice to have a guy run your offense - sure, but he doesn't HAVE to be a 6-0 jitterbug. Likewise, you don't need a 7 footer that wipes the glass clean if you can get similar production from two guys that provide more mobility and options on offense and defense.
Basically, find your best five guys that don't leave you vulnerable to getting beat up on the boards, pressured on the ball, and provides some attacking options on offense. You don't NEED a classic 3 or 4, or 2 or 1 or 5. Just find five that work together.
I probably said nothing novel or unique, but just my random thoughts. As our players in general get more skilled, especially our taller guys, well see more positionless ball. I feel like the 19 class has some great all around players - Reddish, Williamson, and Barrett can play many classic positions. I recall a statement by McHale in one of the Open Courts that generally went like "small skill beats bad big any day, but tall skill beats small skill all the time." We're developing a lot of tall skill, blurring the lines.
