Former NBA Champion Byron Scott Calls Out Todays Players For Not Being Smart Enough

In recent times, today's NBA players have come under plenty of criticism for the lack of overall basketball IQ and the lack of complexity in the sets that teams run. While overall talent and athleticism are at an all-time high, when looking back on past generations and the chess match that the game once was, it's hard to deny this criticism.

One person who believes this to be true is former NBA Champion and Head Coach Byron Scott, who called out today's players for not being smart enough.

"When you're running the triangle or you're running what we call the Princeton offense back in the day, if you have players who have a high basketball IQ, like you said, you ain't got to call s***. 'Cause the defense dictates what you're going to run.

And it's just reads — that's all it is, it's reads. And I think one of the reasons they say it won't work today is that players aren't smart enough."

That's a brutal truth from Scott, who isn't the first former coach or player to say this about today's league, which is all about getting the ball in the hands of your best player and letting them dictate everything through the pick-and-roll.

Ultimately, this is just a symptom of the way the game is played in 2025, with teams relying on pure talent, shooting, and athleticism to overcome any changes to the game, and while Scott and others may not love it, the game remains incredibly popular despite this.