Charles Barkley really epitomizes the NBA 'old-head.' He's a Hall of Famer who dominated the 80s and 90s, a notoriously physical era of basketball that felt much different than the current NBA product. While the debate over which era was "better" or "harder" will probably never die, the broader basketball fandom has generally come to accept that yes, LeBron James would still be good in 1986.
The quality of the athletes in the NBA has increased exponentially since Barkley retired. The game is more international, with talent from all corners of the globe populating the league. Teams score more points and defense can feel secondary at times, but that's a result of increased skill level and a new schematic focus from NBA coaches.
Simple math explains why the NBA three-point boom has coincided with record scoring totals and less "effective" defense. Offenses are getting smarter. So are defenses, as a matter of fact, but this is an argument for another day.
To keep a short story short, Barkley does not always fawn over the state of modern basketball. All the flops, fast breaks, and questionable 3-point jacking can get a little tiresome for those more accustomed to the stodgy bully-ball of the NBA's glory days.
In a recent appearance on the 'Bill Simmons Podcast,' however, Barkley divulged two current NBA players who help him keep the faith: Denver's Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo.
"Joker and Giannis, they make me feel good about my sport."
Charles Barkley says Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo make him 'feel good' about basketball
It's not hard to surmise why those two players — not coincidentally, maybe the two best players in the NBA — make Barkley feel all warm and fuzzy.
Jokic is the ultimate no-B.S. player. He actively does not care about accolades, advertisements, or audience. Here's out there to hoop, plain and simple. He led the Nuggets to a championship, spent a few days living it up in Vegas, then flew back to Sombor, Serbia to race horses all summer.
He does embody that 'old soul' basketball spirit. There's a dedication to the craft and to winning, and not much else. Jokic isn't afraid to get physical — the man ends every game with visible scratches up and down his arms — and he's basically the basketball equivalent of a poet, weaving beautiful verses with his playmaking and scoring touch.
Giannis is wired in much the same way. He has gone a little bit more mainstream than Jokic, but still, Giannis competes hard as hell every night, plays both ends of the floor, and doesn't really back down from physicality. He probably takes the crown for 'Most Physical NBA Player,' frequently using his massive frame as a battering ram to score easy points at the rim. Of course, Charles Barkley — Mr. Round Mound himself — can find a measure of joy watching Giannis go to work.
It's a bit unfortunate that Barkley can only find two players to make him feel good about the sport. Basketball is a beautiful, constantly evolving organism with new wrinkles discovered every year. The game continues to grow. Each year, the NBA Draft introduces a fresh wave of remarkably gifted youngsters who are pushing the boundaries of what we understand basketball players to be capable of.
Chuck should take a page out of Allen Iverson's book and enjoy the new and the old. It's possible to appreciate what came before without trashing what's happening now.