Every team needs that enforcer who isn’t afraid to throw their weight around and do the gritty things to help their team win.
The sport most common to this niche role is hockey, where literal fighting isn’t just allowed, but often encouraged.
In basketball, a fine line has to be walked between tenacious physicality and excessive brutality. The most fearless and cerebral are able to approach that limit without every crossing it.
Standards have definitely changed in the last few decades within the league. Nowadays any contact slightly gasp-inducing is immediately reviewed for a flagrant foul.