The very idea of a stretch big conjures the passive—spacing by way of standing around at just the right distance. There is virtue, after all, in keeping out of the way. The more that an opposing defense is forced to respect threats outside the paint, the more strained their rotations become. If the defenders in question are bigs, then all the better. A rim protector can be brought to existential crisis when he isn’t physically around the rim enough to protect it. Even the best defenders in the league can only cover so much ground in a fraction of a second, which gives an offense real incentive to station shooters, big and small alike, as far from the basket as possible.
There’s Never Been a Stretch Four Like Blake Griffin
