The NBA’s Western Conference may contain four of the five best players in the Association, but two of them stand as monolithic symbols of the modern NBA. In a time when efficiency has become king, players like Kobe Bryant are becoming the punch line of Twitter jokes. Volume scoring may have gone the way of the landline; there will always be a place for it, but it will never be the primary means ever again.
The new superstar needs to be efficient yet confident. Hoisting up contested turnaround mid-range shots (I’m looking at you, Kobe) while believing in individual ability is dead.