A resurfaced clip of Lamar Odom from his 2022 appearance on Club Shay Shay is going viral, thanks to his blunt take on NBA offenses. The former Lakers forward, who won two championships alongside Kobe Bryant, called modern teams “stupid” for running so much pick-and-roll through their stars.
“Let me tell you how stupid NBA teams are. They give the ball to their best player. They put that player in the pick-and-roll. That player, most of the time he handles the ball almost to the shot clock is at the end. Then he’s passing it to a player that’s not as good as him and has to make or take a shot in less time as he had the ball.”
“So you’re giving the ball to your best player, he’s dribbling the ball in the pick-and-roll, he’s handling it to half of the end of the clock, and he’s giving it to a player of less caliber to make the play at the end of the shot clock. Mostly, all NBA offenses are like that.”
Odom’s frustration comes from his era of basketball, where the game often slowed down into isolation-heavy possessions. Back then, stars like Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady, or even Kobe himself routinely dribbled deep into the shot clock before creating or forcing a look. But his critique doesn’t exactly line up with what today’s NBA looks like.
The modern league thrives on spacing, ball movement, and multiple playmakers sharing the load. Teams like the Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, and Oklahoma City Thunder run intricate sets designed to generate open looks through constant motion.
Even when stars dominate the ball, it’s typically by design, since mismatches are the name of the game. Double-teams collapse, and role players, who are now far more skilled shooters and secondary creators than in Odom’s day, punish defenses.
To be fair, Odom’s point about late-clock passes rings true in certain situations. There are still times when stars like Luka Doncic or James Harden have monopolized the ball for most of a possession, leaving teammates scrambling to get a shot off with seconds remaining. But that’s more an exception than the rule.
The numbers back it up to: today’s offenses are the most efficient in league history, with teams averaging over 114 points per game on better shooting percentages than ever before.
It’s also worth noting that Odom himself might have thrived in today’s game. As a versatile forward who could handle, pass, and shoot, his skill set was ahead of its time. Playing in an era dominated by traditional positions, Odom often acted as a point forward, initiating offense for the Lakers’ bench units.
In the modern pace-and-space system, his playmaking and floor-stretching ability would have been even more valuable. Ironically, the kind of offense he’s criticizing, where everyone is empowered to make plays, would have suited him perfectly.
And if Odom had been watching recent basketball closely, he might feel differently. This past season’s Finals featured the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder, two teams that thrive on ball movement, cutting, and multiple scoring threats. Their styles looked nothing like the ball-pounding, isolation-heavy offenses Odom described.
In the end, Odom’s critique highlights the gap between eras. What may have been true in the late 2000s simply doesn’t reflect the league of 2025. Modern offenses are faster, more efficient, and more creative than ever.
NBA teams aren’t “stupid” for giving their best players the ball, they’re smart for finding ways to maximize mismatches, while surrounding stars with shooters and playmakers who can capitalize on any defensive breakdown. If anything, today’s NBA has built upon the lessons of Odom’s era and evolved into something far more dynamic.
