What kind of physical fitness do players need to gain if they want to gain a foothold in the NBA?

To survive in the NBA, the highest palace of basketball in the world, technology alone is far from enough. Physical fitness is the absolute threshold for determining whether players can withstand the strength of the league. The following is a layered analysis (data is taken from the official NBA physical test and team draft report):

1. Basic threshold: Directly eliminated without these size hardware

Height: The defender's baseline ≥1.88 meters (reference: Curry 1.88 meters, upper limit for short guards); the forward line ≥2.01 meters (Tatum 2.03 meters); the center ≥2.08 meters (Embid 2.13 meters).

Wandspan: ≥height +10cm, for example:

→ No. 1 Winban Yama: 2.24 meters height + 2.44 meters wingspan (20cm difference)

→ Disadvantages in the draft: Those with wingspan - height ≤5cm can hardly gain a foothold (for example, 2019 defeated defender Taylor Hiro's wingspan is only +1.9cm).

Strength vs.

Bench Press Standard: 84kg Bench Press, 8 defender ≥8 times (Lillard 12 times), center ≥15 times (Howard 20 times).

Core force: prevent confrontation and deformation. The average core rotation force anti-spinning force test in 2023 must be ≥600 Newtons/meter (with approximately 100kg lateral impact).

2. Athletic function: The core of the difference between ordinary players and elites

bounce explosive force

running and jumping: guard/forward line ≥90cm (Morant 102cm), center ≥75cm (Homegren 84cm).

Instant jump: Dunk within 0.3 seconds after receiving the ball (Antetokounmpo only needs to start with 2 steps in the baseline fast break).

Acceleration and speed change ability

0-20km/h Acceleration: Defender ≤2.1 seconds (Fox 1.97 seconds), forward ≤2.3 seconds (Butler 2.28 seconds).

Emergency stop and change direction: The bottom corner reversal run ≤11 seconds (Edwards 10.4 seconds), which is more important than the 100-meter score.

Endurance system

average running ≥4.5 kilometers (first in the Warriors in the league in 2024), heart rate recovery standard: heart rate drops ≥35% in 1 minute after high-intensity running (Jokic meets the standard due to strong cardiopulmonary function).

3. Invisible talent: the key to determining career length

joint toughness

Ankle tolerance: During 45° lateral incision, the ankle joint needs to bear ≥1.5 times the weight (Zion's ankle injury is twice the pressure due to 2 times the standard).

Knee cushion: When landing, the centrifugal contraction of the quadriceps femoris needs to offset 5 times the weight (this value is only 3.2 times before Rose's knee injury).

Muscle elasticity and recovery

creatine kinase (CK) value ≤500 U/L 12 hours after the game (LeBron has always controlled this level, and ordinary players often exceed 2,000 U/L).

Sleep recovery efficiency: Deep sleep accounts for >25% (Curry's team uses EEG monitoring to optimize).

Tortoise structural advantages

4. Position specialization: survival rules for playing to avoid weaknesses

Point guard: low center of gravity + hip strength

Paul's gluteus maximus strength reaches 300kg (deadlift data), ensuring that the forward steals are withstood when protecting the ball with his back.

3D forward line: horizontal movement speed + shoulder and arm ratio

Jaden McDaniels: wingspan 2.24 meters/height 2.06 meters = 1.09 (golden ratio), locking the opponent's shooting space.

Space type inner line: Achilles tendon elasticity + hip flexibility

Downs: Maximum vertical jump 91cm + hip rotation angle 85° (normal center only 60°), supporting the three-point line to break through the dribble.

5. Cruel reality: Typical defects of those who failed to meet the standards

Case 1: The top scorer in 2017 was originally 1.93 meters high + 2.08 meters high, but he suffered from thoracic outlet syndrome (nerve compression), and his shoulder and back strength dropped sharply by 40%, losing his shooting memory.

Case 2: In 2022, Chet Homgren, who weighed only 88kg, had only 5 bench presses. He was knocked away by Zion for 5 meters in his rookie season (4 times the impact force difference), and was forced to gain muscle to 94kg before stopping the loss.

6. Scientific evolution: The new physical fitness standard of the contemporary NBA, Metabolic capacity: Blood oxygen recovery rate: Blood oxygen saturation needs ≥95% in 1 minute after pause (Jokic's hypoxia constitution is only 92% forced to control the time).

Brain-body coordination: Dynamic vision: The angular velocity of the recognition of tactical gestures must be ≥120 degrees/s (Halliburton reaches 160 degrees/s).

Injury resistance: Tendon calcium content: 15%-20% higher than ordinary people (Antetokounmpo's Achilles tendon has a special calcification structure), avoiding the high risk of Achilles tendon rupture.

Ultimate conclusion: NBA is the "human body limit laboratory"

basic hardware is the admission ticket (for example, 99% of the defenders with a wingspan of less than 1.95 meters are eliminated);

Athletic function determines the upper limit of the role (Tatum run-up jump of 87cm limits its end efficiency);

biological resistance dominates career (Oden's knee cartilage regeneration ability is only 1/3 of the ordinary person's death).

If you use the game numerical metaphor:

LeBron: Strength 99/speed 95/endurance 99/flexibility 85

Curry: Strength 82/coordination 99/endurance 95/balance 99

Wenban Yama: Height 99/armspan 99/agility 90/bone density?

No quality is ≥85, so you can't even get the NBA's survival manual.