Peja Stojakovic reveals his biggest issue with the NBA today: “Too many players have a green light to shoot everytime” originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Add former international NBA player Peja Stojakovic among the many of those who aren’t a fan of the modern NBA. But unlike the rest of those who complain about the fact that today’s game simply revolves around the three-point line, the former Sacramento Kings forward has more gripe with how many people on the court can shoot the ball at their free will.
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“Everybody now plays the same; everybody plays fast. One thing that I can agree with that really bothers me is the shot selection. I am bothered by the shot selection from a lot of players. The majority of players have a green light to shoot no matter which shot they are taking,” Stojakovic said in Serbian on the “NBA Mozzart” podcast.
Everyone has the green light
Peja suited up in an era where teams were built around one or two go-to superstars and it was the role player’s job to support them and play through their strengths. Stojakovic in particular was an instrumental role player for his team especially during his prime years.
Compare that to today’s NBA and there’s certainly a big difference. In this era, every player on the court is encouraged to shoot and do everything they can to not be a liability on both ends of the floor. Players are more empowered because offense has become a priority and these days, it’s very important that role players are effective on offense in order to keep up with the pace and style of play.
“Of course, basketball has evolved and the players are more creative, they are better athletes and I really enjoy watching this basketball. The only thing that I noticed as some kind of expert is that there needs to be an understanding of who and when can take certain shots depending on the time in the game and the circumstances. This is one of the things that I noticed and I would be satisfied if there is more discipline, especially at the end of the games when you know the priorities and which players should take these shots,” added Stojakovic.
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The pros and cons
The uptick of shot attempts from role players is the effect of the increase of pace and possessions that we see in today’s NBA offense. Since offense has become more of the priority — even if defense is just as important — more plays and sets are run for role players which also lessens the workload of the superstars. This helps teams become more unpredictable with their dynamic offense and is a solution for superstars to combat the physically demanding side of the game.
But just like what the 2011 champion said, it can become really disorganized and anti-climatic especially for the audience who are in attendance to watch their favorite superstars takeover the game.
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Even if it may come off as a bit of an old school take, Stojakovic is still a firm believer in running an offense through the team’s superstars and each role player knowing when to put their stamp on the game itself. To be fair, we’re seeing that in this year’s playoffs because the game naturally slows down and there are more half-court sets.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.