Danny Moloshok/AP

The modern era of pace and space basketball, pioneered by the dominant Golden State Warriors, has put an emphasis on versatility and shooting. From a purely analytics standpoint, an increased efficiency in three point shooting makes this method of scoring preferable to traditional post-ups and mid range jumpers. Three points is greater than two. However, the importance of spreading the court runs deeper than that; it creates wider driving lanes, frees the paint for dominant big men to thrive without double teams, and stresses the opposition to defend the entirety of the court.

Long gone are the days of two traditional big men anchored in the paint, skeptical to tiptoe out into the great unknown of the perimeter. Instead, we now live in a world in which Brook Lopez heaves bombs and Boogie Cousins leads the fastbreak offense. Even Hassan Whiteside felt bold enough to take a sneaky look from deep!

However, all the excitement that comes from frenetically paced games and Steph Curry three point barrages has also come at a price. When the Cavaliers announced at the start of the regular season that Kevin Love would start at center, its fate was all but confirmed. The power forward position has been sacrificed, no longer holding value in the modern game.

Though its name exists on the boxscore, the power forward position has been removed in favour of another wing player. Having two forwards with limited shooting range leaves teams struggling to keep pace with uptempo opposition. Defensively, slower and large frames are being replaced by athletic and switch-heavy players that can guard a variety of positions.

Players who were once categorized as a power forward are now facing two options: extend their shooting range to become a more perimeter-oriented player or assume the role of a small-ball center setting endless screens and being the link between shooters scattered across the floor.

Watching the Blazers-Clippers game on Thursday night highlighted the different way teams have eradicated the traditional power forward in order to enter into the pace and space era. Looking back at their respective lineups three years prior offers some perspective: