Bring Back the Bully 4

If every big can stretch…who’s guarding the block?

The league solved the old power forward. Spacing pulled him away from the rim, lineups got smaller, and the position blurred into wings and hybrid bigs. For a while, that felt like the end of it—either you could shoot or you couldn’t stay on the floor. But look at where things have settled.

Centers learned to stretch, but offenses still need size. Defenses still switch. And most teams now defend the 4 with someone built to move, not to hold ground. And therein lies a gap. Because if the “4” is being guarded by a wing, or a lighter big, what happens when someone shows up and just plays through your chest for 48 minutes?

The Archetype We Moved Away From

There used to be a very clear version of this. Zach Randolph made a living on angles and touch. He didn’t need lift—just space and time, which he created with strength. Grit and grind.

Al Jefferson was even more surgical. Back-to-the-basket footwork, counters, patience. He could carry an offense for stretches just by demanding the ball on the block.

Guys like Elton Brand and Carlos Boozer—lived inside the arc, punished mismatches, and turned size into reliable offense without needing to space to 25 feet. Sure, Boozer could shoot a little bit, but it wasn't the focus of his game.

Why It Faded

Spacing pulled help defenders further away, which meant post-ups became less efficient relative to threes. Defensive schemes got better at digging, doubling, and rotating out. And maybe most importantly, the players guarding that spot got quicker. If your 4 couldn’t move his feet, he became a target on the other end. So the “stretch 4” became standard.

Then the 5 learned to shoot. Now you have lineups where everyone can space, pass, and handle to some degree. It's hard to argue against that, but here I am.

What’s Changed Again

Now the pendulum has moved far enough that there’s space on the other side. Most teams:

• Switch across positions

• Defend with length and mobility over bulk

• Use wings at the 4 to keep speed on the floor

That works—until it doesn’t.

Because there aren’t many players left who can consistently:

• Seal deep position

• Absorb contact

• Score without needing advantage creation

And more importantly, there aren’t many defenders built to stop it.

The Modern Version Doesn’t Look Identical

You’re not dropping a pure 2005 post player into today’s game and calling it a day. But you can see versions of the idea.

Julius Randle is probably the closest high-usage version. He faces up more, but the core is the same—strength, downhill pressure, punishing smaller defenders.

Zion Williamson is a different flavor, but the stress he puts on the interior is similar. When teams go small, he turns that into a structural problem.

Pascal Siakam operates with more movement and spin, but still lives in that space between wing and big, where he can punish size mismatches.

Even someone like Aaron Gordon, in a lower-usage role, shows the template. He’s not posting every trip, but when a team switches a smaller defender onto him, the possession tends to end at the rim.

The Hidden Advantage: Playoff Basketball

The playoffs slow everything down. Switching increases. Matchups get targeted. If you can:

• Force a switch

• Walk a smaller defender into the paint

• Score without needing a screen

You create a possession the defense can’t really scheme away. That’s why those older archetypes held up in the postseason. Not because they were more talented across the board, but because their offense scaled when everything else tightened.

A traditional 4 who can:

• Hold position

• Make quick reads

• Hit a short jumper when needed

…suddenly looks a lot more playable when the game turns into halfcourt execution.

The Tradeoff Is Still Real

There’s a reason this hasn’t fully come back. You still have to guard in space. You still have to survive switches. If you can’t do that, teams will hunt you. And offensively, you can’t stall things out. The best version of this archetype today would still need to:

• Move the ball

• Screen and roll

• Step out to 15–18 feet comfortably

Where It Could Show Up

The league doesn’t usually move backward—it recombines ideas. What this could look like:

• A 4/5 hybrid who posts selectively instead of living there

• A second-unit scorer who punishes smaller lineups

• A closing lineup wrinkle when teams go ultra-small

Not a full identity shift. More like a pressure point teams can lean on when matchups allow it.

The Window

Every era creates something it can’t quite guard. Right now, the league is built to defend space, speed, and shooting. There’s room in there for someone who brings weight back into the equation—not as a throwback, but as a counter. Because if every big can stretch...someone’s going to realize you don’t always have to.