Who Would Win: Atom AAA team (U11) vs Average NBA Team

[EdJovanovski]

Do the NBA guys get to train at all or are we painting a scenario where you walk into the LA Lakers locker room one day and say, "Hey guys, hockey game vs 11-year olds in one hour, be in the locker room in 15 minutes to get your pads?"

If the NBA players get to train a bit or if they have a few guys who could skate decently they'd destroy them. We're talking the elite of the elite in terms of athletes and they're mostly 6'3" and above. You think an 11-year old is getting the puck by Giannis if Giannis can skate a bit with that reach? Who is going to take the puck from LeBron or Joel Embiid if they can skate or move them out of the way in front of the net?

If you have a bunch of dudes who have never skated before then yeah the 11-year olds probably win but I bet if you give the NBA players two weeks of skating lessons a lot of them could pick it up quickly.

The thing is it's like having superman strength but having no coordination to use it. The NBA players legs are obviously far more powerful than the kids, but the kids legs perform as being far more powerful than the NBA players because they have the technical skill. When you have the technical skill of stick handling, skating, and shooting; a 120lb trained guy is going to shoot more powerfully than a 220lb untrained guy, he's going to have more powerful strides, and he's going to be stronger on the puck too.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

The thing is it's like having superman strength but having no coordination to use it. The NBA players legs are obviously far more powerful than the kids, but the kids legs perform as being far more powerful than the NBA players because they have the technical skill. When you have the technical skill of stick handling, skating, and shooting; a 120lb trained guy is going to shoot more powerfully than a 220lb untrained guy, he's going to have more powerful strides, and he's going to be stronger on the puck too.

I don't disagree that if this is the first time the NBA players touch the ice then they wouldn't be very good, I just think people are wildly underselling how amazing these guys are athletically. They are jacked and can jump through the gym. They have terrific hand-eye coordination. You give them two weeks of power skating lessons and I bet they'd pick it up pretty quickly to at least be serviceable.

It's just a weird comparison overall. I can't imagine watching 6'7" 285 lb Zion Williamson take on a kid who is 4'8" and 78 lbs (that's the 50th percentile of height and weight for an 11-year old) in any type of athletic competition.

 

[bigdog16]

There is a ''breaking'' point when the NBA dudes reach a certain amount of being comfortable on skates they would likely be able to win quite easily, even if they skate real bad and real slow. I mean while the 11 years olds obviously skate better, shoot and pass, we are talking about 7-foot high-end athletes here. As soon as they are comfortable on the ice they will easily be able to stop these kids in their tracks and advance towards the other goal by protecting the puck with their giant body.

Just two NBA dmen + an NBA goalie standing around the goal not even moving would likely be enough to stop most scoring chances from the 11 years olds. Then get 3 guys who can somewhat skate at forward and they could score a bunch of goals for the NBA.

Obviously, if none of them can skate, the kids will win.

The breaking point isn't within 1 game. It would take them months to get comfortable enough to skate with Atom AAA players.

Bantam kids would be a lot harder to beat because the kids' bodies are more mature and some even reach close to 6-foot tall. They are much faster and have much more powerful strides. They can shield the puck better.

Most pee wee kids are under 5'0 and all they can do is skate and take weak shots. They have no concept of puck protection and most of their passing is extremely unaccurate.

You are severely underestimating the skill level. 99.99% of PeeWee AAA players can go bar down and would undoubtedly skate circles around NBA players.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Do enjoy how this has turned into a discussion about scouting 10 year old AAA kids

 

[HugeInTheShire]

I think the 10 year olds quite easily beat an NBA team at hockey, people here are seriously underestimating the skills some 10 year olds have
even if the NBA players had a few months to train, they'd get wrecked.
but I think an NHL team gets beat by 10 year old baseball players as well, it'd be closer but they'd still lose

 

[Mickey Marner]

Average NBA would likely lose because anyone who can't skate is a flat out liability. If you only picked NBA players that had played hockey they would likely win.

But the real question is, who's in net for the NBA team?

 

[MessierII]

I think baseball is actually where the adults have the least advantage because it's non-contact.

How are 11 years olds getting the puck away from a guy who's 6'11", 250 and fast?

By skating circles around them? 6’11” 250 lb men who can’t skate aren’t moving fast and are spending a lot of time on their bottoms attempted to play an organized hockey game.

 

[Machinehead]

By skating circles around them? 6’11” 250 lb men who can’t skate aren’t moving fast and are spending a lot of time on their bottoms attempted to play an organized hockey game.

Where are these ten year olds who skate well?

 

[MessierII]

Where are these ten year olds who skate well?

AAA 10 year olds skate better then I do now and I played AAA when I was 10.

 

[XXIV97]

I am assuming that the NBA players can skate at a functional level, such as being able to move from point A to point B. The size difference is massive and if the guys get a couple of months to train, I can see them taking it.

 

[EdJovanovski]

Where are these ten year olds who skate well?

 

[Machinehead]

AAA 10 year olds skate better then I do now and I played AAA when I was 10.

That's not saying much. Players are still falling all over the ice in u11 hockey.

There are hundreds of thousands of youth hockey players and less a thousand every year will be drafted to the CHL, and even most of those players never go anywhere at that level. It's not high-level hockey at all. The vast majority of them are just playing a game with their friends.

And I still need somebody to explain to me how a u11 team is even finishing a game against 6'7" adults. Are we banning contact entirely?

 

[Machinehead]

I run faster

Look at these f***ing Skittles. They're all like 3'8".

You guys are seriously going Looney Tunes with this one.

 

[MessierII]

I run faster

Look at these f***ing Skittles. They're all like 3'8".

You guys are seriously going Looney Tunes with this one.

Who cares how fast you run? Usain bolt can’t skate faster than any random kid playing AAA hockey.

 

[EdJovanovski]

I run faster

Look at these f***ing Skittles. They're all like 3'8".

You guys are seriously going Looney Tunes with this one.

You have to skate faster not run faster

Never tell me size & grit don't matter again if you don't think the skilled 3'8" guys would beat the giant oafs!

 

[MessierII]

That's not saying much. Players are still falling all over the ice in u11 hockey.

There are hundreds of thousands of youth hockey players and less a thousand every year will be drafted to the CHL, and even most of those players never go anywhere at that level. It's not high-level hockey at all. The vast majority of them are just playing a game with their friends.

And I still need somebody to explain to me how a u11 team is even finishing a game against 6'7" adults. Are we banning contact entirely?

It doesn’t matter an adult who hasn’t skated trying to just move on skates can take days just to be able to move forward and turn a bit. Weeks or months of practice to stop. That’s without incorporating a stick, puck and actually attempting to play a casual game.

 

[Machinehead]

You have to skate faster not run faster

Never tell me size & grit don't matter again if you don't think the skilled 3'8" guys would beat the giant oafs!

Big NHL players and average NHL players are two inches and 20 pounds apart.

In some cases, these players would be three feet and 200 pounds apart.

If anything, it's amazing that like 85% of your posts are about size and grit but you don't think 6'9" adults would beat little children in a contact sport.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Average NBA would likely lose because anyone who can't skate is a flat out liability. If you only picked NBA players that had played hockey they would likely win.

But the real question is, who's in net for the NBA team?

Embiid probably

 

[Machinehead]

These are the kids who play during intermission at Rangers games and fall down for 10 minutes before the game ends scoreless.

Although, to be fair, the MSG ice is broken glass. If this game happened there, they wouldn't even have the edge in skating.

 

[WarriorofTime]

I don't mean to make fun of these kids, they are obviously very good for that age, but an NBA player that knows how to skate would put these kids into the morgue if they allowed contact, and I have no idea how you expect the little kids to take the puck away from them, the NBA guys would go right through them.

 

[Machinehead]

I don't mean to make fun of these kids, they are obviously very good for that age, but an NBA player that knows how to skate would put these kids into the morgue if they allowed contact, and I have no idea how you expect the little kids to take the puck away from them, the NBA guys would go right through them.

I don't know the rules in this stupid hypothetical but if I were the NBA team, I just forego the skates and shuffle around in shoes. It wouldn't be much of a disadvantage. Look at those tiny little legs!

 

[jcs0218]

The AAA team would massacre them.

 

[spiny norman]

Lopsided result.