Avg Pts/Game has Soared from ~100 to ~115

[bdonovan]

You can see how points/game per team went from 100 (exactly) in 2014-15 to 114.1 this year (2023-24).

A pretty significant increase.

The primary difference appears to be 3 point shots. In '14-'15, there were 7.8 3 ptrs made per game. Today? Over 12.6. That alone accounts for 14.4 points/game (4.8*3).

In my head, I just always thought of 100 pts/game per team as normal during regulation play. Anything above that seemed like a high scoring affair.

Apparently Team Pts/Game has varied over the NBA history, average about 110 in the late 70's and 80s. In the mid 90's and early 2000's, scoring stayed in the 90's (sometimes low 90's) per game.

But the game has not seen 114 pts/game (putting aside this year and last) since 1969-70 (a year Kareem was rookie of the year ).

It's gotten to the point that the highest scoring team scores on AVERAGE of 128.3 points/game (Indiana Pacers). Sample size is still small, 14 games; it will come down but it's still mind-boggling to me.

Personally I think defenders are too worried about being shown up on TV letting a ball-handler blow by them, so they over-guard the drive, and leave open the outside shot, allowing 3 pointers to be an even more potent weapon. Interestingly, 3 pt % hasn't really changed in 20 years- hovering around 35%.

[ILLsmak]

Yeah, and fewer orebs with more jacking, interesting.

Fast break points?

-Smak

[Reggie43]

Regardless of the rule changes teams just lack effort and focus defensively. Teams/players used to pride themselves at that end of the floor and you would get ridiculed for being a bad defender but thats not the case anymore.

[tontoz]

The important thing to look at is FGAs per game which went up right after they changed the shot clock rule in 2018. They reset the shot clock to 14 seconds after offensive rebounds which led to more shot attempts.

Color me shocked that OP didn't notice this.

[beasted]

It's not just 3 PTers.

Clear path technical
Take foul technical
Dead ball foul technical
Touching the ball after a basket counts as delay of game
Excessive celebration/rim hanging technical
Landing zone flagrant
Every hard foul is a flagrant

These things have all neutered defense in the NBA and have been implemented in the last 10-15 years.

[ILLsmak]

The important thing to look at is FGAs per game which went up right after they changed the shot clock rule in 2018. They reset the shot clock to 14 seconds after offensive rebounds which led to more shot attempts.

Color me shocked that OP didn't notice this.

Doesn’t bear out. Barely more drebs, same orebs. It matters, but that’s not the difference.

6 3s / 8 fga = same oreb and +2 ( 4 assuming you count both sides) dreb. Kinda weird.

-Smak

[bdonovan]

Regardless of the rule changes teams just lack effort and focus defensively. Teams/players used to pride themselves at that end of the floor and you would get ridiculed for being a bad defender but thats not the case anymore.

Now you get ridiculed if someone beats you on a cross-over, it gets showed on ESPN, ESPN.com, then that clip gets circulated on Twitter and everyone sees what a chump you are. So instead, a good defender means just dropping back and preventing humiliation of letting the ball-handler get to the hoop. Social media adoption and this higher scoring trend seem aligned. Doesn't mean it's causation, necessarily, but could be.

I also think that $60M/year is a lot; the endorsement deals are even more- the path to that money is flashy offense. Not playing team defense, switching, running around screens, staying glued to your man, providing help defense. Fans don't notice most of that stuff anyway.

[bdonovan]

It's not just 3 PTers.

Clear path technical
Take foul technical
Dead ball foul technical
Touching the ball after a basket counts as delay of game
Excessive celebration/rim hanging technical
Landing zone flagrant
Every hard foul is a flagrant

These things have all neutered defense in the NBA and have been implemented in the last 10-15 years.

FT's haven't changed but I get your point which is defenders are discouraged from defending.

[tontoz]

Doesn’t bear out. Barely more drebs, same orebs. It matters, but that’s not the difference.

6 3s / 8 fga = same oreb and +2 ( 4 assuming you count both sides) dreb. Kinda weird.

-Smak

Huh? 1.7 rebounds more after the rules change and 3 more shot attempts in one season. Sounds about right since you can't rebound a shot that goes in.


Obvious correlation here.

[FireDavidKahn]

Even more reason to love teams like the Magic and the Wolves

[3ba11]

2 point efficiency is way up because of open paint - this proves weaker defense and easier to score

[Axe]

2 point efficiency is way up because of open paint - this proves weaker defense and easier to score

1-9

[FKAri]

Regardless of the rule changes teams just lack effort and focus defensively. Teams/players used to pride themselves at that end of the floor and you would get ridiculed for being a bad defender but thats not the case anymore.

Rings culture means regular season coasting by top teams and bad teams never played defense anyways.
Can't touch guys because everything's a foul so you can't offer much resistance.
Pace and space with 3pt shooting makes the game into a track meet which results in less defense being played in general.