Karthiks Take: The evolution of NBA offense – UConn Daily Campus

Miami Heat forward Kelly Olynyk, left, sets up for a shot in front of Orlando Magic forward Gary Clark during the first half of an NBA basketball game on Sunday, March 14, 2021, in Orlando, Fla. Three-point shooting plays an integral role in NBA offense. Photo by Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP Photo.

Professional basketball has evolved a lot since its inception in1898.The NBAhas seen players push the physical limitsof the humananatomy. These athletes run faster, jump higher and increasingly resemble comic book superheroes with each passing season. The league today would be unrecognizable to someone who watched the game in the mid-2000s, let alone a century back. While listing all the changes the league has undergone would warrant its own article, there is one massive change that fans have quickly grown accustomed to: The absolutely insane amount of scoring over the past10seasons.

NBA teams currently average112.2points per game. The last time NBA teams cumulatively averaged such a staggering number of points was during the1971-72season. The 70s and 80s featured a breakneck pace that resulted in teams getting more offensive possessions which led to more fast-break points. Adjusting the NBA league averages to statistics per 100 possessions reveals that NBA scoring has never beenthis prolific.The lastthree seasonshave all been record-breakers in average league scoring per 100 possessions. This means that the recent uptick in scoring is not because of teams just getting more opportunities to shoot but because NBA offenses have fundamentally evolved.

With that being said, its time to address the elephant in the room. Everybody is aware that three-point shooting is now an integral part of the league. Celtics legend and former Indiana Pacers president of basketball operationsLarry Birdsummed up this idea best when he saidif youre not firing up thirty 3s, youre just not playing basketball. While Bird is correct, the root of the scoring explosion goes far deeper than the NBA just shooting more threes.

In the 2010-11 season, there were onlyseven playerswho averaged 25ppgor more. There are16players who have scored at this volume in the 2020-21 season. In fact, when analyzing all the games best scorers from 2011-2016, there were only twenty three players who averaged 25 points per game. In comparison, there have been 58 players who have averaged a minimum of 25ppgin the past five seasons. The league has never had such a surplus of elite scorers. Players are having30point performances every other night and shattering scoring records on a consistent basis. There were 77530plus point games during the 2019-20 NBA season in comparison to just 368 such games in the 2003-2004 season which had a similar number of games. Scoring30has become a norm in the NBA, a feat not exclusive to the games premier scorers. This discrepancy is even evident when observing the frequency of50-pointoutbursts. There was only one such scoring performance in 2010, two in 2011 and three in 2012. The league broke a record for50-point games in 2018-19 with11and the last half decade represents thehighest frequency of50-point games with just one exception Wilt Chamberlainsabsurd scoring totals of the early 1960s. He even averaged50points a game in the 1961-62 seasonwhich is the only outlier in the data.

The most telling part of the NBAs scoring jump is that role players are now routinely scoring20to30points per game. Instantaneous offense has become a necessity in the current basketball era of pace, space and isolation greatness. At this point, just to be a serviceable player in the NBA, you have to be able to defend multiple positions while having the ability to create instant isolation offense. Players that specialize in certain aspects of the game but cant score are now a relic.The sole exception is Ben Simmons who has still managed to average16.3 ppgfor his career.Simmons is one of the few players in the league that is able to influence the game by excelling in skills other than shooting. His size advantage at the point guard position, surreal passing ability and defensive prowess make him an asset to the Philadelphia 76ers who also composed their team to cater toward his style of play. Most other average or even above average players that cant shoot are now seen as liabilities as they restrict floor spacing and the shooting efficiency of other players.

The analytics boom has expedited the NBAs offensive revolution by educating teams on statistically efficient shot selection. This has given nearly all players the green light to shoot and execute flashy moves to create opportunities.Ray Allen, the NBAs currentall-timethree point leader, even said I was getting it up but not like these guys are today and that he felt like he was settling if he took five three pointers a game.

This offensive freedom and shift in team philosophies has made30points in todays NBA mean as much as scoring20points10years ago. Consequently, there are several all-time great players from previous eras that never averaged twenty points a game in their careers that would see their averages skyrocket had they played in todays league. Some prime examples of these players include Steve Nash, ManuGinobli, Bill Russel, John Stockton and Jason Kidd. All of these players shot with incredible efficiency and wouldexponentiallyincreasetheir scoring output if they attempted shots with the same frequency as todays top scorers.

Additionally, the average player in the NBA is far more skilled than ever before while defenses are struggling to adapt at the same rate. Defenses are often forced into playing zones because teams field lineups where every player on the court is a threat to score and produce ESPN top10highlights. Ultimately, defense, regardless of the individual talent of the players, is reactionary and entails physical and strategic limits while offensive skill sets are constantly expanding. Centers are shooting threes with accuracy, guards are pulling up for shots near half-court, the vast majority of the league can play above the rim and more. This begets one critical question. How have the offensive skills of NBA players improved so dramatically in recent years?

There are four primary drivers of the NBAs recent jump in offensive production. The NBA is an advocate of more scoring from a financial standpoint and has facilitated this style of basketball through rule changes, the inherent advantage offense has in basketball being exploited through better player training regimens, the social media marketing of high school prospects and the incorporation of analytics.

Players have realized that developing their offensiveskill sethas a direct correlation to increasing their chances to land larger contracts and endorsement opportunities. The teambuilding tactics of franchises now are simple. Why should they sign a player who specializes in rebounding and defense when they can sign a guy who can do that and score with the best players in the league? When putting the ball in the basket is what actually yields the points, why should any other skill matter as much as scoring prowess? Positions no longer matter. The league is about letting your players maximize their natural talents and rounding out a team with versatile pieces that supplement the stars deficiencies. It is no wonder that older players crave the opportunity to play in todays league given their freedom to shoot as they please with zero repercussions.

The lack of defense in the NBA is a myth. The games offensive talent is simply improving at a faster rate than ever before.While there are several players from the late 80s and 90s that would flourish in todays league, it is undeniable that the league is continuing to raise the bar of possibility in athleticism and sheer talent.With offense thriving, The NBA is in a great place and will undoubtedly continue delivering iconic moments for years to come.

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Karthiks Take: The evolution of NBA offense - UConn Daily Campus