Is it easy to score 40 or 50 points in today's NBA or are the players incredibly talented?

[_GH0ST_]

Superstars are starting to make this a regular occurrence and even the good role players are starting to do it. Is this normal?

[Primedeion]

Both.

[rand]

We're not even one week in and there have already been 12 performances of 40+ points and three 50+ point games.

Last season after six days there were only three 40+ pointers and no 50+.

What's going on here?


edit: just saw the other thread on the same topic

[UcanUwill]

Really hard to play defense in todays NBA, with both the spacing and officiating.

[UcanUwill]

Well it is both, but it is too easy to score in the NBA. Malachi Flynn had a 50 point game in the NBA, that should never happen, NBA should be allowing more physical defense, because with spacing NBA offenses are too talented now, and when you add that rules also favor offense, it just created complete imbalance of the game. Lowest scoring team this year is Boston and they still socre 108. Denver and Hornets are now at 132 points per game. Scoring is so trivial it is not even entertaining anymore, getting stops started to get more entertaining because it s rarer.

[rand]

Really hard to play defense in todays NBA, with both the spacing and officiating.

Right but what's the difference from last year? Small sample but a giant disparity in 40+ and 50+ point games.

[UcanUwill]

Really hard to play defense in todays NBA, with both the spacing and officiating.

Right but what's the difference from last year? Small sample but a giant disparity in 40+ and 50+ point games.

I only seen few games, so I am not sure what is the difference, beside the fact they went back to regular season reffing mode again and some guys getting 20 FTA per game. I do not get why NBA does this, where regular season and play offs are officiated differently, it just makes regular season even more useless.

[peZt]

I mean we have a direct comparison to declining superstars: We still have guys like KD, Curry, LeBron, Harden etc. in the league. And we know that the current crop of players who get these 50 point games are not on the same level as the previous generation of superstars, with the exception of the top 4 players who are all international. Especially the group of the best american players is the worst its been in decades. Yet, the current crop of players have a far easier time scoring 50 points than the superstars I mentioned above had a decade ago. So its mostly a testament to how easier it has become to get those numbers. Due to spacing, ruleset etc. But not because the players are better

I mean look at the potential Olympic 2028 roster for the US. It looks like the worst olympic roster since the 80s. So it obviously can not be because the players are getting better. Its the opposite

[UcanUwill]

I mean we have a direct comparison to declining superstars: We still have guys like KD, Curry, LeBron, Harden etc. in the league. And we know that the current crop of players who get these 50 point games are not on the same level as the previous generation of superstars, with the exception of Luka and Shai. Especially the group of the best american players is the worst its been in decades. Yet, the current crop of players have a far easier time scoring 50 points than the superstars from above had a decade ago. So its mostly a testament to how easier it has become to get those numbers.

I mean look at the potential Olympic 2028 roster for the US. It looks like the worst olympic roster since the 80s. So it obviously can not be because the players are getting better. Its the opposite

It is not necessarily players who score 50 are better, but their teammates are better. Look at the Spacing LeBron has now compared to what he had in 2005, CAVS were freaking starting Ben Wallace at the 4 and it was normal to have 2 complete non shooters in your lineup, now you have one non shooter and it gets harder. You know hoe easier it is to guard when you can just sagg off of two guys like its nothing? I remember reading CAVS fanatic forums at a time and many posters believed their best starting shooter was big Z... And it was normal.

[sisibilio]

I mean we have a direct comparison to declining superstars: We still have guys like KD, Curry, LeBron, Harden etc. in the league. And we know that the current crop of players who get these 50 point games are not on the same level as the previous generation of superstars, with the exception of the top 4 players who are all international. Especially the group of the best american players is the worst its been in decades. Yet, the current crop of players have a far easier time scoring 50 points than the superstars I mentioned above had a decade ago. So its mostly a testament to how easier it has become to get those numbers.

I mean look at the potential Olympic 2028 roster for the US. It looks like the worst olympic roster since the 80s. So it obviously can not be because the players are getting better. Its the opposite

The average NBA player is infinitely more talented than 30 years ago. It's "easier" to score big because there's better spacing and higher pace, but you still need the talent. You give the Erics Snows all that spacing and still wouldn't score. The big white stiffs an offensively inept guards of the past are just unplayable today.

[UcanUwill]

The average NBA player is infinitely more talented than 30 years ago. It's "easier" to score big because there's better spacing and higher pace, but you still need the talent. You give the Erics Snows all that spacing and still wouldn't score. The big white stiffs an offensively inept guards of the past are just unplayable today.

Yes, exactly, in the past they made certain double teaming ileagal, because it was too easy to do. Now if you double team anybody, it means there is a open guy ready to launch a 3.

[sisibilio]

It's the opposite, in the80s early 90s anything resembling double teaming, like they do with Jokic for instance, was forbidden until the player had the ball.

[Wagonband]

I mean most are legit good games from player. Yeah sure maybe some awarded free throws, but let's be realistic and look how the game is played today. Spacing is crazy, everyone can now hit an open shot, every team has a few players who can just torch any defender.

The offensive talent is at the highest of all time, and if defences aren't locked it they will get torched

[UcanUwill]

It's the opposite, in the80s early 90s anything resembling double teaming, like they do with Jokic for instance, was forbidden until the player had the ball.

Thats what I am saying, it was made ilegal because it would have been too easy to do. Now they do not have ro ban those defenses because it comes at a real cost.

[Wagonband]

Both but mostly talent. People that think the NBA had more talent in the 90s and 2000s are crazy. Yea you could say that elite guys were close in skill, but role players and even number 3 options are so much better than what they used to be. In the 90s if you were a 7 footer you were a starter on a team, it didn't really matter what else you knew how to do. Bricks for hands? Can't shoot outside 5ft? Can't defend anyone on the perimeter? No worries, you are 7ft, you will be our starting center. You even had regular SF who couldn't shoot a 3 to save their lives on legit teams.

So yeah talent went up considerably

[JN61]

NBA has never been weaker vs other leagues. So it's purely the rules which allow these players to shine.

[JN61]

Really hard to play defense in todays NBA, with both the spacing and officiating.

But mostly officiating

[JN61]

Really hard to play defense in todays NBA, with both the spacing and officiating.

Right but what's the difference from last year? Small sample but a giant disparity in 40+ and 50+ point games.

Has there been giant difference to the last year? If I remember right there was outrage post like this last year as well.

I searched and 7 such games last year before November.

[rand]

Really hard to play defense in todays NBA, with both the spacing and officiating.

Right but what's the difference from last year? Small sample but a giant disparity in 40+ and 50+ point games.

Has there been giant difference to the last year? If I remember right there was outrage post like this last year as well.

Didn't you read the OP? The numbers are there. 300% increase. You can say small sample but not that there isn't a giant difference thus far.

[Bloodbather]

It's pretty simple. Most role players learned how to shoot threes which led to a lot more space on the floor for the best scorers. Pace has gone up, also. Rules haven't been adjusted in light of this development, so high scoring performances have become more common place.