Thinking Basketball's released videos nearly every year showing how the modern NBA has incorporated scalable and motion-stye actions into their offenses, beyond just increasing 3 point volume and efficiency (which itself is pretty clear and conclusive evidence for scalability). But this video is one of the better ones. It focuses specifically on spacing.
Of course, spacing is generated from:
-3 point shooting
-Positioning far from the rim
These are probably the biggest factors for spacing, and have been well-documented. Of course, 3 point shooting and spacing are one of the most scalable traits a player can have (e.g. https://thinkingbasketball.net/2017/12/11/the-backpicks-goat-the-40-best-careers-in-nba-history/ ). And indeed, the fact that NBA offenses have improved so much as a direct result of 3 point shooting is direct evidence for scalability (or at least for the scalability of 3 point shooting).
Good 3 point shooting of course is efficient on its own (3 > 2, 3 >> long 2s if equally contested), and efficient finishing retains value as one's teammates and the overall team improve (the definition of scalability, assuming your efficient finishing doesn't disrupt the offense, come at the cost of other teammate's finishing or rhythm, etc.).
But more than that, good shooting and good spacing make it easier for players to attack the rim (the most efficient shot in basketball), and make it much harder for the defense to double or help (making it easier to break down the defense), and can be done without the basketball throughout the whole possession (and so retains value with better and better teammates).
But as the video points out, spacing without any movement can be easier to defend. You can use zone principles, e.g. having 2 defenders zone up 3 shooters, to limit how much spacing can break down defenses. It’s also less mentally taxing to have spacing without movement, as the defenders don’t have to watch the spacers to know where they are. Players can only process things so fast, and players also experience a mental 'load' based on how many things they're trying to process at once -- so being able to focus on just the on-ball action, without worrying about where your man is, can make it easier to decide when to help or when to stick to your man.
Instead of static spacing, the best modern offenses increase the spacing produced by 3-point shooting using motion principles such as the following:
-off ball movement around the 3 point arc when a defender is zoning up multiple shooters
-off ball cutting when a defender man isn’t watching or when they’re trying to provide help defense
-off ball relocating (“re-spacing”) to the 3 point arc
-off ball screens during cuts or during movement around the 3 point arc
-off ball “wheel” action, rather than pick and roll
-off ball cuts along the baseline, when your defender isn’t watching (like above) or when you want do have “wheel” action
-Occupying weak side defenders off-ball to open driving lanes
The top offenses right now are: the Cavs; Knicks; Nuggets, Celtics; Grizzlies; Thunder, in that order. The video shows how the Cavs, Knicks, Nuggets, Grizzlies, and Thunder all invoke principles like the ones above, as well as highlighting a few good offenses from years prior (e.g. 2022 Warriors).
These actions are definitely quantifiable with detailed tracking data, but it's not clear to me (off the top of my head) if any of the free, publicly-accessible tracking metrics could be used to quantify these actions collectively to look for a broader statistical signal -- at least not in any highly accurate way, given how many of these actions are subtle and mid-possession rather than during the final shot. If anyone knows of free sources or has ideas on the best way to quantify these sort of subtle movement-style actions, I'm all ears!
We also get a few new quotes to add to Section F in post 1 above:
F. Reported Evidence (additions)
Kenny Atkinson:
So off-ball cutting produces space and opens driving lanes.“Cutting opens up space. The whole way of thinking was like ‘doesn’t cutting get in the way?’, but it actually creates vacuums and creates driving lanes”
Jonnie Bryant, Cavs Assistant Head Coach:
So teams have shifted away from just pick and rolls, towards more screening off-ball, and it's made offenses more potent and efficient.“How do you get ahead of today’s game? Everybody knows how to play pick and roll and guard that and switch that. You see teams kind of get away from that, so it’s more screen and off-ball. If you can move without the basketball and give the defense something different, it’s definitely advantageous for your offense and it allows you to be more efficient, because again you’re getting to the rim with the cut”
Jonnie Bryant:
So increasing motion and the number of actions (often through off-ball action) makes it harder for defenses.“The focus is moving without the basketball”
“The more moving parts, the more chance for error. So the more variety we can have in a possession [the better]”