#1 Reason Scoring is Up?

[pipfan]

The game is more offensive-focused than ever. What is the top reason why scoring is easier?

I think 1, 2 and 3 are true, but the main reason is that the skill level is so high.

[ropjhk]

All of the above.

[ItsDanger]

The refs have their orders from head office.

[Optimus_Steel]

There aren't any more plumbers and carpenters

[Iwasawitness]

Magnets.

[CobraCommander]

All of the above.

Chicks dig the long ball and offense sells tickets and any other trope you can throw out applies -

No one wants to watch two teams struggle to score 85 points.

The NBA wants dunks and 3s and gravity defying cross overs because that’s what sells-

So no you can take 3 steps to dunk and call it a gather

You can shoot 10 3s a game at mid 30% and be considered a shooter - see too many guys in the league to call out

You can palm the ball the whole game and pretty much travel at will if it looks good- ja, KD, giannis, LeBron,

And the defense can’t touch you during the regular season-

Oh and no one values defensive players as much as scorers so people don’t spend their time working on being a defender- See the bucks moving jru for dame…

[Joao Saraiva]

I believe skill is the main reason, even tough not the only one. Any role player can put 20 today, they just need to get hot from 3. It's absolutely crazy. Cavs are out there looking like prime GSW some nights. It's nuts how role players move and shoot so fast from anywhere on the court in the right night.

Rules also favor offense more nowadays, and players tend to think RS record is less valuable, and that's true to some extent.

So not the only reason but the main reason.

[NuggetsWY]

All of the above.

Chicks dig the long ball and offense sells tickets and any other trope you can throw out applies -

No one wants to watch two teams struggle to score 85 points.

The NBA wants dunks and 3s and gravity defying cross overs because that’s what sells-

So no you can take 3 steps to dunk and call it a gather

You can shoot 10 3s a game at mid 30% and be considered a shooter - see too many guys in the league to call out

You can palm the ball the whole game and pretty much travel at will if it looks good- ja, KD, giannis, LeBron,

And the defense can’t touch you during the regular season-

Oh and no one values defensive players as much as scorers so people don’t spend their time working on being a defender- See the bucks moving jru for dame…

Exactly

[Hair Jordan]

Teams spanning 50-60 3’s a game, no defense being played, no traditional bigs under the basket protecting the rim, defensive 3 second rule, no hand checking, no carrying / palming or traveling violations called anymore. It’s not rocket science.

[LockoutSeason]

Scoring is not up. It’s roughly the same as it was in the mid ‘80s

1986 - 110 ppg
2024 - 113 ppg

[ReasonablySober]

Scoring is not up. It’s roughly the same as it was in the mid ‘80s

1986 - 110 ppg
2024 - 113 ppg

League ORTG
1986: 107.2
2024: 112.2 (last season it was 115.3)

[zimpy27]

Because coaches run plays more and understand spacing better in generating offense.

It is analytics, no secret that the best NBA and college offense of the last decade are running plays and focusing on spacing. Many teams are catching up to this.

Guys are moving off ball like never before.

[gavran]

Magnets.

How do they work?

[LockoutSeason]

Scoring is not up. It’s roughly the same as it was in the mid ‘80s

1986 - 110 ppg
2024 - 113 ppg

League ORTG
1986: 107.2
2024: 112.2 (last season it was 115.3)

You know what offensive rating is, right? It’s points per 100 possessions. A higher offensive rating doesn’t mean scoring is up, it’s means scoring is more efficient.

So you need to change the question to; “why is scoring so much more efficient?”

[Iwasawitness]

Magnets.

How do they work?

Idk lol

[jbk1234]

Scoring is not up. It’s roughly the same as it was in the mid ‘80s

1986 - 110 ppg
2024 - 113 ppg

League ORTG
1986: 107.2
2024: 112.2 (last season it was 115.3)

You know what offensive rating is, right? It’s points per 100 possessions. A higher offensive rating doesn’t mean scoring is up, it’s means scoring is more efficient.

So you need to change the question to; “why is scoring so much more efficient?”

I suspect that once you adjust for the numbers of 3s taken, it's roughly the same. In 1986, there was far less emphasis on spacing and far fewer 3s.

[shrink]

Hard to pick one because of the overlap.

Scoring is up because analytics demonstrated the value of taking more three point shots. Players at every position have improved their three point shooting, particularly deeper shots. This strained defenses, and it makes it harder and more frustrating to defend. Also taking more three point shots makes it less likely to make an offensive foul, and if officials call a foul on the shot, it’s worth three free throws, also analytically a good result, so some players have also developed their skill at drawing that foul.

It’s all tied together.

[CobraCommander]

All of the above.

Chicks dig the long ball and offense sells tickets and any other trope you can throw out applies -

No one wants to watch two teams struggle to score 85 points.

The NBA wants dunks and 3s and gravity defying cross overs because that’s what sells-

So no you can take 3 steps to dunk and call it a gather

You can shoot 10 3s a game at mid 30% and be considered a shooter - see too many guys in the league to call out

You can palm the ball the whole game and pretty much travel at will if it looks good- ja, KD, giannis, LeBron,

And the defense can’t touch you during the regular season-

Oh and no one values defensive players as much as scorers so people don’t spend their time working on being a defender- See the bucks moving jru for dame…

Exactly

It’s embarrassingly bad !

[ItsDanger]

One trend I notice is guards not even bothering to wait for screen set, they just go thinking the refs won't call illegal screen. And they're often correct.

[NZB2323]

Players today are way more athletic than players last year after the all star break, when scoring was down.