We Are Witnessing The End of The NBA As We Know It
496,546
Published 2024-01-27
JJ is asking Derrick White why it’s so hard to get stops in the NBA.
The NBA has the highest offensive ratings in NBA history, even adjusted to the fast pace right now. Last year the Kings had the highest offensive rating ever at 118.6 and this season, there are 4 teams with a higher offensive rating than that. Scoring is becoming too easy.
140 point games are common place. Last week we literally had the most 150 point games in a single night.
**It almost takes away the importance of each bucket**; We have multiple 30 point scorers. 10 years ago there were only 19 20+ point scorers. Now there are 40…3.
Then JJ lists 6 recent rule changes that favor the defense and asks anyone to point out any rule changes that helped the offense.
How about for 1, Freedom of Movement?…that’s just one, there are several but first why was JJ so angry?
Perhaps the reason JJ was so passionate about this is because he believes that the players of today are better than the players of yesterday *and that’s true in an absolute sense.*
The players of today are more skilled and more talented in huge part because they got to see what the players of yesterday brought to the game and then work on that for years longer. And there’s two reasons for that. Think about Allen Iverson’s crossover. His handle was completely new in the league in the late 90s and broke so many ankles. Younger players could practice that sort of handle and make that part of their games, but the NBA also relaxed its palming officiating. Was there a rule change? No, but as Isiah Thomas said, that would usually get called a carry until it wasn’t.
The freedom of movement emphasis was brought on in 2020.
The emphasis was to call fouls on any arm hooks preventing offensive and defensive players from moving. But also, and most importantly, not letting defenders impede the path and movement of off ball offensive players. Uhh, that makes it really difficult to play defense…
The NBA was incentivizing moving off ball, specifically because now you couldn’t really get in their path, moving the game more to the Warriors style of basketball. Defenses had to adjust to no longer being able to be physical with players without the ball, relying more on team defense. And the crazy thing is, this wasn’t the only time the NBA did this, but the entire league changed in 2018.
LaMarcus Alridge said it changed the game. And he was right because the league average jumped up by 5 points a game from 106.3 to 111.2. That is the second biggest change in a single season in NBA history.
But why?
It allowed smaller, less physically imposing players, like Curry to go wherever they wanted and if you touched them, it would be a foul. Someone show me that that was changed since 2018? No? That’s right. Heck a year later Curry said "It gives perimeter guys a lot more freedom, "A lot more opportunity for creativity and obviously challenge defense in terms of schemes and how you approach that end of the floor”
And don’t forget what Luka said. It’s easier to score in the NBA than in the Euroleague and the talent is supposedly in the NBA right? Not if you handicap them defensively.
Less fouls, working more for buckets.
And that’s piece #3, the average NBA fan is getting desensitized to scoring and threes.
Offensive records being broken now don’t mean as much nor capture as much attention even though ESPN will try to stuff it down our throats.
*NBA saw viewership go down and thinks offense is the answer.* We’ve always heard that people want to watch good offense, watch the ball go through the hoop, but right now it’s a bit the opposite. The value of a bucket is low, some one averaging 20 points no longer means they are one of the best scorers even though broadcasters are still treating 20 points like it was 15 years ago.
I don’t think more talent ever gets less exciting. But I think the way the game is officiated and what the NBA chooses to focus on can make the game less exciting.
If everyone is able to make threes, it makes it less spectacular. If every team is running 5 out, it makes it normal. If everyone was a 6’ 8” 250 pound beast that can run as fast as a guard, than LeBron wouldn’t be special in the NBA, he would be average and that’s the point I’m making.
If you make rules that allow players to do previously one of one talents, then that’s not talent, that’s the NBA making things happen. And if it’s manufactured and not authentic, then it feels off, the thing you can’t put you finger on and that’s what’s happening now.
All Comments (21)
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So do y'all like this high scoring or not Subscribe if you wanna fight the bs with me!
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As a euroleague fan i think that so much scoring without real defense is boring
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Not to mention. Offensive players can simply barrel into defenders flop and get a foul call.
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1. Euro3step no calls 2. Defensive 3 seconds 3. No hand checking 4. Defensive players switch without a screen actually being set 5. Speeding up the pace of the game 6. 1-5 high screens 7. You can’t touch anybody on offense
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Freedom of movement was a big one, yes, but does no one else remember the Hibbert rule? The NBA hated the fact that the pacers found a way to slow down LeBron so much that they radically altered the way that they officiated verticality, directly leading to the Harden free throw era. One of the big things we were taught growing up in the early 2000s is that if you created the contact with a player in their own space it wasn’t a foul on them. That one change entirely eliminated that in the NBA.
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I feel bad for older players records. Its unfair to them.
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The fact that there is no defense means scoring more points means less. When I see Embiid score 70, I take that as 50 points 15 years ago.
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As a 44 year old that has watched basketball since the 80's. You explained it perfectly.
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In microeconomic terms: the NBA has past the saturation point on many levels of their product. It‘s too many games, too much scoring, too much 3s, too much superstar teams, too much rule breaking actions etc.
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Travelling is rampant in the NBA. 3 steps, 4 steps
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JJs comment in the literal first 5 seconds is an example of saying what he has to say to not lose connections with the nba. For Gods sakes the flopping rule they implemented is barely even being enforced. GREAT VIDEO PER USUAL MJ!!!
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Its boring to me now. If the NBA geared itself more toward defense, then the actual superstar players would stand out more. 60pt games would mean alot more. I completely agree with u...we are numb to big numbers and all that
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I remember about 15 years ago some people said that there should be another professional American basketball league. That is so evident at this time Now.
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As a casual fan I will say defensive plays have always excited me more than offensive. Yea i enjoy seeing curry hit from the logo but nothing made me more excited to watch than ben wallace blocking someone like shaq
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Quiet as it's kept, the Euroleague is putting forward a better product than the NBA. Just sayin.
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Watching Embiid makes you realize how much you miss guys like Tim Duncan playing this game. This dude really geared his offense on tryna draw as much fouls as possible by flopping
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Hoopflation: A phenomena when the value of a bucket is decreased through rule changes, and lack of defense.
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Simple. If it was all talent like JJ said, we wouldn't have 19 teams with a higher offensive rating than the 2018 warriors.
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I remember back in the 70's they had something called an 'offensive foul', can you believeit? Also😳 travelling and carrying over were enforced.
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Two things, players can travel now and carry the ball. That creates a plethora of offensive moves that the defense just couldn't keep up. Just try blocking a three step back shot like Harden does. But ultimately, defense is 99% effort and players today don't value defense anymore as much as before. Give 12 pts a game while averaging 38% and above behind the arc and you'll get a solid contract.
