The National Basketball Association has been at an all-time high in scoring. More triple-doubles have occurred since the 2011 NBA season. A triple double occurs when the play has three double digit stats. The base triple double consists of 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and 10 points. One could also achieve this from ten steals or ten blocked shots in one game. In addition to these great feats, team scoring this season has been off the charts. This is because the new era of basketball consists of small guards pushing the pace and shooting three point shots. The Golden State Warriors, pioneers to this new age of shooting. The Warriors average 42 three point shots attempted per game. They made 38 percent from the three point arc. That means the Warriors score one third of their points from the three point arc. Less than 20 years ago in 2003, the National Basketball League had averaged 11 three point attempts per game. According to the Washington Post,”Teams are averaging 113.4 points per game, the highest output since the early 1970s with the league-wide offensive rating reaching 110.8 points per 100 possessions. If that’s maintained, it would be the highest rate in NBA history.” This statistic is mind boggling considering the fact, the defense in The NBA is spectacular. Both sides of the ball, offensively and defensively, have never been so talented ever. The average height of an NBA player is a whopping height of 6’6” feet, six. The NBA is taller and more athletic than ever.
The NBA has been the most competitive then previous eras, but others have argued that three point shooting is a terrible trend to the game of basketball. Which is completely subjective, the game of basketball changes. Since the beginning of The NBA there have been different “trends” of basketball, but there has never been such a high scoring season of basketball. This is great for the media and influence. Historic nights have also been a product of this high scoring period. Notably Nikola Jokic, a player from the Denver Nuggets had a spectacular performance finishing with 30-20-10 (30 point, 20 rebounds, 10 assists) finish, the third player to ever obtain that statline. Luka Doncic a Dallas Mavericks player, Doncic’s stats were 61-21-10 (60 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists) Doncic is the second player to ever achieve this impressive feat.The growth of the three point shot has made the game so fast paced, and has obliterated the strategy of the classic “big men”. Every player on the court is required to push pace or be able to stretch the court by shooting three point shots. This has created the strategy of the “small ball” lineup, a common set to see in this period. The average big man or center in prior years has been seven feet or taller. The 2022-2023 season the average center ranges from the height of 6’8” to 6’10”. The average center has also been shooting more threes than ever. Some have said that this new era of basketball has been worse, because there are no dominant players and the big men are washed up.
The big men era of The NBA occurred during the late 1980s all the way through the early 2000s. The big men were giants, such as: Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan, Alonzo Mourning and David Robinson. These giants changed the way of the big men, this playstyle became the most dominant, and every team wanted a great player to protect the inside and to score tough points. The era of this was said to be the “golden era”. This great play on the defensive side and tough bully ball offense.
In conclusion, the NBA has seen a lot of changes in the past few years.This era is the most uncommon way of play: shooting threes and playing fast have been revolutionizing the game and have been so impactful in such a short time. It will be interesting to see the outcome of this high amount of shooting and low amount of defense will boost players stats and it is inevitable for more historic nights to come.
