The NBA is slowly returning to the scores that defined the early era of the game before defense improved drastically through the late 1980s and became the core tenet for winning titles in the 1990s. Nowadays, a team putting up under 100 points means they’ve had one of the worst-scoring games of the season.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was asked by Kevin Garnett about the lack of defense in the modern game, prompting the commissioner to explain why the league doesn’t want to return to the aggressive defense of the ’90s.
“There was a point, I believe, In the late 90s, when the game became too physical… from the aesthetic enjoyment of the game where it de-emphasized the particular skill a player had. Maybe it weighted too heavily on physicality where a big strong player could come in and prevent an incredibly skilled player from doing those kinds of things.”
"In the late 90s, when the game became too physical… from the aesthetic enjoyment of the game where it de-emphasized the particular skill a player had."
Adam Silver on the lack of defense and more offense in today's game.
(via @allthesmokeprod)pic.twitter.com/thNspWPMKw
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 29, 2024
Silver used Stephen Curry‘s success as an example, claiming that a player like Curry would not be allowed to have success in the ’90s because bigger players would simply hack him down.
“A smaller player like Steph Curry, when you think of his ability to shoot and move to the paint, if guys can just bang him and knock him to the ground, as that was once the case in the league, I don’t think that would be a better brand of basketball.”
The Commissioner did recognize the need for the NBA to bring back some defensive rules based on physicality.
“We have to find the right balance. We’ve tried to bring back the physicality, people like to see hard defense… People don’t like the idea that guys can go unscathed or that you’re protecting your players. We made changes this season, unnatural basketball rules. Players were gaming the system. Brilliant players playing by the rules had found ways where they became defensive fouls… We’ve made it clear to those players that they won’t be fouls.”
Luka Doncic and Joel Embiid both had 70-point games in four days which prompted this to become a major talking point in the sports world. Silver is already publicly addressing it, so there’s a high chance the NBA will adjust more rules this season to give defenses more help when it comes to stopping offensive players.
A Historic Scoring Era
In the last 13 months, we have seen four players have 70-point games, a mark we rarely saw any player reach over the last 30 years. Outside of Kobe Bryant’s legendary 81 points, no player since the 1990s has put up 70. Damian Lillard and Donovan Mitchell scored their 70 last season while Embiid and Doncic had their 70-point games last week.
This season has four players averaging over 30 points, something that only players like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, James Harden, and Stephen Curry, among a few others have achieved in the last 20 years. Last season, we had six players averaging over 30 points per game for the season.
The rules play a part but we’re also witnessing the revolution of the game in real-time. Offenses are more fluid and players are far more skilled. De-emphasizing physicality was crucial for the NBA to make the game skill-based instead of just relying on size to dominate.
The modern game needs some defensive help, but the NBA has found the perfect way to display the offensive talent the players in the league have.
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