Twenty-four hours removed from Damian Lillard, scoring 71 points, and became the second player this season to score 70+. High-scoring games have become the new norm in the NBA, leading to a scoring problem where there’s too much talent on each team. It used to be rare that a player averaged 30+ in a season, and there are six players in the 2022-23 season with that metric. Here are a few options to minimize the amount of scoring and offensive dominance in the league.
Expand the League
The NBA hasn’t seen this amount of scoring since the 1980s and solved their issue by adding four teams to spread talent across the league. With 32 NBA franchises, the talks of franchises in Las Vegas and Seattle have gained momentum in the last couple of years. The scoring problem and the attraction of new franchises could be enough to force the NBA to expand in the next CBA. Expanding allows for an even playing field, as in 2022-23, a franchise needs at least two All-Star players to be in playoff contention. This is why it’s become so rare to see a one-man team or a collective team of role players compete for an NBA Championship.
Change the Rules
NBA rules today favor the offense more than ever, with defensive-centered teams becoming extinct. Changing the 3-second violation on defense would be a step in the right direction, as the NCAA doesn’t have a 3-second violation. This would allow centers to become more pivotal in defending offensive drives to the basket that have become nearly unguardable. Another rule change would be to limit fouls called in favor of the defense and force the offense to find another way to garner points. The change would limit the number of free throws by star players, as it’s become a norm for a team’s star player to shot 10+ free throws each game.
Move the Three-Point Line Back
The league has become a three-point shooting contest, and layup line drill as the mid-range shot has disappeared. In moving the line back, the difficulty of the shot rises, along with making a three-point shot more risk than reward. The result would garner a rebirth of the mid-range shot and limit scoring, with more teams going away from living and dying by the three-point shot.
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