NBA players have gotten too good at basketball

[inndaskKy]

I heard it's also more difficult than ever for plumbers to find work in this competitive labor market.

Not saying these things are related necessarily

 

[HandyWithTheSteel]

Defense has been legislated out of the league, there's no rim protection anymore and the offense right now has more freedom than the defense

“No rim protection”

Then why does today’s league average the same amount of blocks per game as the so called “tough and physical” ‘90s?

2024: 5.1 BPG

1991: 5.1 BPG
1992: 5.3 BPG
1993: 5.2 BPG
1994: 5.2 BPG
1995: 5.2 BPG
1996: 5:1 BPG
1997: 4.9 BPG
1998: 5.1 BPG

We got y’all covered from all angles. It’s over nikka. Checkmate.

 

[Professor Emeritus]

Defense has been legislated out of the league, there's no rim protection anymore and the offense right now has more freedom than the defense

The constantly increasing FT% and dramatic increase in 3pt shooting ability has literally nothing to do with defense. Teams defend the 3pt harder right now than any point in history, but NO defense in NBA history can account for 4-out or 5-out three-point shooters with guards hitting shyt 28-30 feet from the hoop on a regular basis.

 

[Professor Emeritus]

Somewhat off topic but maybe not, because the refs are helping these players a lot. Watching Rockets games it seems whenever a player drives to the basket and is defended close it's a foul and if the foul isn't called immediately the refs wait to see if the offensive player makes the layup, if he misses then the late foul is called.

It's ridiculous how protected offensive players are these days.

There are only 6 seasons in NBA history with fewer free throw attempts than this season, and all 6 of those were between 2012 and 2022.



Different way to put it - in the opening season in NBA history back in 1947, teams only averaged 24.8 free throws a game. That was back before the 24-second clock was instituted, and the average team scored just 67 points a game. That would remain the fewest free throws ever shot in a season until 2002.

In fact, 2002 remained the first and only season in NBA history to average fewer than 24 free throws/game until 2012. But since 2012, EVERY season has averaged fewer than 24 free throws/game.

 

[HandyWithTheSteel]

Somewhat off topic but maybe not, because the refs are helping these players a lot. Watching Rockets games it seems whenever a player drives to the basket and is defended close it's a foul and if the foul isn't called immediately the refs wait to see if the offensive player makes the layup, if he misses then the late foul is called.

It's ridiculous how protected offensive players are these days.

Todays era shoots the fewest FTs in history. Why are so many NBA fans at war with reality?

 

[Tha_Mac]

There are only 6 seasons in NBA history with fewer free throw attempts than this season, and all 6 of those were between 2012 and 2022.



Different way to put it - in the opening season in NBA history back in 1947, teams only averaged 24.8 free throws a game. That was back before the 24-second clock was instituted, and the average team scored just 67 points a game. That would remain the fewest free throws ever shot in a season until 2002.

In fact, 2002 remained the first and only season in NBA history to average fewer than 24 free throws/game until 2012. But since 2012, EVERY season has averaged fewer than 24 free throws/game.

It's not about the attempts it's about defender's not being able to closely defend and offensive players knowing this.

EDIT and of course some players not wanting to defend.

 

[IIVI]

It's not about the attempts it's about defender's not being able to closely defend and offensive players knowing this.

Additionally how an offensive player can truck a defender and no foul called.

If you're going to allow that physicality, allow it the other way as well when the defender does it back or start calling the offensive player for fouls.

 

[Ethnic Vagina Finder]

& Spurs

Spurs are averaging 110 a night

 

[Ethnic Vagina Finder]

Defense has been legislated out of the league, there's no rim protection anymore and the offense right now has more freedom than the defense

It's hard to rim protect if teams spread everything out.

 

[I. H.]

So why didn't most NBA players show all that never-before-seen skill in the last FIBA world cup? Some of them looked completely lost out there the moment some actual FIBA defending happened.

 

[NYC Rebel]

MJ would be WHAT?

 

[Professor Emeritus]

It's not about the attempts it's about defender's not being able to closely defend and offensive players knowing this.

If that was such a huge issue that it was hurting competitiveness, then someone would at least be pushing the envelope. Teams would be averaging MORE free throws trying to maintain a bare semblance of defense, not somehow averaging even fewer despite them being called more.

You could revert the calls to exactly how it was called in the 1990s, and teams would still score way more now than they did then. No amount of fouling is going to stop squads from spreading the floor and hitting a ton of threes. No amount of fouling changes the fact that teams are objectively better shooters across the board right now (including on free throws, which aren't impacted by defense) than they were in any previous era.

 

[Heavy_Handz]

Spurs are averaging 110 a night

Only giving up 123 a night

 

[Professor Emeritus]

So why didn't most NBA players show all that never-before-seen skill in the last FIBA world cup? Some of them looked completely lost out there the moment some actual FIBA defending happened.

Because there wasn't a single All-NBA player representing the USA at FIBA and they had no idea how to play together while international players have their own local systems they've been building together for years.

I mean, who are you even disappointed with from the FIBA tournament. Brandon Ingram? Cam Johnson? Paolo Banchero? I don't think there was a single player on the team who had a meaningful history of playoff success. The USA practically sent a U-25 squad of inexperienced, third-tier players with no real leadership or chemistry at all going against a lot of seasoned pros who had been there before.

 

[10bandz]

@ linking one of the worst basketball YT channels out there. The king of agenda driven, useless stats.

Right, post up a BS YT channel and claim MJ wouldn’t be top 10 in the game today. @Rhakim the expert dapped it though