The Factors Behind the NBA’s Record-Breaking Scoring Trend

Why so many records in such a short time?

This wave of records has multifactorial reasons. The first is the quality of the players, quite simply. Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic and Devin Booker are outstanding attackers. Capable, in an evening where genius and success combine, of scoring several dozen points. The second reason is the ever-increasing protection they enjoy from referees. The stars benefit from a greater “whistle” than the other players. On January 22, Joel Embiid scored 21 of his 70 points on free throws. In December, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 24 of his 64 units in this exercise. A contribution that counts, when it comes to making a place in the record books. A third reason can be put forward. That of the rule change undertaken by the NBA at the end of the 2018-2019 season. Which consisted of reducing the time of possession after an offensive rebound, going from 24 to 14 seconds. The goal is to make the NBA ever more offensive, spectacular and dynamic. Result: 22 players have scored more than 60 units in a single match since this modification (October 2018), while 20 players had reached this mark between 1988 and 2018.

European basketball VS the NBA: two unopposable worlds

If the record is 100 points in the NBA, it is 49 in the Euroleague (Shane Larkin with Anadolu Efes in 2020). While in the BNXT League, the highest mark is 45 (Jhivan Jackson with Spirou Charleroi in 2023). A world of difference. Two incomparable planets. For regulatory reasons in particular. When we play 48 minutes in the US League, we play 40 minutes in Europe. Also, the three-point line is located 49 centimeters further in the NBA. The playing philosophy is also different. “For me, it’s easier to score in the NBA than in Europe. There, the field is smaller and there is no three-second rule on defense. So I think it’s easier to score here,” declared Luka Doncic (to EuroHoops media), who played on both sides of the Atlantic. But, although in Europe we rely more on the collective and defensive aspect, scoring more than 60 points in the NBA remains a remarkable performance.

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Maybe even Wilt’s (Chamberlain) 100 points.

Are Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 points in danger? The question is a bit exaggerated. But it at least deserves to be asked in this record-generating context. The former Warriors pivot accomplished this historic feat in 1962 against the Knicks. The 216 centimeter giant dominated the league at the time. More than that, he flew over it. But in 2024, trying to dethrone one of the most iconic records in sport or wanting to get close to it seems to be in the realm of utopia. Joel Embiid, however, is not of this opinion: “I hope that in a few years, when I have stopped defending him, he too will break all these records, and maybe even Wilt’s 100 points (Chamberlain )”, he slipped, after his XXL performance against Spurs. It must be said that if there is one who can discreetly dream of reaching this legendary bar, it is him: Wemby. Expected to dominate the league in the coming years, the Frenchman has characteristics similar to the American record holder. “He’s the closest thing to Wilt, we’ll never see anyone else like that,” analyzed former Lakers player Metta Sandiford-Artest. So will the record virus have a new variant capable of approaching 100 points?

2024-02-21 14:28:24
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