It seems like every day you can log onto any social media platform and see two or more people in a debate over the political climate in the United States. Everyone involved in the social media debates finds it very easy to get defensive. You can picture it, can’t you? Now, imagine a world where NBA players and teams find it just as easy to want to play defense; that may not be as easy to visualize anymore. Teams are averaging nearly 111 points per game, the highest total average since the 1970-1971 NBA season, 112, when there was not even a three-point line. There could be a number of reasons as to why this trend is developing in the NBA, but what it all boils down to is effort.
Simply put, players just do not appear to want to play defense in the regular season. Not too long ago, players would try to fight through on ball screens. Now, switching is done automatically without even trying to fight through the screen. There is a plethora of fans that love watching Rudy Gobert get switched onto Steph Curry and get put into a blender multiple times a game. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy it once a game, but I don’t want to see it all game. I want to see players give maximum effort all game and to leave no question in my mind that they are giving it their all. Sometimes that will mean fighting through the screen when you are tired. Other times, it may mean trying to box out a player who is a better rebounder. It does not matter the situation as I firmly believe effort will always prevail in the end. After all, that is what so many young athletes have to and had to do in order to see playing time for their teams, regardless of the sport.
In the NBA, it is safe to say that offense sells tickets and attracts viewership. Despite the lackluster defense we are seeing in the NBA, it is still the second most popular sport in America next to the NFL. But just how sustainable is this version of the NBA? Eventually, fans will get tired of seeing teams score 140 points in a game with minimal pushback from the opposition. Eventually, the product will get stale, redundant, and boring. If you were to look at how the game was played in the 80s and 90s, the rules were completely different and favored defenders and the product was still exciting. To see a team score 80 to 90 points against that kind of physicality and defensive prowess is more impressive and entertaining than watching a team score 110 plus against a lackluster defensive effort. Of course, the game was a little too violent at times and the NBA made the right decision in making the rules tighter from a players’ health perspective, but it is great to watch those old clips and realize that was when people really started to fall back in love with the game of basketball, when there was a greater emphasis on defensive ability. It would be criminal to not acknowledge that increased floor spacing created by the dependency on the three-point field goal in this analytical age of sports has not also contributed to the demise of defense. Besides scoring more points, three-point attempts and proficient three-point shooters help stretch and space out the defense, generating more driving lanes for layups and dunks. The more room the most talented basketball players in the world have to operate, the more effective they will be at scoring points.
With no shortage of stars or fans, the NBA is here to stay but an emphasis on making defense great again will help propel the sport to greater heights, perhaps surpassing the NFL as the most popular sport in the United States.
