The NBA is broken.

[Folster]

The NBA has a problem. I find it increasingly difficult to watch NBA games and ratings have fallen nearly in half since 2012. It's just a 3 point chuck-fest and it's bad basketball. Steph Curry is great but he broke the game similar to how Shaq did in the 90s. The Celtics are averaging 51.3 3 point attempts per game this season. We have role players and big men chucking 3s all game. Royce O'Neale and Grayson Allen shoot about 6 per game while Ryan Dunn shoots just under 4 a game. LaMelo Ball is shooting 13 a game! Victor Wembanyama is shooting 9 a game! For comparison, Ray Allen shot under 6 a game for his career while Reggie Miller shot under 5 a game.

For all of the insistence that teams need to shoot threes to compete, take a look at historical data from past great Suns teams and current. All of the threes don't really add up to more points, but it has made regular season basketball pretty unwatchable.

SZN	FGA	FG%	3PA	3P%	2PA	2P%	PPG
92-93	86.5	49.3%	13.4	36.3%	73.1	51.6%	113.4
04-05	85.6	47.7%	24.7	39.3%	60.9	51.2%	110.4
05-06	87.4	47.9%	25.6	39.9%	61.8	51.1%	108.4
21-22	90.1	48.5%	31.9	36.4%	58.2	55.1%	114.8
24-25	85.4	47.0%	39.7	38.3%	45.7	54.6%	113.9

How do we fix the problem?
Get rid of the corner 3. Make the 3 point line a true arc that is a consistent distance from the hoop like the image below. Not allowing a player to hide in the corner and rain threes will drastically change offensive and defensive strategy. I'd also consider pushing the distance back further.

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It might take capping 3 pointers at 20 or so. Once you hit 20, you are capped out and they are worth only 2. The NBA can't afford to be purists. They are an entertainment product and need to be able to make changes to improve the product when it is languishing.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I find myself checked out for the same reason. Just ain’t all that exciting anymore.

 

[82CardsGrad]

Seriously… there isn’t one team or one match-up I get excited to watch.
High School games are more fun and pure than what the NBA offers these days.

Between the bombardment of 3’s, the lack of any fluidity & motion on offense, and lack of defense and all of the damn flopping and bitchin & moaning to the refs, it’s virtually unwatchable…

 

[AzStevenCal]

The NBA has a problem. I find it increasingly difficult to watch NBA games and ratings have fallen nearly in half since 2012. It's just a 3 point chuck-fest and it's bad basketball. Steph Curry is great but he broke the game similar to how Shaq did in the 90s. The celtics are averaging 51.3 3 point attempts per game this season. We have role players and big men chucking 3s all game. Royce O'Neale and Grayson Allen shoot about 6 per game while Ryan Dunn shoots just under 4 a game. LaMelo Ball is shooting 13 a game! Victor Wembanyama is shooting 9 a game! For comparison, Ray Allen shot under 6 a game for his career while Reggie Miller shot under 5 a game.

For all of the insistence that teams need to shoot threes to compete take a look at historical data from past great Suns teams and current. All of the threes don't really add up to more points, but it has made regular season basketball pretty unwatchable.

SZN	FGA	FG%	3PA	3P%	2PA	2P%	PPG
92-93	86.5	49.3%	13.4	36.3%	73.1	51.6%	113.4
04-05	85.6	47.7%	24.7	39.3%	60.9	51.2%	110.4
05-06	87.4	47.9%	25.6	39.9%	61.8	51.1%	108.4
21-22	90.1	48.5%	31.9	36.4%	58.2	55.1%	114.8
24-25	85.4	47.0%	39.7	38.3%	45.7	54.6%	113.9

How do we fix the problem?
Get rid of the corner 3. Make the 3 point line a true arc that is a consistent distance from the hoop like the image below. Not allowing a player hide in the corner and rain threes will drastically change offensive and defensive strategy. I'd also consider pushing the distance back further.

You must be registered for see images attach

It might take capping 3 pointers at 20 or so. Once you hit 20, you are capped out and they are worth only 2. The NBA can't afford to be purists. They are an entertainment product and need to be able to make changes to improve the product when it is languishing.

I agree with most of this but I'd ardently oppose "capping" the 3's. I'd definitely move the 3 line further out but I think I'd cut if off at the foul line.

 

[Phrazbit]

I like the three-point arc idea, at the very least they need to enforce their own rules when it comes to off ball screens and illegal dribbling, especially carrying, Morant, LeBron, Giannis they will dribble the ball and then hold it like a football and then take another dribble. They do it all the time.

They also should probably make zone defenses illegal again, that would allow post play and back to the basket big men to be valuable again.

 

[Folster]

Seriously… there isn’t one team or one match-up I get excited to watch.
High School games are more fun and pure than what the NBA offers these days.

Between the bombardment of 3’s, the lack of any fluidity & motion on offense, and lack of defense and all of the damn flopping and bitchin & moaning to the refs, it’s virtually unwatchable…

It's crazy to see the team come down 4 or 5 times in a row and miss a three point attempt every time. It's what makes these huge points swings possible.

 

[Folster]

I like the three-point arc idea, at the very least they need to enforce their own rules when it comes to off ball screens and illegal dribbling, especially carrying, Morant, LeBron, Giannis they will dribble the ball and then hold it like a football and then take another dribble. They do it all the time.

They also should probably make zone defenses illegal again, that would allow post play and back to the basket big men to be valuable again.

The league really needs a young Shaq.

 

[Mainstreet]

I'd add the "and one" when a player is fouled in the act of a taking a shot.

It gives the player shooting inside a chance at a three point play.

The NBA referees seem to be calling it more frequently, but it is not consistent.

 

[jf-08]

I agree wholeheartedly that the game is bastardize now and hardly watchable.

But from an analytics standpoint, the 3 point attempts per game are 39.7. If you multiply that by the successful shooting percentage (38.3%) then by the points made per successful basket (3 points), you get 45.6153 points for those 39.7 attempts.

Now if you take those same 39.7 attempts and use the two point successful shooting percentage (54.6%) then by the points made per successful basket (2 points), you get 43.3524 points for those attempts.

So you get roughly 2.26 more points for those attempts by shooting threes instead of two point shots. Which is unfortunate.

 

[Folster]

I agree wholeheartedly that the game is bastardize now and hardly watchable.

But from an analytics standpoint, the 3 point attempts per game are 39.7. If you multiply that by the successful shooting percentage (38.3%) then by the points made per successful basket (3 points), you get 45.6153 points for those 39.7 attempts.

Now if you take those same 39.7 attempts and use the two point successful shooting percentage (54.6%) then by the points made per successful basket (2 points), you get 43.3524 points for those attempts.

So you get roughly 2.26 more points for those attempts by shooting threes instead of two point shots. Which is unfortunate.

Factor in the increased variance/volatility in 3 point shooting percentages from game to game and even intra-game.

 

[Folster]

Here's a stat that illustrates just how bad it's gotten.

In 2015-16, the Warriors won 73 games. They led the league with 31.6 3 point attempts per game. That would rank 29th in the NBA this year, right above Denver at 30.5 attempts. Insane!

 

[Dback Jon]

Agree with all above.

Game is too inconsistently called - and the star treatment that some get makes a mockery of the game.

The NBA seems to have purposefully given a pass to foreign stars like Giannis, Luka, Nokic in order to grow the game internationally at the expense of domestic players.

Move the three point line back, call carries, double dribbles, and be consistent

 

[GatorAZ]

The league peaked in 2016. Since then it hasn’t really been all that intriguing.

 

[Raindog]

Agree. The current "format" of basketball is terrible. I loathe the 3-pointer. The problem is 1) that it's not a challenging enough shot anymore as most players have increased their shooting range, and 2) there are no significant enough disincentives to shooting it even if you aren't making enough of them.

To solve the former, all it would take would be to move or adjust the 3P line... not that hard to do. The latter is due to how the game is officiated now. The league has let the refs basically ruin it by it officiating in whatever random way they feel without any apparent oversight. The result is teams can't go away from the "catch and chuck" style without being penalized by bad officiating.

Both issues are fixable, but apparently the NBA is happy with the garbage they are putting out.

 

[TRW]

Mike D'Antoni was the architect of the decline IMO. I haven't been able to stomach the NBA in quite some time because of all of the above. I'm not interested in a nightly 3 point and dunk contest.

I am old, I know, but I would advocate abolishing the 3 point line entirely (I know it will never happen).

 

[Sparky16]

I agree with most of this but I'd ardently oppose "capping" the 3's. I'd definitely move the 3 line further out but I think I'd cut if off at the foul line.

one of the dumbest parts of games is seeing guys just standing in the corners. Watching games in the 70s & early 80's where guys were nailing midrange shots etc and moving. Now its iso and launch 3's with a bunch of flopping still. They need to make a foul a foul again. Whats worse than the 3 point barrage is the parade to the FT line

 

[Carolinacacti]

The league peaked in 2016. Since then it hasn’t really been all that intriguing.

Still watch the game but it peaked way before 2016 for me. All the players are great shooters they don’t miss. Wish the Wildcats had some shooters.

 

[Folster]

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[AzStevenCal]

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Wow.

 

[phillycard]

What really grinds my gears is when players give up an easy 2 points to kick it back out to a player at the 3 point line. It's like they don't know that you're allowed to lay it up or take a 10 ft jump shot.

 

[MrYeahBut]

I basically can't watch anymore. Yeah was a bad opponent but my Lobos made 122 pts. College ball is bad too. Too many time outs drags the games down. Teams can be down by 20 pts and still call time. Stupid.

 

[Hoop Head]

Ive often wondered if they could achieve similar results as far as making teams less reliant on 3's and offense moving more towards the type of basketball as the MJ generation if they raised the basket 6-12 inches vs changing the dimensions of the court or length of 3pt line. Higher basket changes shooting so naturally people would want to move closer. There would be less exciting dunks but dunks would be exciting again because they'd be more rare. Shooting would require a different arc.

I also think a modern Shaq or coach who focuses on interior play and scoring could change the league. It won't happen over night but a dedicated system built around scoring each trip down, even if 2 points, would need to convince players and fans not to be prisoners of the moment because they would trail a lot when other teams are hot but they could come back and make it a ball game in the end. It would take a lot of dedication and discipline so I think a player like a Shaq is more likely to change things than a coach.

 

[Covert Rain]

I don’t think you can take away the dunks. That would compound the problem. Changing the dimensions of the court and moving back the 3 point line might be the only answer. I don’t think there is a perfect solution I have seen proposed.

 

[elindholm]

What really grinds my gears is when players give up an easy 2 points to kick it back out to a player at the 3 point line. It's like they don't know that you're allowed to lay it up or take a 10 ft jump shot.

Right, especially since there's no way that can be a percentage play. I've seen players pass up uncontested dunks in order to pass to a teammate behind the arc.

 

[Folster]

Right, especially since there's no way that can be a percentage play. I've seen players pass up uncontested dunks in order to pass to a teammate behind the arc.

Ben Simmons