DENVER (AP) 鈥� Contrary to all those high-scoring games, players still are playing defense in the NBA.
Seriously, they are.
It's just the task of stopping two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic or Luka Doncic or Joel Embiid or anyone else in the league has become more challenging than ever.
Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle may have described the assignment of locking down a premier 鈥� or even a reserve 鈥� player the best: "It鈥檚 a wild, hot mess trying to guard in the NBA now," he said.
A combination of rule changes, style-of-play alterations, the ongoing addiction to the 3-point shot and more have added up to the game being significantly tilted toward the offensive player.
Someone will win 鈥淒efensive Player of the Year鈥� this spring, even after a season where no one seems to be able to stop anyone with the ball. It鈥檚 almost certain that more players will average 20 points per game than ever before. A decade ago, there were a dozen or so players. This season, 50 isn鈥檛 out of the question (there were 27 last season and 31 in 2020-21).
The NBA will analyze all the variables after the season. But since its sense is fans love scoring, and there鈥檚 nothing out there contradicting that stance, a massive swing of the rules pendulum toward helping out defenders doesn鈥檛 seem likely.
鈥淔or me, a fan, the talent level is just off the charts, and that has a lot to do with what we鈥檙e seeing,鈥� NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in Paris last week. 鈥淥f course, the enormous increase in 3-point shooting is going to lead to more scoring, too, especially when these guys, even the big men, shoot 3-point shots as well as they do.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 necessarily a case that defense is not being focused on as it once was,鈥� Silver added. 鈥淚鈥檝e been around the league long enough to remember when the claim was guys played no defense at all, and so there鈥檚 a fair amount of defense played.鈥�
From zone defenses to constant rotations, teams are trying a little bit of everything to slow down offensive stars. Still, the stars shine. In January alone, Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell scored 71 points on Jan. 2; Chicago's Zach LaVine knocked down 11 3-pointers on Jan. 6; and Miami's Jimmy Butler went 23 of 23 from the free throw line on Jan. 10.
Playing defense is harder these days, but not impossible.
鈥淚t just requires a real connectedness defensively,鈥� Carlisle explained.
Scoring is up again this season, with teams averaging more points (114.1) than the league has seen at any time in the last half-century. Sacramento leads the way with 120 points per game, with six players averaging 12 or more points.
It's hardly a surprise to longtime NBA veteran Ish Smith that 44 players are currently averaging at least 20 point a game.
鈥淚 guarantee you, when I come and show my kids the game in 10 or 15 years, we鈥檙e going to be talking about how it might be 100 guys now averaging 20,鈥� cracked Smith, the Nuggets guard who broke into the league in 2010. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just a tribute to guys getting better. Everybody can dribble, shoot, pass 鈥� and it makes it difficult.鈥�
Bottom line: The standouts are simply doing what they do best 鈥� stand out. Doncic and Embiid lead in points per game (33.6), Jokic in triple-doubles (14), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in two-point field goals (398) and Buddy Hield in 3-pointers (181).
鈥淭he league is in such a great place and people are so into checking out highlights and seeing high scores for entertainment,鈥� said David Adelman, an assistant coach for the Nuggets and son of longtime NBA coach Rick Adelman. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think the NFL is any different. I mean, it鈥檚 hard to be a defensive back these days. That's probably the hardest job in sports, maybe.
鈥淪o I don鈥檛 see (the NBA) changing it. My son is 9 years old and he loves watching the NBA because we鈥檙e scoring 130 points. That鈥檚 just the way it is.鈥�
Given rule enforcements designed to allow more freedom of moment in both the post and on the perimeter, it's only natural to expect free throws to be on the rise. There have been an average of 23.8 attempts at the line (through Sunday) this season, which is on pace to be the highest since 2010-11 (24.4).
鈥淕enerally, when you look at some of these really, really, explosive individual performances where guys have put up huge numbers, I think you can immediately look at the free-throw line. There鈥檚 always a correlation,鈥� Chicago coach Billy Donovan explained. 鈥淭he free throw and the fouling has become a real challenge, because the minute you get your hands on people, those elite scorers know how to manipulate and draw fouls.鈥�
The league has tried to minimize that, at least when it comes to shooters looking to draw contact on flailed 3-pointers. But the NBA knows any rule change or shift always gets countered somehow by smart players, who just find another avenue to get to where they want.
鈥淚 remember people were saying, 鈥業t鈥檚 all about dunking and guys can鈥檛 shoot.鈥� Now it鈥檚, 鈥楾hey shoot too well. It should be more of an inside game,鈥欌�� Silver said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l keep looking at it.鈥�
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AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this report.
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Pat Graham, The Associated Press
