Number of 25 ppg scorers from 1985-1998 and 2001-2014

[3ball]

[COLOR="DarkRed"]1985-1998[/COLOR]: 87

[COLOR="Navy"]2001-2014[/COLOR]: 92


30+ point scorers:

[COLOR="DarkRed"]1985-1998[/COLOR]: 5 different players

[COLOR="Navy"]2001-2014[/COLOR]: 7 different players
.

[GIF REACTION]

(Up coming quotes are from some of the most renowned and well respected NBA analysts and writers on the Earth today. Earning the big bucks because they are the best at what they do... Including ESPN's Henry Abbott, and Grantland's Zach Lowe)

[QUOTE]

[3ball]

Elite scorer numbers are down across the board

25+ point scorers:


[COLOR="DarkRed"]1985-1998[/COLOR]: 87

[COLOR="Navy"]2001-2014[/COLOR]: 92



30+ point scorers:


[COLOR="DarkRed"]1985-1998[/COLOR]: 5 different players

[COLOR="Navy"]2001-2014[/COLOR]: 7 different players

[GIF REACTION]

25+ point scorers:


[COLOR="DarkRed"]1985-1998[/COLOR]: 87

[COLOR="Navy"]2001-2014[/COLOR]: 92



30+ point scorers:


[COLOR="DarkRed"]1985-1998[/COLOR]: 5 different players

[COLOR="Navy"]2001-2014[/COLOR]: 7 different players

Thorpe explains it best in the video, but the gist is this: In recent years more and more NBA coaches have signed up for the defensive philosophy, popularized by Tom Thibodeau since 2007-08, of "flooding ball-side box."

This is not the same as double-teaming, but it has some similarities. When the ball is on one side of the court, watch for this: Very often an extra defender sneaks over to join the action, bringing a crowd of defenders closer to the ball. It's something that became legal when the NBA began allowing zone defenses in 2001, but it took until [COLOR="Red"]2008[/COLOR] for coaches to really figure out how to take best advantage.

That's when the big-time gunners started to disappear.

Flooding the side of the court with the ball makes everything tougher for that star scorer, starting when he makes the catch and assesses options. Driving lanes are tighter or closed off entirely. More defenders have more ability to get hands in faces. It's difficult to reach favored spots on the court, and to operate once there.

..

[3ball]

Flooding a weakside defender to the strongside of the court

Today's 3-pointers/spacing and the resulting further distance of help defenders makes offensive players more dangerous when they catch the ball, which necessitates extra tactics (flooding) so the ballhandler isn't so secluded by the spacing - but the flooding tactic merely makes the concentration of defenders equivalent to an un-spaced court where help defenders were already in closer proximity.

Otoh, lack of spacing and closer proximity of help defenders made previous eras better-equipped to handle a player that has the ball without needing risky gambles like flooding, where big men come away from the rim to flood in a mismatch outside the paint.. Instead, the lack of 3-point shooting kept offensive players closer to the paint, which allowed defenders to paint-camp when their man was in the paint or within 3 feet of either side (see Rule 2b of the Illegal Defense Guidelines here).. Paint-camping is a more equitable way to defend the entire court, without necessitating the extra rotations and leaving guys wide open that flooding requires.

[GIF REACTION]

Today's 3-pointers/spacing and the resulting further distance of help defenders makes offensive players more dangerous when they catch the ball, which necessitates extra tactics (flooding) so the ballhandler isn't so secluded by the spacing - but the flooding tactic merely makes the concentration of defenders equivalent to an un-spaced court where help defenders were already in closer proximity.

Otoh, lack of spacing and closer proximity of help defenders made previous eras better-equipped to handle a player that has the ball without needing risky gambles like flooding, where big men come away from the rim to flood in a mismatch outside the paint.. Instead, the lack of 3-point shooting kept offensive players closer to the paint, which allowed defenders to paint-camp when their man was in the paint or within 3 feet of either side (see Rule 2b of the Illegal Defense Guidelines here).. Paint-camping is a more equitable way to defend the entire court, without necessitating the extra rotations and leaving guys wide open that flooding requires.

Flooding the side of the court with the ball makes everything tougher for that star scorer, starting when he makes the catch and assesses options. Driving lanes are tighter or closed off entirely. More defenders have more ability to get hands in faces. It's difficult to reach favored spots on the court, and to operate once there.

..

[3ball]

Flooding the side of the court with the ball makes everything tougher for that star scorer, starting when he makes the catch and assesses options.

Today's 3-pointers/spacing and the resulting further distance of help defenders makes offensive players more dangerous when they catch the ball, which necessitates extra tactics (flooding) so the ballhandler isn't so secluded by the spacing - but the flooding tactic merely makes the concentration of defenders equivalent to an un-spaced court where help defenders were already in closer proximity.

Lack of spacing and the resulting closer proximity of help defenders made previous eras better-equipped to handle a player that has the ball without needing risky gambles like flooding, where big men come away from the rim to flood in a mismatch outside the paint.

Instead, the lack of 3-point shooting kept offensive players closer to the paint, which allowed defenders to paint-camp when their man was in the paint or within 3 feet of either side (see Rule 2b of the Illegal Defense Guidelines here).. Paint-camping is a more equitable way to defend the entire court, without necessitating the extra rotations and leaving guys wide open that flooding requires.
.

[DavisIsMyUniBro]

the only reason 3 ball keeps on talking about attacking the rim is because he wants jordan to penetrate his anus

[BoutPractice]

(Most) changes in rules and tactics are overrated.

Specifically, their impact on great scorers.

All the evidence says that the Kobes, Carmelos and Durants of this world are going to get theirs no matter what you throw at them.

[Thesmallmamba]

So the current era has more talented scorers?

Thanks for letting us know

[BoutPractice]

There was no real era change that made scoring more or less difficult for stars overall, whether your arbitrary cutoff point is 2004 (rule changes!) or 2007 (defenses suddenly discovering they need to protect the strong side!), in one way or the other.

All you see is a repetition of the endless pattern of the usual suspects averaging somewhere between 26 and 33 ppg depending mostly on their specific situation, role and individual performance that particular year.

Critically, the variations within that band seem mostly unpredictable from one year to the next. There's an easy way to prove that as well: can you predict for me the exact ppg Durant is going to average next year? Chances are, some will say around 27, some 29, some 31, but only one of those will be right. Will Carmelo have a 24 ppg or a 28 ppg year? What about Harden?

We're pattern seeking animals, but once you belong to that perennial 25 ppg group, notice how it becomes impossible for you to identify what is going to happen in advance based on whatever pattern you think you're seeing. It's only something you're able to do after the fact, with some bs rationalization about rules and defenses.

[ShawkFactory]

the only reason 3 ball keeps on talking about attacking the rim is because he wants jordan to penetrate his anus

[!@#$%Vectors!@#]

the only reason 3 ball keeps on talking about attacking the rim is because he wants jordan to penetrate his anus

[Queen Sansa]

The majority of those 20+ and 30+ scorers from the 2000's come from the 2006/2007 season, after the change, and before the league adjusted with the Thibodeau style defenses. Those 2 years skew the results.

Take those 2 years off the 2000's, and take the other 2 highest years of the 90's, and you'll see a better comparison. Otherwise, this lacks context.

[warriorfan]

[COLOR="DarkRed"]1985-1998[/COLOR]: 87

[COLOR="Navy"]2001-2014[/COLOR]: 92


30+ point scorers:

[COLOR="DarkRed"]1985-1998[/COLOR]: 5 different players

[COLOR="Navy"]2001-2014[/COLOR]: 7 different players
.

Ether.