Evolution of Basketball: NBA Talent Gap Difference

With the amount of scoring in today’s NBA, for numerous people, it would be a fair assessment to say that the talent in the modern NBA has gone up significantly in recent years. For the majority of NBA History, only 6 people have reached the 70-point mark. However, just in the last year, that number has jumped to 9, with Damian Lillard, Joel Embiid, and Donovan Mitchell joining the 70-point club. Another indicator that more talent is coming into the league is that a decade ago, there were only 5 players that averaged 25 points per game (PPG) or more during the 2013-2014 season. This season, that number has leaped to a whopping 16 players with 25 or more PPG. However, one could point to a change in how the game is played today. In today’s game, defense is much easier to exploit thanks to foul calls, generally favoring the offense more than the defense, allowing for more free throws than ever before. Offensive schemes are also different, with teams prioritizing the three-ball much more than in past eras. The development of the 3-ball in teams’ arsenal has allowed for more spacing on the floor, which leads to faster pace basketball and more baskets being scored. However, it’s hard to deny that talent hasn’t increased when players like Luka Doncic can put up 35 points, 10 assists, and 9 rebounds day in and day out and still not be considered in the MVP voting race. Put this into context: Russell Westrbook’s historic MVP season had him put up 31.6 PPG, 10.4 assists, and 10.7 rebounds. That stat line is nearly identical stat line to Luka right now, yet it’s still not enough for him to be better than players like Giannis, Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, or even Shai Gilgeous Alexander, who is currently having a breakout season. The product of the NBA is exponentially increasing from here as players continue to push the boundaries on how good they can be.