In this week's nine things I liked and disliked, your eyes don't deceive you about scoring being up (but defense still matters!), Kawhi Leonard is doing his best 2015 through 2017 Kawhi impersonation for the LA Clippers, and Golden State's foundational players continue to not be on the same page.
Jump to Lowe's Things:
Yes, scoring is up | Kawhi's glimpses of old
Turnover-prone Warriors | Bright futures for Rockets, Spurs
Can Anderson get back on track? | Denver's two-man game
Two unselfish Bulls | Blazers' transition "D" | Isaac finally happening?
1. Don't worry (too much) about the scoring explosion
Scoring is indeed way up on team and individual levels. Every season now, one or two teams shatter the record (usually set in the previous season) for offensive efficiency. In the past two weeks, four players have scored 60 or more points in a game.
Two broader trends are intersecting, and which you conceive as most powerful probably determines whether you think this is a big problem: Offenses have gotten smarter and league rules have made it harder to play physical defense on the perimeter.
In caveman terms, the most important change of the past 20 years is teams understanding how much more 3 is than 2 -- and that realization trickling down to youth basketball. There is more shooting everywhere. Defenders cover so much more space. Teams hunt for smarter shots.
A scoring boom of some size was inevitable once the reality of math set in, even absent any rule tweaks. The individual scoring explosions are the result of more teams running everything through one alpha player.
Scoring being up does not mean playing good defense is impossible, that nobody plays good defense anymore, or that good defense does not matter. Two nights after Luka Doncic lit up the hapless Atlanta Hawks for 73 points, the schedule featured two games between contenders: the Minnesota Timberwolves against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Milwaukee Bucks visiting the Denver Nuggets.
If you are fretting about scoring bursts and the alleged irrelevance of defense -- or just seeking an antidote -- watch those games. They were slow, tactical, relatively low-scoring -- serious basketball. They were a reminder that teams still win in different ways and play different styles -- and that when two serious teams get together, you'd better bring your defense.