Why the NBA Has Changed.

The NBA rolled out the three point line in 1979. We have reached a point where the 3-point line rules the game. Larry Bird once said “if you aren’t firing up three’s, you’re just not playing basketball.” The team with the most three’s shot per game last year is Houston with 44 per game. In 2003 the team that led shot 23 per game. In 15 years the rise of the three point line has doubled. This has pushed out a lot players that can’t space the floor. Last year was the first time a team won the NBA finals without a player over 6'8". All of them could shoot three’s and space the floor out. This is not to say that if you have a big man that can’t shoot three’s you can’t win. However this is to say that the amount of these types of big men have significantly decreased. The NBA has also removed hand and forearm checking allowing for players to move much quicker. People argue that there is less of a defensive effort because of this but in reality it is just because the NBA has free’d up the movement of the player to allow for more offense. The presence of international players have also changed the sport. They come in to the league with a high skillset and usually a pretty clean shot. European player’s help space the floor for teams and clear out the lane. The evolution of the game is still in the process and will be different in ten years.