What Is the Current NBA Average Points Per Game and How It Compares to Past Seasons
As I was watching the Golden State Warriors game last night, seeing Steph Curry drop 35 points in what felt like effortless fashion, it struck me just how much scoring has exploded in today's NBA. I've been following basketball religiously since the late 90s, and the current NBA average points per game sits at a staggering 114.7 - a number that would have been unimaginable during the grind-it-out eras I grew up watching. This got me thinking about how we arrived at this offensive renaissance and what it means for the game we love.
Looking back at my old basketball cards and game tapes, the evolution becomes painfully obvious. During the 1998-99 lockout season, teams averaged just 91.6 points - a far cry from today's track meets. The game was slower, more physical, with coaches preaching half-court sets and defensive intensity above all else. I remember those battles between the Knicks and Heat where the first team to 85 points often won. The three-point revolution hadn't truly taken hold yet, and analytics departments weren't dictating shot selection the way they do today. Teams played through their big men in the post, and the mid-range game was still king rather than something coaches reluctantly tolerated.
The transformation really began gaining steam around 2015, when the Warriors' success with small-ball lineups and three-point barrages forced the entire league to reconsider offensive philosophy. As someone who's coached at the high school level, I've seen this trickle down to even youth basketball - everyone wants to shoot threes now. The current NBA average points per game reflects this seismic shift, with teams prioritizing pace, space, and efficiency above traditional basketball virtues. Rule changes have certainly helped offensive players too - the elimination of hand-checking and stricter enforcement of defensive three seconds have created driving lanes that simply didn't exist twenty years ago.
What's fascinating to me is how this scoring explosion has changed player development. Watching players like Mo Konateh, Kirby Mongcopa, and Janrey Pasaol - who the reference material mentions consistently showing up to compete - exemplifies the modern NBA's emphasis on offensive versatility. These aren't one-dimensional specialists but complete offensive players who can score from all three levels. In today's game, even role players need to be credible shooting threats from deep, whereas in the 90s, you could survive as a defensive specialist who contributed little offensively. The game has become more skilled across the board, with big men now expected to handle the ball and shoot threes rather than just bang in the post.
The analytics movement deserves both credit and blame for these changes. As much as I love the beautiful ball movement and three-point shooting we see today, I sometimes miss the strategic diversity of earlier eras. There's a certain homogenization happening where every team seems to be chasing the same offensive ideal. The mid-range game has become almost extinct except for a few stubborn holdouts like DeMar DeRozan, and I can't help but feel we've lost something aesthetically pleasing in the process. Still, the raw offensive talent on display night after night is undeniable - players today are simply more skilled offensive players than their predecessors.
When I compare the current NBA average points per game to historical numbers, the progression tells a clear story. The 1984-85 season averaged 110.8 points, but that was during a run-and-gun era with less sophisticated defenses. The scoring dip in the late 90s and early 2000s bottomed out around 2003-04 at 93.4 points before the current upward trajectory began. We're now seeing scoring levels that surpass even the famous high-scoring 80s, but achieved through completely different means - analytical shot selection rather than transition basketball and post play.
Personally, I'm torn about these developments. As a basketball purist, part of me longs for the strategic battles and defensive intensity that defined earlier eras. But as a fan, I can't deny the entertainment value of watching elite offensive players operate in systems designed to maximize their talents. The game has never been more globally popular, and this offensive explosion certainly plays a role in that growth. Still, I worry that the balance has tipped too far toward offense, with defenders often looking helpless against the spacing and shooting they face. The league will likely continue tweaking rules to maintain some competitive balance, but the genie of analytical offense is out of the bottle for good.
Ultimately, the current scoring environment reflects basketball's natural evolution. The players are better shooters, the systems are more sophisticated, and the game has adapted accordingly. While I have my nostalgic preferences for how basketball used to be played, there's no denying the incredible skill on display in today's NBA. The average fan gets to witness historic offensive performances nearly every night, and that's not something to take for granted. As the game continues evolving, I suspect we haven't even seen the ceiling for offensive production yet.