The leve of talent in the NBA is as high as its ever been, but questions have emerged this season on how to make the game more aesthetically pleasing in the wake of ratings leaving much to be desired when compared to other American sports.
Could one of those changes be an adjustment to the 3-point line in an effort to bring down scoring?
“I recognize that to the extent that offenses start to look very similar, we lose [distinct team identities],” Silver told host Colin Cowherd. “At the same time, the league is going through a transformation. Players like Victor Wembanyama, players like [Nikola] Jokic are doing things big men never did historically. It wasn’t that long ago that the conversations you had with [former commissioner] David Stern, we would bemoan the lack of skill among some players, that there was a sense there was too much physicality around the game.
“I don’t want to sort of knee-jerk move the 3-point line. We’re sort of going through a process now, seeing how these players are adapting to the new rules and figuring out whatever changes we should make.”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver vows to fix 3-point shooting issue: ‘We are on it’
“I think the fact that now we’re selling competition in every market and from a television standpoint, too, whether it’s Oklahoma City, whether it’s San Antonio, whether it’s Salt Lake City, that those teams are in a position, when well managed, to compete in the same way the large markets can.”
The Celtics, Nuggets, Warriors, Bucks, Lakers and Toronto Raptors make up the previous six NBA champions. That six-year run comes at the end of the Warriors winning four championships in eight seasons and the teams that James played on winning four titles in nine seasons (Miami Heat twice, and Cavaliers and Lakers once).
Adam Silver has heard concerns about the volume of three-pointers NBA players are taking and he plans to make change.
During a Wednesday appearance on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, the host asked Silver about the phenomenon and the commissioner claimed changes are coming to address it.
“As stewards of the game, Joe Dumars leads our competition committee here, we will tweak it, we will correct those issues,” Silver said.
Dec 17, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver presents the trophy to the Milwaukee Bucks after they won the Emirates NBA Cup championship game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
He continued, “What do we do to change it? I agree to the extent that you start to see very similar offenses around the league. Teams have brands, teams have identities, Joe Dumars is a colleague now at the league office, the Bad Boys, etc… the Showtime Lakers. So, I recognize that to the extent that offenses start to look very similar, we lose that.”
He did add that the NBA can’t go too far and overcorrect, which could lead to plodding paint-focused basketball.
As an example, this season the Boston Celtics are taking a league-high 49.4 three-pointers a game and making only 36.2% of them. They are averaging 90.8 field goals per game, meaning 54.4% of their shots are coming from beyond the arc.
