The NBA’s ongoing efforts to maintain a balance between offensive and defensive play came under scrutiny in a recent memo shared with teams, highlighting officiating focus as a key factor contributing to a decline in league scoring.
ESPN story on NBA memo to teams outlining league’s officiating focus on offensive players hunting out foul calls https://t.co/diqtfaIw3i
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 15, 2024
In a meeting with the NBA’s competition committee held on Tuesday, league officials outlined an increased emphasis on penalizing offensive players for seeking out fouls and deviating from direct pathways to the basket into defenders.
These points of emphasis, detailed in memos circulated to referees and team officials in January and February, are believed to have played a role in the recent dip in scoring across the league.
According to the memo obtained by ESPN on Friday, the league reiterated its commitment to evaluating the balance between offensive and defensive play, with a particular focus on legal guarding positions and the level of contact permitted on plays to the basket.
Despite a decline of 4 points per team in scoring and a decrease of 1.9 fouls called per team in recent weeks, league officials clarified that there had been no specific directive issued from the league office to reduce scoring.
However, the memo highlighted a range of contributing factors to the scoring downturn, including a slower pace of play, evolving styles of play, heightened competitive intensity, and the aforementioned officiating focus.
The league emphasized its intention to continue monitoring this trend closely, underscoring the importance of ongoing evaluation in determining potential rule or interpretation changes for future seasons.
