Many people have been saying that the NBA and its product have serious issues these days, partly because of the consistently increasing number of 3-point attempts per game, and viewership is reportedly down this season.
There are certainly plenty of positive things happening across the league, but it seems as if the only thing people talk about is the problems.
Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant recently commented on the discourse.
“I take this serious and I’m locked in as to why people don’t want to watch us play no more or why they don’t like the 3-point line or what the real problem is. I’m trying to think about it, understand it ’cause I love this game and I want to see it keep growing,” Durant said, via Legion Hoops.
Kevin Durant on the decline in NBA viewership:
“I take this serious and I’m locked in as to why people don’t want to watch us play no more or why they don’t like the 3-point line or what the real problem is. I’m trying to think about it, understand it ’cause I love this game and… pic.twitter.com/hcFceKm33l
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) December 26, 2024
While the NBA has gone from slow, stagnant offenses to high-scoring, pace-and-space basketball over the past decade or so, many have dismissed that evolution as merely a result of teams allegedly not playing defense anymore.
League-wide, teams are averaging an all-time high of 37.6 3-point attempts per game, which is up from 35.1 per game last season. Just 10 years ago, teams were launching a mere 22.4 treys per game.
It has led to people accusing the league of being boring, undisciplined and even selfish.
The Suns have had their own problems, as Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker have struggled to stay healthy dating back to last season, when they were being picked by some to reach the NBA Finals.
But even though they have a disappointing 15-14 record right now, Durant has shown no signs of slippage at age 36, averaging 27.1 points per game while shooting 51.1 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from 3-point range.
