The factors behind the NBA’s offensive explosion
Scoring in the NBA has steadily increased year-on-year since the league’s inception, but over the last decade, it has spiked to unprecendented levels.
Several intertwined factors — strategic, structural, and stylistic — have converged to create a perfect storm of offence.
Pace and possessions
The modern NBA is defined by pace. According to league tracking data, the average pace across the NBA this season sits around 104.5 possessions per game, up from 102.7 last year The more possessions a team generates, the more scoring opportunities arise. Coaches increasingly prioritise transition play and early-shot-clock looks, which can overcome the defensive structures that traditionally suppress efficiency.
The three-point boom
The three-point line, introduced in 1979, has long been an equaliser, but in 2025–26 it has become the central pillar of team strategy — just ask the Boston Celtics.
The 18-time champions are hoisting an astounding 47.8 shots from beyond the arc every game, despite ranking 29th in three-point percentage (31.2). Nearly a third of the league is now taking 40 or more threes per night, with league-wide accuracy hovering around 35.9 per cent. The mathematics are simple: three is worth more than two, and teams have fully embraced that arithmetic.