Samson Folk brings on Joe Wolfond to discuss the changing NBA landscape and how the Raptors fit in.
“Crucially, the rest of the league watched the Oklahoma City Thunder win the title and the Indiana Pacers push them the distance in the Finals while playing almost nothing like the 2024 champs. On top of the stark differences in offensive process and shot diet (way more drives, way fewer threes, way more paint shots), the Pacers and Thunder both played lightning fast, whereas Boston was one of the slowest-paced teams in the league.
At the defensive end, their respective schemes hinged on full-court pickups (Indiana), swarming help from all directions (OKC), and turnover generation born of relentless physicality and ball pressure (both), whereas the Celtics by design forced fewer turnovers, committed fewer fouls, and double-teamed less frequently than any other team. (The Pacers essentially abandoned their own attempt to adopt that help-averse philosophy a year prior, when it led to a comically high opponent rim rate.)
Whether due to recency bias, a sense of attainability – namely regarding Indiana’s success, since that team more than any other was perceived as outperforming its true talent level – or a combination of the two, a new tactical paradigm has taken root that partly explains how the Raptors and a slew of other teams have been operating this season. Across the NBA we have offenses playing at breakneck pace, while defenses bump and grab, hunt turnovers, and pressure the ball all the way up the court.
After seeing the Thunder and Pacers thrive as last postseason’s second- and third-fastest teams following opponents’ made baskets (per Inpredictable’s average-time-to-shot tracking), more teams are making a point of pushing the ball across the timeline in a hurry. NBA teams on average have shaved nearly a half-second off their average offensive trip, leading to nearly two additional possessions per 48 minutes. If the current pace holds, it’ll be the fastest the league has collectively played since the 80s.”
Have a blessed day.
