Jayson Tatum and the Celtics led the NBA in offensive rating (122.2) and 3-pointers made (1,351) and attempted (3,482) in 2023-24.
NBA offenses keep getting better and better.
For the fifth time in the last six seasons, league-wide efficiency (points scored per 100 possessions) has hit a new, all-time high. But it’s not just about 3-point shooting.
League averages in 2023-24
Points (per team) per game: 114.2 ⬇️
Last season: 114.7
Pace (possessions per team per 48 minutes): 99.2 ⬇️
Last season: 99.8
Offensive efficiency (points scored per 100 possessions): 114.5 ⬆️
Last season: 114.1
Field goal percentage: 47.4% ⬇️
Last season: 47.5%
3-point percentage: 36.6% ⬆️
Last season: 36.1%
Free-throw percentage: 78.4% ⬆️
Last season: 78.2%
3-point rate (3PA/FGA): 39.5% ⬆️
Last season: 38.7%
Effective field-goal percentage: 54.7% ⬆️
Last season: 54.5%
Free-throw rate (FTA/FGA): .244 ⬇️
Last season: .266
Turnover rate: 13.6 per 100 possessions ⬇️
Last season: 14.0
Offensive rebounding percentage: 28.3% ⬆️
Last season: 28.0%
Biggest takeaways
- The league was on pace to shatter last season’s record for efficiency, scoring 115.2 points per 100 possessions before the All-Star break. But then it scored just 113.1 after the break, with a huge drop in league-wide free-throw rate, from 25.4 attempts per 100 shots from the field before the break to just 22.5 per 100 after it. League-wide effective field-goal percentage and offensive rebounding percentage also saw small dips after the break, while the league-wide turnover rate saw a small jump.
- The season-long free-throw rate of 24.4 attempts per 100 shots from the field is the lowest mark in NBA history (the previous low was 24.7 per 100 in 2020-21) and down from 26.6 per 100 last season.
- The league-wide turnover rate also hit an all-time low this season, with teams committing just 13.6 turnovers per 100 possessions. There was a jump in live-ball turnovers (steals) from last season, but dead-ball turnovers saw a big drop, from 6.8 to 6.1 per 100 possessions.
- Last season (2022-23) was the first time in 12 years that the league saw a drop in 3-point rate (3PA/FGA). It went back up this season but didn’t hit the previous high of two seasons ago. It has hung around 39% for the last four seasons after seeing dramatic increases for five straight years.
- Though both the league-wide 3-point percentage and league-wide 3-point rate have been higher than they were this season, effective field goal percentage hit a new high at 54.7%. The league shot 3s better than it did last season and while league-wide 2-point percentage (54.5%) was down a little from an all-time high of 54.8% last season, it was still much higher than two seasons ago.
- Three seasons ago, with teams prioritizing transition defense, offensive rebounding percentage hit its lowest mark (26.4%) in the 28 seasons for which we have play-by-play data (and likely its lowest in NBA history). But, with teams perhaps seeing extra value in second chances (which are more efficient than initial possessions), offensive rebounding percentage has gone up in each of the last three seasons.
League average history
League averages, last 10 seasons
| Season | PPG | PACE | OffRtg | FG% | 3P% | FT% | 3PA/FGA | eFG% | FTA/FGA | TO% | OREB% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 114.2 | 99.2 | 114.5 | 47.4% | 36.6% | 78.4% | 39.5% | 54.7% | 0.244 | 13.6% | 28.3% |
| 2022-23 | 114.7 | 99.8 | 114.1 | 47.5% | 36.1% | 78.2% | 38.7% | 54.5% | 0.266 | 14.0% | 28.0% |
| 2021-22 | 110.6 | 98.8 | 111.4 | 46.1% | 35.4% | 77.5% | 39.9% | 53.2% | 0.248 | 13.9% | 27.5% |
| 2020-21 | 112.1 | 99.7 | 111.7 | 46.6% | 36.7% | 77.8% | 39.2% | 53.8% | 0.247 | 13.8% | 26.4% |
| 2019-20 | 111.8 | 100.8 | 110.1 | 46.0% | 35.8% | 77.3% | 38.4% | 52.9% | 0.260 | 14.3% | 26.8% |
| 2018-19 | 111.2 | 100.7 | 109.7 | 46.1% | 35.5% | 76.6% | 35.9% | 52.4% | 0.259 | 13.9% | 27.1% |
| 2017-18 | 106.3 | 98.0 | 107.8 | 46.0% | 36.2% | 76.7% | 33.7% | 52.1% | 0.252 | 14.5% | 26.7% |
| 2016-17 | 105.6 | 97.0 | 108.2 | 45.7% | 35.8% | 77.2% | 31.6% | 51.4% | 0.271 | 14.3% | 27.6% |
| 2015-16 | 102.7 | 96.5 | 105.6 | 45.2% | 35.4% | 75.7% | 28.5% | 50.2% | 0.276 | 14.8% | 27.9% |
| 2014-15 | 100.0 | 94.7 | 104.7 | 44.9% | 35.0% | 75.0% | 26.8% | 49.6% | 0.273 | 15.0% | 29.2% |
Pace = Possessions (per team) per 48 minutes
OffRtg = Points scored per 100 possessions
eFG% = (FGM + (0.5 * 3PM)) / FGA
TO% = Turnovers per 100 possessions
OREB% = Percentage of available rebounds gained by the offensive team
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John Schuhmann is a senior stats analyst for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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