NBA 2018-19: Crazy uptick in scoring

With the season almost halfway complete, this NBA season has seen some insane scoring numbers. Night after night, we're seeing crazy team scoring numbers being posted, reaching as high as 140 points.

To compare this with the previous season, throughout the entire 2017-18 regular season, 140 points were scored by either team in only 11 games. This season, though only 3 months into, it's already been done in 13 games. The average team PPG across the league is up too, meaning that all teams, on average, are scoring more this year than last. Here's why.

#1 Jump in Offensive Rating

The offensive rating is a statistic to measure a team's offensive performance. Over the years, the average offensive rating in the league has had a pretty steady climb, a general upward trend. However, there's been a very significant jump from last year to this year, meaning that team offenses are better than ever - leading to more scoring.

In fact, the offensive rating this year is the highest the NBA has ever seen, an all-time high of 109.8. Towards the beginning of the season, it was even higher, hitting as much as 110.5.

League players themselves say that teams are more centered around offense rather than defense this year, which is why scoring is so high. "Defense isn't really an emphasis anymore in this league. So I think you're seeing it all around the league with these high scores.", said Draymond Green to reporters.

The jump in offensive rating is also because of the general skill level getting better - as the years go by, rookies are getting better and better - we've seen this ourselves in rookies like Jayson Tatum, Ben Simmons, Donovan Mitchell, and now, Luka Doncic - who have performed outstandingly in their rookie years. The skill level across the league is improving, meaning players can make shots better, which again, leads to more scoring.