NBA memo notes officiating focus, scoring decline

In a meeting with the NBA’s Competition Committee on Tuesday, the league office outlined an increased officiating focus on offensive players hunting out fouls and veering off pathways to the basket into defenders — and how those points of emphasis have impacted a decrease in league scoring, according to a memo shared with teams and obtained by ESPN.

Those officiating focuses — that were outlined in January and February point of emphasis memos that the league shared with referees and team officials — are believed to have contributed to a recent decline in league scoring.

In the memo, the league describes itself as continuing to “evaluate the state of offensive vs. defensive balance with a focus on legal guarding position and level of contact on pathway plays to the basket.”

Despite a 4-point-per-team decline in scoring and a 1.9 increase in fouls per team called in recent weeks, league officials told members of the committee that “there was no directive from the league office to reduce scoring,” according to the memo.

However, the league noted, “This trend will be continue to be monitored. Slower pace, style of play, competitive intensity, officiating focus, etc., have all been contributing factors identified thus far.”

The league also told teams in the memo: “Future evaluation at future committee meetings will determine whether rule and/or interpretation changes should be considered next season.”