There have been numerous discussions on a significant change in the league. There’s a widespread perception that the NBA is trying to draw in more viewers by giving more attention to the offensive aspect of the game. Jaylen Brown recently offered his two cents to the discussion, which some saw for a jab at Luka Doncic. In a UNDISPUTED episode, Rachel Nichols deconstructed JB’s remark to demonstrate why it wasn’t directed at the Mavs player.
Regarding the happiness of scoring, Brown said,
“I think we kind of glorify guys who can play one side of the ball, but we don’t really pay respect to people who guard and play defense and get deflections and steals and change the game in that area. We only glorify the people who can score because that’s what the NBA has marketed.”
Reason behind Jaylen Brown and Luka Doncic controversy
How, then, was this assertion connected to Luka? The Mavs player has received recognition for his amazing scoring prowess.
Although he is undoubtedly among the greatest in the game, his inability to play defense has always been a huge setback for him. Despite Luka’s significant defensive improvement this season, many saw Brown’s remark as a subtly critical jab at him. Nichols, on the other hand, rejects that theory. She said,
“I don’t consider it a shot at Luka. I think it was a shot at the NBA and the NBA culture.”
.@Rachel__Nichols says Jaylen Brown’s comments on glorifying scorers were not a shot at Luka:
“I considered it a shot at the NBA. We celebrate offense more than ever largely due to social media.” pic.twitter.com/Fz8LYNDqXY
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) May 30, 2024
She agreed with JB’s assessment since, in her opinion, the league favors high-scoring games more than low-scoring ones, which encourages volume scorers even more. Nichols thinks social media has been a big factor in the change as well. She said,
“Frankly, it’s largely because of social media…You have social media managers on teams at the NBA office, their next paycheck depends on how much fan engagement they get.”
Nichols asserted that winning championships is primarily the result of defense, notwithstanding the social media attention that an outstanding offensive play might provide.
