Never before in NBA history has the offense been more dynamic, with the highest ratings in the past two seasons since the 1973-74 season data collection expanded. Some of the best teams last year just added their scoring offense, either through trades, free agency, drafts, or just to get some key players back from injuries. While there will be no shortage of brilliant offense in 2022-23, these five teams should be the best offenses in the NBA.
5. Milwaukee Bucks
2021-22 final ranking: 3rd, 114.3 points
The Bucks haven't changed their lineup this offseason or added a dynamic scorer or player, and they don't need to do that either. This team is a well-functioning machine with chemistry, experience and talent to score easily, led by the NBA's most unstoppable players.
Giannis Antetokounmpo averaged 29.9 points per game as he finished second last season as he could score on catch-and-shoot, layup, assist or steal. Antetokounmpo, one of the league's most dominant players, averaged an NBA-high 13.2 points per game in the box last season as he approached the basket and shot 76.6 percent from the field.
Chris Middleton has become the perfect second choice, averaging 18.3 points and 6.8 assists last season while shooting a career-high 41.4 percent from three-pointers last season.
There are plenty of offense with other players to choose from, from the floor spacing of Brooke Lopez and Grayson Allen to Bobby Portis thriving as the sixth man on this team. Milwaukee has been in the top 5 offense in both seasons since the deal acquired Holliday, and the 2022-23 season will likely be three consecutive years.
4. New Orleans Pelicans
2021-22 final ranking: 19th, 111.2th
As the fastest-improving team on this list, the Pelicans will see a lot of improvement this season, and it's clear why.
Before talking about Zion Williamson, it's important to note how much CJ McCollum made a difference after trading from the Portland Trail Blazers.
McCollum before the trade: 25th overall, 108.0 offensive points
After McCollum trade: 9th overall, 117.2 offensive points
With McCollum taking on full-time ball handler for the first time in his career, the Pelicans went from one of the NBA's worst offensive teams to a top-10 team. In his 26 games with the Pelicans last season, McCollum averaged 24.3 points and 5.8 assists per game while shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 39.4 percent from three-point range. With Williamson's return and Brandon Ingram's monster playoff series against the Phoenix Suns (27.0 points, 6.2 assists, 40.7 percent three-pointers), McCollum became the third best offensive choice for the now loaded Pelicans.
Of course, while McCollum and Ingram would be fine, healthy Williamson is a different kind of monster. The last time we saw him, the 22-year-old was the NBA's top eight scorer (27.0 points per game) and of the 63 players with the highest total scores, he was the only one shooting more than 60.0 percent from the field. He averaged 18.0 points per game in the penalty area and easily surpassed Alphabet Brother's 14.6 points, leading the NBA.
Coupled with some talented passers and shooters such as Derwent Graham, Jose Alvarado, Trey Murphy III, Larry Nance Jr., Jackson Hayes and rookie Dyson Daniels, the Pelicans will show off their offense every night.
3. Atlanta Hawks
2021-22 final ranking: 2nd, 115.4 points
The Utah Jazz are the only team that offensively did better than the Hawks last season. It's safe to say that this won't happen again. Atlanta needs De Junte Murray's defensive flair even more, and adding an All-Star guard who averages 21.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 9.2 assists per game to more than 2.6 steals per game will only further strengthen that scoring offense.
Last season, it all revolved around Trae Young, for better or worse. When Young played last season, the Hawks had an offensive rating of 119.3 (93rd percentile) and only 109.4 points (28th percentile) when he sat down. Murray's addition allowed Atlanta to stagger their two elite players, ensuring the offense never stopped.
While Murray has never been a great three-point shooter (33.0 percent from three-point range in his career), the Hawks' overall performance should be enough to cover him as they ranked second in efficiency last season (37.4 percent). Young was also one of the NBA's best catch-and-shoot three-pointers last year (48.1 percent) and he should only get more chances because Murray is a major ball handler.
The versatile John Collins will be the third scoring choice, while Clint Capela and DeAndre Hunter are responsible for the catch-and-shoot shots that have done well in the playoff series against the Miami Heat (21.2 points, 61.4 percent two-pointers, 46.2 percent three-pointers), and it's not just the Atlanta two-man show.
If Pogdan Bogdanovic looks like the sixth-man candidate of the year, and young players like Oneca Okunwu, Jaren Johnson and AJ Griffin all have shots, then this offense should be better than the offense that finished second a year ago.
2. Brooklyn Nets
2021-22 final ranking: 10th, 113.2nd
Don't let last season's rankings fool you. If Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are on the court, Brooklyn's offense could be the best in the NBA. Last year, the Nets scored 124.8 offensive points. Even this jaw-dropping number has room for growth, since, Joe Harris played just 14 games last season due to injury and hasn't integrated Ben Simmons' playing style.
Simmons is one of the NBA's best shooting creators and is an ideal third star alongside Durant and Irving. The 2.08-tall point guard scored 18.6 points per game for the team in 2020-21 with assists alone, the 11th highest point in the league. His stature and athleticism were also very difficult to stop on an empty floor, and he shot 61.6 percent of his assists.
Even if Durant and Irving don't play, as long as the lineup is full of goalscorers, Simmons can revitalize the team's offense.
Seth Curry and Harris are 3rd and 4th on the NBA's all-time three-point shooting percentage, shooting 43.9 percent from career three-point range, while newcomers like Royce O'Neill and T.J. Warren are also proven shooters. If sophomore defender Cam Thomas continues his development, he could become another deadly player.
Simmons as a center, while Durant, Irving and a pair of goalscorers lineup can set offensive records.
While there are naturally some chemistry and usability issues with this team, Brooklyn's offense absolutely can't be stopped when everyone is on the court.
1. Denver Nuggets
2021-22 final ranking: 6th, 113.8 points
During the year, one can extract 100 different statistics to explain why Nikolai Jokic is a well-deserved MVP champion who single-handedly brought Denver to the top six, Michael Porter's nine bad games and games without Jamal Murray are probably the craziest.
Jokic is one of the NBA's best offensive players because no one can match his score, pass and rebound combination. Over the past two seasons, Jokic has averaged 26.8 points, 12.3 rebounds, 62.9 percent from 8.1 assists and shooting, 36.3 percent from three-point range and 83.9 percent from the free-throw line, making Jokic the perfect player to build offense.
With Murray and Porter returning this season, no team has scored more easily. With Jokic, Murray and Porter all playing in the 2020-21 season, Denver has 126.6 offensive points, ranking 99th percentile, and even beat the Brooklyn Nets lineup last year with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Trade Pop added a 42.0 percent catch-and-shoot shooter to the backcourt, and new signing Bruce Brown could be a catch-and-shoot weapon, shooting a career-high 40.4 percent three-point shooting percentage last season.
Coupled with the potential leap forward from second-year guard Bonese Highland, Gordon's all-out game, and upside of first-round picks such as Christian Braun and Payton Watson, Denver's healthy offense is now ready to jump all the way to number one in the league in the rankings.