The average points per game in the '23-24 season is like continuing the fast pace and hot hand of the previous season in the offense, which seems to explain the changes in scoring in today's basketball, which is getting easier and more efficient. Is that the point being scored, mainly the three-pointer, or something else? The former is the key, the defense is gradually neglected and the young players are increasingly thinking only about scoring as a result. Free throws also play an element that cannot be ignored, and can still determine the outcome of the game. So, if we remove the free throws from players this season, what happens to the top 10 scorers this season?
Durant and Irving tied for eighth
If you remove free throws, Durant's score has dropped a lot, and his score this season has become 22.3 points! It can be seen that KD has made a lot of free throws this season, and its average points per game can be much ahead of Irving! In addition, after Durant is Jokic, who ranks tenth, which shows that Jokic has not been able to get enough free throws!
Curry: Sixth
Removing the free throws can reflect Curry's true scoring ability, after all, Moe God can be said to have the fewest whistles among superstars. In the field of three-point shooting, Curry is still the dominant this season, and his average number of shots and shots per game ranks first in the league, and he is still the three-point champion this season.
Embiid Second
Embiid really scores more free throws! If he counts the average per game, he will beat the major stars in free throws this season, and he has a lot of points, if it weren't for the injury, we think this season will be very likely to replicate last season's bravery, and he can win the scoring title + MVP again! However, this season's scoring champion has been won by Doncic, who is still the first in the league in scoring after removing free throws, still reaching 27.1 points!
And what about James
James averaged 25.7 points per game this season, and as a 39-year-old veteran, he can still maintain the standard "25+5+5" in the 21st season of his career, which is indeed capable. And he has made 4.3 free throws this season, so if you remove free throws, James is averaging 21.4 points per game, which is difficult to rank among the top 10 this season, which proves that James still needs to rely on free throws in terms of scoring.
Excluding free throws, the top 10 scoring rankings for the season are as follows:
First, Doncic scored 27.1 points
Second, Embiid 24.5 points
Third, Brother Alphabet scored 23.4 points
Fourth, Brunson 23.2 points
Fifth, Alexander 22.5 points
Sixth, Curry 22.4 points
Seventh, Fox 22.4 points
Eighth, Irving 22.3 points
Tie, Durant 22.3 points
Tenth, Jokic 21.9 points