The Numbers Game: How Records Fell in the 2023-24 NBA Season
Remember all those "unbreakable" records? Turns out, they're more like suggestions these days. The 2023-24 NBA season saw some serious history being made, from long-range bombs to shot-swatting phenoms.
Let's start with the guy who's already got more hype than most Hall of Famers: Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs rookie wasn't just good; he was statistically unprecedented. On February 12, 2024, against the Raptors, Wembanyama posted a ridiculous 27 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 blocks, and 5 steals, becoming the youngest player in NBA history (20 years, 39 days) to record a 5x5 game. He joined an exclusive club that includes the likes of Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson. Just three days earlier, against the Orlando Magic, he dropped 10 blocks, a career-high, making him the first rookie since Emeka Okafor in 2004 to achieve a double-digit block game. He finished the season as the league leader in blocks per game with 3.6, a mark no rookie had reached since Shaquille O'Neal averaged 3.5 BPG in 1992-93. It's wild to think he led the league in blocks while playing fewer than 30 minutes per game.
Beyond the French phenom, the three-point revolution kept rolling. Steph Curry, naturally, continued to rewrite the record books. On January 25, 2024, in a game against the Sacramento Kings, Curry sank his 3,500th career three-pointer, extending his already untouchable record. He finished the season with 3,747 career threes, a number that feels like it'll never be caught. Not to be outdone, his Splash Brother, Klay Thompson, also hit a significant milestone, passing Jamal Crawford for 10th all-time in made threes on March 27, 2024, against the Miami Heat. Thompson now sits with 2,488 career triples. The volume of three-pointers is just insane across the league; the Boston Celtics, for instance, set a new franchise record for made threes in a single season, surpassing 1,200 total makes on April 7, 2024.
Then there are the guys who just keep defying Father Time. LeBron James, at 39 years old, became the first player in NBA history to score 40,000 career points on March 2, 2024, against the Denver Nuggets. That's a record that feels genuinely unbreakable for the next few decades. He also continued his streak of averaging at least 25 points per game for his 20th consecutive season, an absurd display of longevity. Meanwhile, Kyle Lowry, a spry 37-year-old, passed Muggsy Bogues for 33rd all-time in assists on February 28, 2024. It's a reminder that even in a young man's league, experience still counts.
One record that flew a bit under the radar but speaks volumes about the modern game was the league-wide scoring. The 2023-24 season saw the NBA average 114.7 points per game, the highest mark since the 1969-70 season. Offenses are just cooking at an unprecedented rate. Part of that is the pace, part is the three-point volume, and part is frankly, the defense being optional for some teams. My hot take? The league needs to adjust the rules back slightly to allow for more physical play, because some of these scoring numbers are getting a little far-fetched.
The game is evolving, sure, but some records are just different. Wembanyama's immediate impact on the defensive end, leading the league in blocks as a rookie, is a genuine major factor. James’s continued dominance into his late 30s is a testament to his dedication. These aren't just numbers; they're narratives.
Bold prediction: Wembanyama will win Defensive Player of the Year within the next two seasons.