The WNBA rating hasn’t increased like the NBA has. Here’s why

The WNBA set milestones in countless metrics this season, from total attendance to social media engagement to TV viewership.

However, one area where the Ws did not have a stellar year is scoring points. The league’s teams averaged 103.5 points per 100 possessions in 2024, not only down from the previous year (104.2) but also lower than the 2016 average of 103.8 and only a slight increase from 100 ,2 a decade ago.

This is in stark contrast to the NBA, which set a record for offensive efficiency in 2023-24 for the fifth time in the last six seasons. During the same eight-year period that the WNBA’s offensive rating remained stagnant, the NBA rose nearly 10 points: from 106.4 to 115.3, according to Basketball Reference.

The offensive explosion in the NBA is generally attributed to the increase in 3-point shooting – in the 2013-14 season, only 26% of all field goal attempts were 3-point shots, while that percentage was 40% last season. Teams are taking advantage of the simple fact that three are worth more than two, but better spacing has also allowed for more drives and cuts to the rim.

The WNBA has experienced a near-equivalent 3-point revolution, as the percentage of shots coming from behind the arc has increased from 21% to 34% over the last decade. Much like the wave of talented young guards flooding into the NBA, the W has certainly had its own influx of talented shooters, from Sabrina Ionescu to Caitlin Clark.

So why the different offensive results?

A decade ago, teams in both leagues did not attempt as many threes as they should have been allowed given the relatively higher value of threes over twos. However, the numbers show that the NBA was able to achieve much more additional efficiency by shooting more threes than the W. In 2014, the average 2-pointer in the NBA scored 0.98 points, while the average 3-pointer scored 1.08 points scored. In the WNBA, those numbers were 0.93 and 0.99 – a much smaller difference, meaning the league was probably already closer to optimal shot distribution than the NBA.

The other differentiating factor is qualitative: Most NBA players can dunk, but most WNBA players cannot. The new era of long-distance shooting and long-distance shooting in basketball has opened up the opportunity for slashers to drive and finish at the basket, as teams now station four or five players around the arc instead of multiple tall players clogging the basket like they used to .

As defensive rim protectors are moved away from the basket to defend the three, NBA players take advantage of having more room to maneuver by letting off steam and knocking it down. Dunks are up nearly 29% compared to last year. The shot rate from 0 to 3 feet increased from 64% to 70%.

Meanwhile, shooting at the rim in the WNBA has only increased from 64% to 65% over that time frame. It’s safe to assume that the lack of dunks lowers the ceiling for rim finishing in women’s soccer. In the NBA, many shots that would have been contested layups in 2014 are now dunks. In the WNBA, many shots that would have been contested layups in 2014 are now just slightly less contested layups.

Differences in civil servants could also contribute to these developments. Between 2013 and 2023, the NBA saw a steady increase in the number of fouls caused by shots inside the arc, a trend that was embraced by a range of critics, including Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr The physical defense was felt and was excluded from the game.

The influence of referees on offensive performance is clear – commissioner Adam Silver admitted that there was an adjustment in the way games were called after the 2024 All-Star break, which saw the league-wide offensive rating drop by several points. The NBA’s prioritization of offensive player freedom of movement in the early years of the 2020s likely led to improved courtside finishing and therefore an increase in overall offensive efficiency.

High scores are not a prerequisite for fan interest. In fact, the WNBA proves just the opposite. Sunday’s second game between the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx, two of the league’s top three defensive teams, ended with a score of 80-66 and was the most-watched WNBA Finals game since 2001.