The NBA has fallen into an efficiency trap

NEW YORK – A few weeks ago, when news broke early on a Sunday morning that the Dallas Mavericks had traded Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in a deal that sent All-Star power forward Anthony Davis to Dallas, it was a reminder that the National Basketball Association (NBA) can still turn heads.

The trade was so shocking that LeBron James, now a teammate of Doncic’s, initially thought it was a hoax.

Over the next few days, the deal inspired conspiracy theories that the Mavericks’ owners were looking to pull a Major League and sandbag their own team to ease a move to Las Vegas.

Or that NBA commissioner Adam Silver had engineered it to help one of the league’s marquee franchises. Pundits speculated about Doncic’s fitness and commitment to defence. Mavericks fans protested outside their own team’s arena. One thing was clear – when it comes to generating intrigue off the court, the NBA still has it.

Grabbing attention is one thing. Holding it is another.

When it comes to what fans see when they tune in to games, the league is on shakier ground. Earlier this season, after a couple of months of subpar TV ratings, armchair analysts shared their takes about what was wrong with the NBA.

Players were too woke, too chummy or too coddled. Most of it made little sense – and conveniently ignored endemic declines in TV viewership – but there is a theory the league should heed: NBA players shoot too many three-pointers.

Over the past two decades, the prevalence of the three-point shot has risen dramatically. In the 2004-05 season, teams shot about 16 per game. This season, they are on pace for a record-setting 37. Last year’s champions, the Boston Celtics, are hoisting a league-leading 48.

For a