There is a new rule in the NBA this year. It is going to be much harder for shooters to draw a foul. Drawing a foul as a shooter has become something of an overused staple, in some players games. So much so, that the league has decided to put a stop to it.
I think this is a great idea. Basketball is a beautiful game to watch, but it’s at it’s best when it’s moving fast. These plays slow down the game, and even frustrate some of the fans. It also sometimes feels like some players are just “gaming the system” to get these calls more often, looking at you James Harden and Trae Young. This is a long overdue change.
No more overt, abrupt or abnormal non-basketball moves
Players will no longer be allowed to launch and/or lean at an abnormal angle, into a defender. So, no more lowering your shoulder and initiating the contact yourself. That will get you an offensive foul this year. If a player leans in, but does not get any contact that would warrant a foul, it will be a no-call. They will also be looking to stop shooters from veering off their path to move sideways or backwards into a defender. This should also warrant an offensive foul.
They are even looking at putting a stop to a move that made Reggie Miller infamous, as well. No more human kick stands. Players can no longer overtly extend a portion of their body to get contact. The last thing they are looking to stop this year, are plays where a shooter uses his off arm to initiate contact. Like When Harden or Young hook the defenders arm, as they go up for the shot, to get a call.
The new rule will take some time to adjust to
This is probably going to be sloppy, and make a lot of fans angry at first, but I think it will be good for the game overall. It’s going to be interesting to see how players adjust to this new rule. I think it will be a mixed bag of results, but this is definitely a good start.
Now the league just needs to address fouls that stop breakaways. Nothing worse than a guy getting his jersey grabbed just because he had a fast break starting. Not sure I have a good solution to that myself, without changing some other rules. Maybe have a special inbounds play where the offense gets their side of the court, but the defense has to line up at half court to try and stop the break? Just brainstorming. Do any of you have any good ideas on that one? I would be curious to hear them.
2 Responses
Agreed!! It is time to put a stop to the annoying offensive calls. I like watching goof offensive players work, but its frustrating watching fake fouls. Glad the NBA is cleaning this up.
No more gaming the system. Free throws need to be earned, not stolen. Do you have any suggestions on the breakaway fouls that I brought up? I would love to hear if anyone has any good ideas on that one.