On Thursday afternoon, the NBA G League announced it was implementing a major rule change with free throws for the upcoming season.
From the press release:
Under the new experimental NBA G League rule, one free throw worth one, two or three points will be awarded in the event of any foul that would typically result in one, two or three free throws being shot under standard NBA rules. The experimental free throw rule will not apply during the last two minutes of the fourth quarter or the entirety of any overtime period.
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When ESPN's Zach Lowe broke the news on Twitter, this is how Warriors superstar Steph Curry reacted:
Fortunately for the two-time MVP, the experiment only is happening in the NBA's minor league. If Curry is fouled on a 3-pointer, he still will get to shoot three free throws (and two free throws when fouled inside the arc).
It's interesting that the three-time NBA champion -- one of the best free throw shooters ever -- doesn't seem to like the decision.
Golden State Warriors
He clearly thinks that free throw percentages will drop across the board with the added pressure, and he's not alone.
As Lowe writes:
The G League has pondered the concept for years, but in the past, it did not appear to have enough momentum for passage. Some within the league raised concerns about the decrease in on-court rest time for players, though coaches could mitigate that with more frequent substitutions.
Officials also worried about deviating from historical statistical standards, according to reporting in 2014 from ESPN's Kevin Arnovitz. The NBA then brandished evidence showing players shoot more accurately on the second and third attempts of any trip to the line, a finding that has held across other independent studies. Logic follows that moving to a one-shot rule would result in an overall decrease in league-wide free throw accuracy. The raw number of attempts would obviously drop sharply.
As for Curry's "50-40-90" reference -- he joined the exclusive club in 2015-16 when he shot 50.4 percent overall, 45.4 percent from deep, and 90.8 percent from the charity stripe.
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The 31-year-old boasts a career free throw percentage of 90.5, which is why Lowe tweeted back:
It will be interesting to follow the trends in the G League this year because if the rule change is met with a strong positive reaction, it could be adopted in the NBA in the near future.
Start practicing those free throws, Steph.