There were less than four minutes left in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, when Chris Paul drove the lane, then veered in front of Giannis Antetokounmpo and nearly stopped, causing an unavoidable foul and an and-1 that helped stick a dagger in the Bucks. It was a play CP3 — and Trae Young, and a host of other guards — have used for years to draw a foul.
Next season that will not be a foul.
As has been discussed before, the NBA will put in new rules and crack down on these non-basketball move fouls starting next season, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Final: Beginning with the 2021-22 season, the NBA will implement new rules to reduce non-basketball moves used to draw fouls, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 28, 2021
NBA officiating staffs will be trained to identify and properly rule overt non-basketball actions to initiate contact with defender — such as offensive player launches into defender, abruptly veers off path, kicks leg at abnormal angle, or his off-arm hooks defender. https://t.co/XE9HxIRDSK
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 28, 2021
It’s not just the run-up-the-back foul hunting, it’s a player at the three-point line leaping a couple of feet sideways in an unnecessary and unnatural motion to force contact on a closeout. Or a jump-shooter kicking out their legs in front of them unnaturally to cause a player to run into them.
Better late than never that the league is getting to this. The pendulum in the NBA has swung too far toward offensive freedom, and players take full advantage with foul drawing (as they should, get every edge you can to win). It’s on the league and the NBA referees to change this culture of foul hunting.
Some players are not going to be happy. So what? The real key is for this not to be one of those rules the referees call tightly for the first month of the season, then slowly back away from the rest of the way. NBA fans want to see a change.
