NBA Twitter Rips G-League’s New Free Throw Rule Experiment
The NBA G League will be experimenting with a new free throw rule, that might change the game a lot this season.
From now on, all trips to the free throw line will include only a single foul shot. This shot will then be worth one, two or three points depending on the nature of the foul leading to the attempt.
In the final two minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime periods, the foul shot format will revert to the traditional model.
The reasoning behind the experiment is to improve the pace of play. But this would definitely indirectly invoke teams to use the hack-a-bad-freethrowshooter tactic and therefore harming the pace of play more, which would be counterproductive to the whole rule change. This, by far will not be the only problem with this. NBA Twitter more than agrees and went to work.
I'm sorry, but this is an awful idea that should go nowhere. Fouling someone on purpose is done with the intent of making them "earn the points", and that means all of them. https://t.co/TWr4lPOeJ6
— Morgan J. Wolf (@MOJOWO) September 26, 2019
— ry (@NinjaBands) September 26, 2019
If this ever makes it to the NBA, I truly have no idea how to calculate free throw percentages, especially in context with history.
James Harden will go to the line like 6 times a game, but account for at least 10 points from the FT line? ahhhhhhhh https://t.co/ExGAfYJE5Y
— Grant Liffmann (@GrantLiffmann) September 26, 2019
🗣️🗣️🗣️The 3pt free throw should be a 3 pointer https://t.co/jIW1NheGhm
— Carl Reno (@breakingbats) September 26, 2019
https://twitter.com/fullsteve/status/1177296853676806144
The problem is not the G League trying new rules, it's how obvious it would be exploited. We hate NBA players leaning in/leg kicking defenders today, it would only get worse with this rule, esp. poor 3pt shooters who are decent free throw shooters. You turn a 35% shot into 72%
— Homebound Dev (@ClearAudacity) September 26, 2019
https://twitter.com/MatSwrzntrb/status/1177296204687958016
I like the idea that a missed free throw could potentially cost MORE than one point. Very interesting concept here. https://t.co/JjtH9gYrNS
— Edward Alan Marlowe (@dreamarlowe85) September 26, 2019