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mere coincidence, or an upcoming revolution linked to the new rules?

Expected around the corner, the new fouls rule seems to bring quick results. According to initial estimates, there have never been so few free throws in the history of the League.

Adam Silver had made it one of his priority missions this summer and he seems to have succeeded for the moment. While many fans denounced the faults “gifts” and extended games, the boss of the NBA decided in the quick. No more arm throws, sudden slowdowns and other weird movements to get contact and get free throws, you will have to earn them. A new jurisprudence which had the merit of disturbing some regulars, like Steph Curry in preseason or James Harden on the first regular games. If the bearded Nets shoot half as many shots, he is not the only one affected by this new rule. According to StatMuse, an expert in advanced stats, there are 19.5 free throws attempted per game since the start of the season and that is quite simply the smallest total in the history of the League!

While it is obviously too early to draw conclusions, we see a clear change at the start of this 2021-22 season. We will still note a steady decline over the last two decades even if it is more visible this year. Among the players too, we can see some big differences compared to their stats for 2020-21. James Harden, for example, went from 7.3 to 3 shots per game. Almost a heresy for this great friend of the refereeing body. For the others accustomed to the whistle blows, we also notice significant drops : Luka Doncic (7.1 to 4.5), Trae Young (8.7 to 5.3), Bradley Beal (7.7 to 4) and especially Joel Embiid, category leader in 2021 (10.7 to 6). As explained above, we are not going to get carried away, especially since some are not more impacted than that (Giannis, DeRozan, Butler). Proof that some throws are more legitimate than others? The change of the rules requires an adaptation in each of the players and they will surely scrutinize the reactions of the referees to find the right mix, the right adjustment to force the hand of the men in gray and raise their averages a little.

It’s only a handful of matches but we see some improvements over the whistles. Free throws, a practice that may soon be a thing of the past? We prefer not to promise anything but the first results are intriguing.

Source texte : StatMuse / Reddit

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