Steve Kerr Calls For Rule Changes In NBA Amid Increase In Scoring
Amid the league’s unprecedented scoring bursts earlier this week, Steve Kerr, the coach of the Golden State Warriors, demanded that the NBA change the rules governing defenders.
Steve Kerr Calls For Rule Changes In NBA Amid Increase In Scoring
After a Dec. 25 defeat to the Denver Nuggets, Kerr previously vented about the refereeing, saying he didn’t blame the officials but rather the rules they are told to obey. The Warriors gave up 32 free throws during the game and lost 120–114.
“If I were a fan, I wouldn’t have wanted to watch the second half of that game, it was disgusting,” Kerr said at the time. “It was just baiting refs into calls, but the refs have to make those calls because that’s how they’re taught.”
https://twitter.com/JaunNews/status/1751452579396014152
Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers scored 70 points on Monday night, while Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves scored a franchise-high 62 points.
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker scored 62 points on Friday night, while Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić scored 73.
“I think there are absolute changes [to be made],” Kerr said on Saturday, per The Mercury News. “You’re not going to make changes to the scheme. Where you’re going to make changes is with the defensive positioning rules that are in place.”
Steve Kerr said the NBA/Adam Silver is discouraging the art of playing defense. Refs are structuring the games with random calls so the players no longer understand the rules to play defense hence why non of them do. Welcome to the new scripted NBA that is looking to maximize $$$ https://t.co/Va5Nemk2Cv
— 🥜Deez Nuts🌰 (@deeznuts20) January 27, 2024
Kerr knows the game has changed quite a bit since he was a player, with the defender no longer being given the benefit of the doubt in today’s game.
“I wish I could tell you the number of times a player wildly drove into us, ran into us, and I went to the ref and the red used the expression, ‘illegal guarding position,’” Kerr said. “The way we’re interpreting the rules is favoring the offense. Just as we did 20 years ago as a league, when we wanted to open up the game, we changed the interpretation. So we could easily go back and give leeway to the defense.”
What a set by Steve Kerr. Steph looks like he's about to clear to the weak side but turns around and sets a flare screen for Klay. Reaves and Vando caught on the backfoot and can't switch. Klay fake, reset, splash for the tie. pic.twitter.com/6QsPgMKyPk
— Joe Viray (@JoeVirayNBA) January 28, 2024
The NBA has not had a higher per-game scoring average since 1969–70, when Jerry West (31.2 points per game) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (28.8) helped the league score 116.7 points per game. At the moment, teams are averaging 115.6 points per game.
Up until the late 1990s, scoring averaged over 100 points a game; but, in 1998–1999, it fell to an all-time low of 91.6. Since then, it has steadily increased.
This season, Steph Curry has not scored more than 42 points in a game. In 2021, he set a career-high with 62 points. However, Kerr wouldn’t be tricked into keeping his best player in the game if he was getting close to 60 or 70.
Steve Kerr when he finally realizes that 3 guard lineups DONT WORK
pic.twitter.com/Rfk4LQHtbX— TheWarriorsHouse (@GSWarriorsHouse) January 26, 2024
For the remainder of the season, there will undoubtedly be a lot of controversy regarding the officiating of defenders, but offensive players will continue to receive theirs as long as the regulations aren’t changed.
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