1. Rule Changes Are Working

Easily the biggest takeaway from the early going of the 2021-22 NBA season is that the rule changes the league made in the offseason are working. The league emphasized cutting down on non-basketball plays being rewarded with fouls and subsequently free throws.

Thus far, it has worked. Free throws are down in the league as players who manipulated contact to get calls from referees are no longer frequenting the foul line. James Harden and Trae Young are two of the players who have talked about it the most in their pressers and voicing frustrations.

The league adjusted, now it is up to the players to do the same. It will be interesting to see what they come up with next to try and gain the upper hand in games. Eventually, they will adjust to the way the game is being called and find something new to exploit.

This is also a work in progress for the referees. The emphasis on not rewarding non-basketball plays is nice to see but has led to some defenders getting more physical. Once enough players voice their frustration with that, there will likely be an uptick in foul calls again as they try and find a happy balance.

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Alas, the progress made is seemingly positive. It is nice not seeing a parade to the foul line each night. Fewer fouls mean fans get to see the players they want to see on the court more as they aren’t getting into foul trouble. At the end of the day, fans want to see the players taking center stage, not the referees.

The adjustment to late-game situations, as coaches have to initiate challenges now in the final two minutes, also makes for a smoother end to games. Teams without timeouts aren’t rewarded stoppages by a review, which also speeds things up at the end of games and keeps the flow going without starting and stopping constantly.