There’s an old adage in the NBA – defense wins championships. It’s probably true, but in 2022, its usefulness may be outgrown.
Of course, NBA defenses looked a lot different when people started saying it. Younger fans of the NBA should go back and watch film from the hand-checking era.
In all likelihood, they’ll be expecting a flagrant foul call on every other possession. It will not come.
Flash forward to 2022, and the game has changed. Hand checking is illegal, and rule changes have generally facilitated offense. It’s the pace-and-space era.
Defense will still win you a championship, but if you have to go all-in on one side of the ball, you’re going to want to try to outscore your opponent.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Mike Conley, Utah Jazz & New Orleans Pelicans Updates
The New Orleans Pelicans are poised to do exactly that on a regular basis in 2022-23. Still, they could make moves that pushed them even further all-in on offense.
Here’s a deal that does so by sending them Mike Conley of the Utah Jazz.