The NBA’s Competition Committee is moving forward to enforce harsher penalties on the transition “take foul” and bench decorum, per Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports.
According to Haynes, the proposal would grant the offensive team one free throw and possession if the opposition utilized the take foul in transition. The League plans to mimic the G League rule for “take fouls” in which the offensive team will choose who will take the free throw after the foul, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic.
A highly debated topic among League circles, the take foul has been used as a way to halt opposing offenses looking to push the ball on a fast break. Defensive teams at a numbers disadvantage would often foul an offensive player to stop the offensive push and disrupt the opposition’s momentum.
In past seasons, the offensive team would inbound the ball out of bounds as if it was a common foul. But with the new proposal, defensive teams will be punished, and thus discouraged, from utilizing a take foul.
Haynes also reported that the committee will submit a proposal for harsher penalties regarding bench decorum. This includes bench players standing for extended periods and standing too close to the court.
The Dallas Mavericks were notably fined $175,000 during the playoffs due to bench players standing for the entirety of the game and walking onto the court during game action. The Competition Committee is focusing on stricter enforcement of bench demeanor as fans complained about not being able to see because bench players were obstructing their view, per Haynes’ report.
According to Haynes, the rule change proposals are expected to be unanimously approved when they are presented to the NBA’s Board of Governors.
These proposals come after ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Board of Governors is expected to approve the Play-In Tournament as a regular part of future NBA seasons.
