Steph Curry led the league in scoring last season at age 32. But he may no longer be able to use one thing in his bag of tricks next season.
The NBA implemented new rules this offseason in an effort to crack down on offensive players using non-basketball moves to daw fouls. Curry reacted to the rule change on Monday and said that he was unsure if it meant he would have to change his play style.
“I still don’t know the nuances of the changes,” said Curry, via Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “There’s gonna be some confusion, let’s say that, to start. Like any rule changes, it takes some time to get adjusted to.”
The NBA used a play where Curry jumped backwards into Bucks defender Donte DiVincenzo in a game against Milwaukee last year as an example of a non-basketball move.
An offensive foul should be called on this play, as the offensive player uses his right shoulder and hip to dislodge the defender and the offensive player lands outside his normal floor position. (5/7) pic.twitter.com/w0Fc9z3p13
— NBA Official (@NBAOfficial) August 8, 2021
Curry said on Monday that he watched the clip and still wasn’t sure how that sequence would not be a defensive foul on DiVincenzo.
“They have to walk us through what they’re looking for,” added Curry. “Any emphasis that they put from one year to the next, it just takes some time to get adjusted to … I’m worried about just getting the shot off more so than drawing a foul. But I do have some fun around the three-point line. When I get contact, I’ll make sure it gets known that I got hit. We’ll see how it goes. I have no idea.”
The former MVP Curry is one of the shiftiest ball-handlers in the league and masterfully exploits even just a millisecond that his defender is off-balance. He also averaged a career-high 6.3 free throw attempts per game last season to go along with his NBA-leading 32.0 points per game.
While Curry is right that it will definitely take some getting used to, the new rule change should ultimately be a net positive for the NBA and the product on the floor. Other stars beyond Curry have been making the game unwatchable at times with their ridiculous foul-baiting moves.
