The only rule the NBA could implement that would strip Stephen Curry from his stardom would be one that disallows players named “Stephen Curry” from participating in the action. As long as he’s on the court, he’s going to be a star, and the same goes for players like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic, James Harden and others.
But a new rule that alters a polarizing aspect of the game — players seemingly contorting their bodies and shooting in unnatural motions in order to draw contact — will certainly affect the way these stars play, and it only took one preseason game for us to see that.
The victim? Stephen Curry. In the past few years, the Warriors star would have been heading to the line after the shot he attempted on Monday night. But in 2021, he just looked… ridiculous.
Curry acknowledged the rule change after NBA’s officiating Twitter account used a clip of his foul-drawing technique as an example of what would no longer constitute a defensive foul, instead turning into an offensive foul.
“There was a play against Milwaukee — two guys guarding me at the same time,” Curry said (via Anthony Slater of The Athletic). “I changed directions. I think (Donte) DiVincenzo came behind me. They used that as one of the examples. They said that wouldn’t have been a (defensive) foul (and actually an offensive foul). I’m sitting there watching the video, like, uhh, I’m still confused on how that’s not a (defensive) foul.
“There’s going to be some confusion to start, for sure. Any emphasis they put from one year to the next, the changes, it takes some time to adjust. I’m sure there will be some antics early … Like that (stepback) traveling thing a couple years ago, refs are trained to look at a certain thing, but there’s a lot of other things going on. They have to get adjusted too.”
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Both Curry and head coach Steve Kerr are appreciative of the league’s effort to minimize these rules, however, with Kerr saying that “the game needs it” after so many controversial calls last year. Many of these happened to involve the league’s biggest stars, including Trae Young, which is also what makes it so interesting. Will this rule lead players who depend so much on drawing contact to change their game at all?
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That remains to be seen, but based on the clip of Curry against Portland above, we're already seeing the adjustment period kick in. Overall, the reception to the rule seems to be positive. Perhaps the NFL and their new anti-taunting initiative should take some notes… just a thought.
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