In an effort to speed up games in the G League, the NBA is introducing a wild new rule that will cut down the number of foul shots by awarding players multiple points for hitting a single attempt.
According to a report from ESPN, the G League will have players shoot a single foul shot, regardless of whether the shooting foul would have normally resulted in an and-1 opportunity, a two-shot foul or a three-shot foul. If a player hits their single shot, they’re awarded either one, two or three points, depending on the situation. For example, if a shooter is fouled behind the arc, he’d only need to hit one free throw to score three points. In the final two minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime periods, the foul shot format will revert to the traditional model.
The change should certainly accomplish the goal of improving the pace of play – but the impact to strategies involving intentional fouling, or the idea of a single foul shot being worth three points in some cases, has some fans revolting on Twitter.
