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It is not new for the NBA to look to stop players from drawing fouls with unnatural motions, as the league has always implemented rules to stop certain NBA players from taking a particular action on the court.
Since the NBA's first few decades, the league office has been forced to create rules to stop some tendencies that were not acceptable on the court, according to the rule-makers.
Right now, players like James Harden, Luka Doncic and Trae Young have brought attention to 'unnatural shooting motions' as the trio routinely draw fouls by pump-faking defenders and leaning into them, or getting into the defender's path.
Those calls have been discussed by NBA fans and media for a long time and the league is addressing it. However, it isn't something new, it has always happened.
In this article, we will give you five on-court moves that made the NBA change or create rules.
Without further ado, let us start.
#5 James Harden's foul drawing
It has been common in the last decade to see James Harden creating contact with defenders and often earning foul shots with consistency. Though he might be the one who made that style famous in the current NBA, other players have certainly benefitted from those calls, and youngsters Luka Doncic and Trae Young have been perfecting that style in the last couple of seasons.
Still, it drives some fans crazy and most of the time, they have a good reason to go mad. Even when a defender takes an ill-advised jump to an offensive player's pump fake or the defender runs into the ball-handler, we're seeing that it is the attacking player who usually generates contact and still gets the favorable call.
Now, referees will be prepared for such situations and an offensive foul or no-call will be assessed, depending on the nature of each situation. Weird shooting motions and simply trying to shoot as if the defender was not in front will likely disappear from the game, and it all started with James Harden.
Though Harden's style is not the favorite of many fans, it did work for him as he has led the NBA in free-throw attempts seven times in his career so far.
#4 Reggie Miller's leg kick
Reggie Miller was one of the greatest shooters in NBA history and arguably one of the best shooters ever during clutch situations in the postseason. However, his game was full of antics that he needed to establish his style and dominate during his best days with the Indiana Pacers.
Though he was never a ball-handler, Miller lived on running NFL-style routes on the basketball court and getting open through any means, legal or not. However, Miller became famous for usually being fouled during three-point attempts, converting several opportunities for four-point plays or earning three foul shots.
But those fouls were not usually created by defenders' recklessness but by Miller's own actions. As defenders were running to contest Miller's three-pointers, the Hall-of-Famer would often open one of his legs to make contact with the defender, even when the defensive player was trying to contest a shot and avoid touching the shooter.
The "Reggie Miller Rule" assesses offensive fouls on shooters who kick their legs out during a jump shot.
#3 Michael Jordan's isolation plays
Michael Jordan entered the NBA in 1984 and, already in his rookie season, he averaged 28.2 points per game on 51.5% shooting from the field. By his third year in the league and only his second full season, the Chicago Bulls legend was averaging 37.1 points per game with a 48.2% field-goal percentage.
Of course, the Chicago Bulls were a one-man show on offense that season, and the NBA tried to limit that type of offensive scheme for the following campaign. In November 1987, the league instituted a rule to limit isolation plays, which seemed aimed directly at Jordan.
For the following campaign, Jordan still won the scoring title with a whopping 35 points-per-game average and a 53.5% field-goal percentage. Whether it was directed at Jordan or if the Bulls put him in ISO situations often during the 1986-87 campaign, MJ adjusted well to the new rule.
#2 Wilt Chamberlain's free throws
Wilt Chamberlain was a force of nature during his NBA career and his innumerable records speak for themselves. Wilt was as dominant as any individual player has been in NBA history, and his incredible display of athleticism forced the NBA to make several tweaks to the rule book.
Perhaps the weirdest move that Wilt Chamberlain allegedly used on some of his free throws was a dunk from the FT line.
According to rumors that were neither confirmed nor denied by Wilt, he used to jump from the free-throw line and dunk the ball in his early days at college. The NCAA and NBA created a rule to prevent free-throw shooters from crossing the line before the ball touches the rim.
As is the case with many of Chamberlain's accomplishments, there is no tape to back it up and it will often fall into the rumor category. But given Chamberlain's athleticism, that might well have happened.
#1 Hand-check defense in the NBA
This was not really a move but a trend throughout the NBA that was allowed before 1994. Hand-checking has often been talked about in order to establish how much harder it was to be an offensive player from the perimeter than it is today. It is often included in some GOAT debates that include Michael Jordan and a player from the modern NBA.
Back then, perimeter defenders could steer ball-handlers in some desired direction for the defense and also slow their game down. Meanwhile, post players were usually the dominant forces.
However, since hand-checking started being 'controlled' in 1994, and especially after the 2004-05 season, when it was clarified, perimeter play became more prominent. The hand-checking rule states:
"A defender may not place and keep his hand on an opponent unless he is in the area near the basket with his back to the basket. A defender may momentarily touch an opponent with his hand anywhere on the court as long as it does not affect the opponent’s movement (speed, quickness, balance, rhythm)."
Before Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic won the 2020-21 NBA MVP, Shaquille O'Neal was the most recent center to win the award in the 1999-2000 season. In between, only Tim Duncan was a true post player who won the MVP, as guards and wing players dominated the award since hand-checking was neutralized, starting with Steve Nash's MVP campaigns in 2005 and 2006.
Hand-checking has definitely influenced the current state of offensive systems in the NBA and it has been one of the aspects that have given us the highest Offensive Ratings in league history in recent seasons.
Also read: NBA Rumors: New York Knicks to pursue Kelly Oubre Jr. only if they trade for a star first
