5 on-court moves which forced rule changes in the NBA

#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

Michael Jordan guarding Magic Johnson. Photo Credit: TNS.

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.

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