The league had announced a new rule ahead of the new NBA season to curb offensive players leaning into defenders to draw fouls. Thanks to its implementation, a few players have been worse off than they were before.
After his team’s 117-109 loss to the LA Clippers, Damian Lillard was enraged with the officials and their officiating, saying:
Throughout the game, Lillard made only one free-throw attempt, but the six-time All-Star felt he deserved more trips to the charity stripe. The Portland Trail Blazers star feels that he is not supposed to be affected by the rule change, as he does not seek out calls.
He added:
How has the NBA rule change affected Damian Lillard?
In the 2020-21 NBA season, Damian Lillard made 7.2 attempts per game from the free-throw line, but is currently averaging a career-low 3.2.
Last season, 449 points from his total tally of 1,928 came from the free-throw line, which suggests that the NBA’s new rule has hurt his numbers. It is doubly frustrating, as he is struggling from beyond the arc, and not getting the opportunity to get more points on the board from the charity stripe.
There is still plenty of basketball to be played this season, enough to significantly improve his averages if he finds his shooting range. He is averaging 19.3 points across 11 games this season, and has never averaged below 20 points except in his rookie campaign.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn Nets star James Harden has arguably suffered the most from the rule change. He made 7.3 attempts from the free-throw line last season, but is down to only 4.6 per game this campaign. He said about the new rule change in an interview:
With no response from the NBA just yet, Lillard could be at the receiving end of ‘unacceptable’ calls for the time being.
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