1. Move the 3-point line back 5 feet
This is not a popular idea, but I am tired of the game being entirely designed around the 3-point line. I miss the days when a 3-pointer was a big deal. That is not the case anymore. I liked watching the more involved offenses seeking the best shot rather than the analytics-based shot. Analytics is the king of ruining professional basketball. It is not as much fun to watch teams desperately jack up threes. The issue is that one team has done this really well; The Golden State Warriors. No other team has come close to the same success. Hopefully, the Toronto Raptors' more balanced attack last year will move the meter back toward exploring the whole floor on offense. Fingers crossed.
2023 Reflection
I'm still frustrated with over-emphasizing the three. I think the analytics argument may not be explained all that well. Yes, threes and layups are the most efficient; however, it doesn't matter if your team doesn't have the personnel to play that style or take efficient threes. Many teams take contested threes. I think, eventually, someone will develop an offense that counteracts the emphasis of guarding the three-point line so tightly. Until then, chuck away.
2. Emphasize calling illegal screens
Call illegal screens. This drives me crazy. If a 7-foot guy is setting a screen on a 6-foot guy, the 7-foot guy already has the advantage. The 7-foot guy should not be allowed to follow the 6-foot guy around and keep moving and nudging him to give his teammate the space to get open. If those are the rules, why not just form a circle around the guy with the ball and walk all the way to the hoop? I know that would be extreme, but it is the same concept. Illegal screens give the offense an unfair advantage. The offense is only as impressive as the defense it overcomes.
2023 Reflection
I 100% still agree. The illegal screens hurt the game.
3. Get rid of the restricted zone
The restricted zone is just a ploy to create more highlight dunks. As I said, the best offense to watch is when a player or team overcomes a good defense. It is not as impressive when there is a “get out of the way” zone. Why should the offensive player have more right to space than the defender? The three seconds in the lane without guarding should create enough space in the paint, creating a shifting defender and making it more likely that someone will get dunked on. Now that would be a highlight worth watching.
2023 Reflection
I'm still in agreement on this one. We don't see people get dunked on enough because of this rule. The rule was intended to create more highlight plays but has decreased them.
4. Allow hand checks on screens again
Hand checks made it possible to stop the pick and roll. The pick and roll became IMPOSSIBLE to guard when this rule was instated. Combine this with the excessive illegal screens in today’s NBA, and fans have to wonder why there is ever any other play called. Set a moving screen for Lebron James, who you cannot hand check, then he can turn the corner with a full head of steam, and you better not be inside the restricted zone, or you will get called for a foul. It seems like what the NBA wants with these rules is for guys to get wide-open dunks.
2023 Reflection
100%
5. Traveling would be made a rule again
I would accept that a player is allowed no more than two steps. That change would make the Euro-step a travel (which it already is). How can a defender be expected to stay in front of someone who can take four or five steps without dribbling or touching the guy? They cannot. Traveling is let go so much in the NBA because it creates more highlight plays. I will hit this point again; the team or player overcoming a good defense makes offense fun to watch. Otherwise, why not just watch the warm-ups? They shoot wide-open shots and throw down some impressive dunks. This warm-up mentality seems like what the current rules call for, except I get my fill of wide-open scoring in five minutes.
2023 Reflection
I generally agree with this idea still. Maybe three steps should be the hard rule. The NBA does enforce the pump-fake travel, but that travel doesn't give the offensive player a considerable advantage like the "picking the ball up at half court and running at the rim" travel. The only reason they call the pump-fake travel is to respond to criticisms about traveling at the end of the year. I would like them to present a breakdown of the types of travels called.
So, all in all, my changes would make it harder to score.
I know this sounds boring for many fans, but basketball is more fun to watch when it is hard to score. This is not about favoritism towards any specific player, either. Even with all these changes, Lebron James would still be the best player. It would affect guys like Steph Curry, who is the benefactor of the 3-point line, illegal screens, and no hand-checking on screens. Imagine if Isiah Thomas, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird played with these rules. Jordan was putting 60 points on guys allowed to grab and throw him to the ground. Those guys played in the Golden Age of the NBA. These rule changes have made it the Layup Line Age of the NBA.
2023 Reflection
I agree with my conclusion, but perhaps I should watch college basketball more instead of complaining. College basketball is designed for the purists. They still post up and run plays. They play defense, like actual defense, not the small-effort defense of the NBA. College basketball doesn't feature layup lines, illegal screens, and excessive traveling. It does feature diverse offenses and defenses. They might not be as athletic, but it's much more fun to watch.