NBA offense has plummeted to start 2021-22 season, and changes in officiating might not be the only cause

The new rules have slowed some of the league's best scorers, but defenses might also finally be catching up

SAN FRANCISCO -- If you've watched a full NBA basketball game this season, you've surely noticed a distinct difference from previous years. Plays in which offensive players hurl themselves into a defender, which have traditionally resulted in a defensive foul that led to free throws, are increasingly being ignored by officials or deemed offensive fouls. This is one of the NBA's points of emphasis this season, designed to crack down on "overt, abrupt or abnormal Non-Basketball Moves" from offensive players, which had become a staple in the arsenals of some of the league's most prolific scorers. 2021-22 106.2 107.6 .445 .341 20.0 35.9 2020-21 112.1 112.3 .466 .367 21.8 34.6 Stephen Curry -3.3 -0.6 Bradley Beal -6.9 -2.9 Damian Lillard -9.6 -3.2 Joel Embiid -7.5 -1.9 Giannis Antetokounmpo -0.4 +0.5 Luka Doncic -5.3 -2.7 Zach LaVine -1.9 +1.2 Jayson Tatum +0.3 0Donovan Mitchell -3.6 -1.8 Nikola Jokic -2.4 -2.2 Devin Booker -3.0 -1.1

Outside of some of those aforementioned scorers who feel many genuine defensive fouls are now going unpenalized, the rule changes have been met almost universally with approval, from fans to coaches to broadcasters to players.

"Can I say how satisfying it is to watch the game without all those terrible calls? Guys cheating the game and grabbing guys and getting the foul," said Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, a six-time All-Defensive Team honoree and former Defensive Player of the Year. "I've been really enjoying watching basketball this year. I kind of had stopped watching the NBA a bit because it was just too flailing and flopping and guys cheating the game and getting free throws. So I think that's been great."