In the weeks between the All-Star break and the end of the regular season, notable changes occurred across the NBA. The whistle suddenly decreased.
Before the suspension, the median individual fouls per game were 19.2 (Los Angeles Clippers) and 19.3 (Utah Jazz). After the break, that median dropped to his 17.4. This is a noticeable trend that Chicago Bulls players feel will prepare them for the postseason.
“I realized after the All-Star break,” guard Coby White said. “I think all of us have. The referees are letting us play more and we're getting better physically without fouling. We're obviously getting better physically. That's because that's what the playoffs are like. it's a good thing”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged this trend in an interview with reporters after the annual board meeting, noting that the change stems from a perceived emphasis on offense that teams struggle to defend properly. did.
Silver said the number of fouls has dropped by nearly two calls per game since mid-February. This trend coincides with an overall decline in scoring, with the median scoring average decreasing by nearly 3 points per game.
“There was a feeling early in the season that it was too much of an advantage for the offensive players,” Silver said. “We've been transparent with the team about that. Everyone can see what's happening on the floor and make their own judgment on the calls that are being made. Yes. There were some adjustments made along the way.”
White felt the emphasis on physicality was different all season — not for himself, but for teammate DeMar DeRozan.
DeRozan, 34, is well known around the league for his ability to send defenders into the air with shot fakes and draw fouls with midrange jumpers. But White felt those fouls were less automatic than in past seasons.
“Devo was always on the phone,” White said. “Because the way he shoots mid-range, he jumps straight up and down, guys are always trying to race hard and land underneath him. I felt like I never got the call.”
Despite the change in calling this season, DeRozan remains one of the most efficient players at drawing fouls. He ranks fifth in the league in getting to the free throw line, averaging 7.7 attempts per game.
And even though the league-wide foul count is down, DeRozan has been whistled more after the All-Star break, going to the basket an average of nine times in 25 games since the league tightened up officiating. Became.
“I'm just reading the game. I'm getting a feel for the game,” DeRozan said. “I try to play the right way, whether it's using shot fakes or understanding when players are reaching, and not necessarily manipulating to the point where I'm flapping all over the place. , I'm just trying to use the physicality of other players to my own play.'' Advantage. It's about being smart and knowing when to attack an undisciplined opponent on the defensive end. Little things like that mean a lot to me. ”
While DeRozan had to remain crafty to maintain a presence at the free-throw line, the shift provided a boost for defensive players like Ayo Dosunmu and Alex Caruso. With fewer scratchy calls, defenders have more freedom to fight opponents both at the point of attack and at the rim.
Playing in the play-in tournament for the second year in a row and with their playoff hopes on the line, the Bulls are incorporating physical improvements in preparation for the postseason. They've been doubly challenged by the closing lineups of opponents like the Orlando Magic and New York Knicks, but their physicality has been the central key to their success, and White hopes to replicate that with the Bulls. I hope I can.
“Some of the games we played, the way they were run was similar to a play-in game or a playoff game,” White said. “It's good for us to be ready for that. That's what we need. You don't want to make the play-in or the playoffs and all of a sudden everything changes.”
