The NBA Says They Are Going To Crack Down On "Push Offs" This Season Which Could Be Bad News For A Handful Of Stars

Zach Beeker. Getty Images.

Every year ahead of the new NBA season, the league puts out new "Points Of Emphasis" for their officials that always sound great in theory. There were years where they were going to remove an offensive player jumping forward on a jumpshot to get a call and then situations where players would stop short in a "non-basketball" move in order to bait fouls, basically some of the things that can be frustrating to watch as a fan. 

This year? Their #1 point of emphasis is going to be eliminating the "off arm" push off that we've seen take over the league

Now let me just say, with all of these "points of emphasis" the reality of the situation is NBA refs do this for about the first month of the season and then immediately stop giving a shit. By the time we get to the playoffs it's as if these changes never existed in the first place. I'd also argue they're also pretty selective in how and who they call it on. You can turn on an NBA game right now and still see guys leaning forward on a jumper and getting the call or guys stopping short on drives and being rewarded with FTs, so I would say take this new change with a grain of salt. 

The reality is the use of the off arm is something that happens on essentially every drive, so is the plan to blow the whistle 10,000 times a game? For sure not. Of all the changes we've seen the NBA try to make, this seems like one that will have zero consistency from game to game and ref crew to ref crew. In fact, I could argue we've already seen that happen these most recent playoffs. Jaylen Brown was called for 10 offensive fouls in that series against the Sixers, with his off arm usage being the main culprit, despite that not really being a call all year. Yet you look around the rest of the playoff field and you almost never saw that call being made, and certainly not at the rate it was with Jaylen in that series. I'm to believe no other player used their off arm to create space?

Giphy Images.

Also, how does the NBA put out a video of examples of off arm usage that's illegal, and not have a single SGA clip in there? That was very funny considering he uses his off arm to push off as much as any player in the league. No Brunson? So I guess we just all imagine his off arm push-offs I guess? 

I do think the instances where it's SUPER obvious that a player uses full extension will be easy to call, but it's the more subtle full extensions that depending on who the player is, will 100000% be allowed. My guess is we'll see players lead with the shoulder first and THEN fully extend, and that type of move won't be called despite what that new video is suggesting. Maybe they lock down for the first few weeks, but by Thanksgiving I can guarantee you that move will not be called as strictly as it will to begin the season. When it's the MVPs and best players in the league doing it, you know they'll get a pass because those players are officiated differently, that's just the reality. 

Guys like SGA, Brunson, Tatum, Harden etc will be allowed to do what they always do, because that's how the league works. Because these calls will be so subjective in real time, it's going to be infuriating when we see some get called for it and others allowed to do whatever they want. That's why I have no doubts this won't be a thing by the Spring, just like all the other "points of emphasis" seem to disappear once the postseason rolls around.

Everyone knows the biggest issue with Adam Silver's league right now is his officiating problem. There is absolutely ZERO consistency from night to night, we have refs inserting themselves into games and determining outcomes way too frequently, and yet season after season nothing changes. In fact, those officials get rewarded with playoff/Finals games! So perhaps instead of the NBA trying to gaslight us all that they're going to start caring about these things only to stop giving a shit a month in, perhaps the league should make real changes to their officials in an effort to improve the product. I dunno, I'm just spitballing here after years and years of watching NBA officiating get worse and worse.