"They took out the intentional hard foul" - Dahntay Jones on the change NBA made to curb the physical style of basketball
As is the case with pretty much every sport, there are rules made over time that have a significant impact on the game. In the NBA, the league has sought to decrease the physicality that once dominated basketball, and the modern style of play has been met with mixed reviews by fans.
While the 2000s weren’t as physical as the 1980s and 90s, it’s not hard to see the league's lowered level of physicality from then to now. Dahntay Jones was part of the league during this time of change, and he identified the one key move that led to that decrease in physicality.
One rule change had a massive impact
Jones broke into the NBA back in 2003, and by the time he retired in 2017, the league had experienced some massive changes. Out was the physicality of old-school basketball, and there was an enormous uptick in three-point shooting throughout the league.
Guys who were in the league during this time, such as Dahntay, grew up watching the rough and tough old-school version of basketball, so it was all they knew. When the NBA wanted to eliminate that, Jones believed that outlawing intentional hard fouls helped them accomplish that goal.
“I grew up watching physical basketball,” Dahntay said on Podcast P Presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment. “I wouldn’t say it’s not physical now…I see a level of physicality; it’s just that they took out the intentional hard foul. That might be better for the game."
"If Steph Curry goes to the lane, and you just know that he’s not as big as everybody else and he’s injury prone at times, put him down. That was a thing, put him down, use one of your fouls, try and block it, but also try and be physical with him, too. That’s just what it was. It’s slowly moved out of there,” Jones added.
Dahntay raises a good point
If you watch old NBA games from the 1980s and 90s, fights break out all the time, and defenders are allowed to play much tougher defense on their opponents without having fouls called. But over time, the league steered away from fighting and made it easier for players to score on offense.
One of the things that players frequently did was commit hard fouls to make a point while also preventing easy buckets. Nowadays, if you do anything of that sort, you’re getting a technical foul, at the very least, with a flagrant foul being very likely.
Jones doesn’t necessarily believe that this change is bad, as it creates a league that is more family-friendly for everyone to watch. But it also leads to a lot of complaints about the way games are called and what defenders can and can’t do in an effort to slow guys down.
The NBA has to balance being too physical and too soft, and right now, it’s skewed toward being too soft. While intentional fouls shouldn’t necessarily be allowed again, a bit more leniency on foul calls as a whole may go a long way toward fixing the issue.
