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Surely you’ve all seen it. It happened in the NBA last season roughly 1,700 times.
A team gets possession of the ball and has a transition scoring opportunity. But the other team gives up on the play and decides to just purposely foul to stop the chance at a transition bucket. It’s what’s known as a “take foul.”
Well, the NBA is sick of it and has decided to crack down on the take foul, assessing a harsher penalty to offenders. Transition scoring is a highly aesthetically pleasing part of the game that provides both offensive and defensive highlights. But with the growing number of take fouls, those highlights have diminished.
The new rule states that “the penalty for committing a take foul (a foul in which the defender does not make a play on the ball) to stop a transition scoring opportunity (which exists when, following a change in possession, the offensive team is continuously advancing the ball while it has an advantage based on the speed of the play, the position of the defenders or both) will be as follows:
• The offensive team will be awarded one free throw, which may be attempted by any player on the offensive team in the game at the time that the foul is committed.
• The offensive team will retain possession of the ball.
• The defensive player who commits the take foul will be assessed a common personal foul.”
Previously, the penalty for a take foul was a common personal foul and the ball went out of bounds on the side for the offensive team.
The NBA has experimented with this harsher penalty for a take foul in the G League for multiple years, and according to Monty McCutchen, senior vice president and head of referee development and training, the harsher penalty has nearly eradicated the take foul from the G League game. That’s the result the NBA is hoping to achieve.
This isn’t going to eliminate a clear-path foul, which awards two free throws and possession if a player is fouled while there’s not a defender between him, the ball and the basket. Clear-path fouls are still a thing, but not every take foul is a clear path foul so the league has made a penalty for fouls that do not reach clear-path requirements but still impede transition play.
There is an exception to the rule though. The NBA outlined that “teams may commit a take foul during the last two minutes of the fourth quarter and the last two minutes of any overtime period without triggering the heightened penalty. This exception will allow the defensive team to use the longstanding tactic of taking a foul to stop the clock during an attempted comeback or prevent the opposing team from potentially tying the game with a 3-pointer.”
New with the Jazz
This week on ‘Unsalvageable’
Check out “Unsalvageable” hosted by Deseret News Utah Jazz beat reporter Sarah Todd and lifelong Jazz fan Greg Foster (no, not that Greg Foster).
This week, Foster and Unsalvageable producer Matt Nanes recorded while Todd was on vacation to discuss the ongoing Robert Sarver saga, the Donovan Mitchell press tour, and speculate on what’s to come for the Jazz.
The podcast has moved to a new feed so remember to follow or subscribe by searching for “Unsalvageable” through your podcast provider.
New episodes come out every week. You can listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and anywhere else you stream podcasts.
From the archives
How to pass the time in the offseason
Now that the Jazz season has come to an end, it means that I have some time to catch up on the things that I love but don’t have enough time for during the NBA season. Here I’ll suggest my latest way to pass the offseason time and also take your suggestions.
This weekend is my final real offseason time. Training camp starts this week, then preseason games and the regular season right around the corner, so for the next couple of days I’m soaking up everything I can when it comes to relaxation.
Full disclosure, I have a foot injury and a broken finger, so I’m kind of forced to take it easy right now, which is the perfect excuse for me to spend all weekend watching shows, reading books and catching up on some podcasts.
First up, I’m currently reading “I’m Glad My Mom Died” by Jennette McCurdy. It’s not for the faint of heart. McCurdy’s mother was abusive and had a host of mental health and health issues, and it’s just a lot.
I just finished catching up on “Barry” on HBO Max, and I’m all caught up on my favorite summer show, “Big Brother,” so now I need to see how much headway I can make on other shows that I’ve been procrastinating on.
But I don’t want to bog myself down with too much TV. I can’t forget to just relax, maybe take a bath, light some candles, embrace the impending fall weather and get plenty of sleep before the NBA ball gets rolling.
Extra points
- Jazz mailbag: Could Utah move forward with Mike Conley? (Deseret News)
- Donovan Mitchell was a voice that the Jazz and Utah needed (Deseret News)
- New Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen is hoping to find a new home (Salt Lake Tribune)
Around the league
Celtics suspend head coach Ime Udoka for 2022-23 season.
Robert Sarver said he wanted forgiveness, but he really wanted us to forget.
Boston’s Robert Williams to miss 8-12 weeks after surgery.