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When young players, especially rookies, get into foul trouble, there’s usually a general understanding that it’s not something to worry much about — that it’s all part of the process. And since the Utah Jazz have a lot of young players, it got me thinking about how players and coaches approach the subject and why it’s so hard for young players to find their footing when it comes to the rules.
The obvious thing is that there are different kinds of rules in college when it comes to how players can defend. Though, the gap between the NBA and college rules has closed significantly over the years, there’s still a difference.
Young players are also pitted against guys with a ton of NBA experience who know how to get certain calls and are very practiced at exactly that — some master the art (DeMar DeRozan).
“I feel like that’s a huge adjustment,” Taylor Hendricks said. “In the NBA, obviously guys are a lot better, so they know how to manipulate it. That’s a huge jump to try and learn. I feel like no one can ever really master guarding that. But the more reps you get, you can pick up on tendencies, and know when certain players will try to get you in foul trouble.”
But, the thing that everyone can agree on, both players and coaches, is that young players have to earn credibility to get a friendly whistle.
“Hand checking rules from college to the NBA are different, so you’re used to playing a certain way,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “Secondly, it’s all happening faster. The players you’re playing against are very savvy as it relates to the rules. And lastly, you get no benefit of the doubt. I know that the officials don’t want to say that out loud and that everybody gets officiated the same, but it’s just not the case. Young players don’t get the benefit of the doubt.”
And it wasn’t just Hardy that said this. I also talked to players from the Jazz, as well as players and coaches from other teams.
But there wasn’t any sort of resentment when they were answering the questions. Actually, there was a consensus that earning that benefit of the doubt was a necessary part of the process of players establishing themselves.
“I do believe you are refereed on your reputation,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “There’s a lot of things that you have to earn in this league, which is the way it should be. But I do think there’s also technique things where you understand how to do it and what they’ll let you get away with, and I think that takes a little bit of time to translate.”
Learning where on the court you can get away with fouls also came up as a learning curve. You foul in open court, you force the hand of the officials. But if you can get away with small pushes or reaches, jersey grabs, moving screens and do it all in small spaces, that can frustrate opponents. It’s all the game within the game.
And how to use those situations to your advantage are all part of the development process when reaching the NBA. So as you’re watching players like Ace Bailey and Walter Clayton Jr., know that on top of everything else getting thrown at them this year, they’re also facing the uphill battle of learning to play without fouling, fouling in the right moments, and establishing themselves so that they can get the benefit of the doubt.
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Up next
- Dec. 30 | 7:30 p.m. MST | Utah Jazz vs. Boston Celtics | KJZZ
- Jan. 1 | 7 p.m. MST | Utah Jazz @ Los Angeles Clippers | KJZZ
- Jan. 3 | 7 p.m. MST | Utah Jazz @ Golden State Warriors | KJZZ