Fast breaks — leading to high-flying dunks and transition 3s — are the most exciting plays in basketball. They are also some of the most efficient offense; teams score far more points per possession in transition than going against a set defense in the halfcourt.
Which is why the NBA has been seeing the “take” foul more and more — an intentional defensive foul early in transition to draw a whistle and end the break. Smart players have been doing it before their team was in the penalty to take away a sure two points (Chris Paul was a primary practitioner, for example).
There has been a relative explosion of take fouls in the NBA the past couple of seasons, and the league will finally address the issue this offseason, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The NBA is eyeing a rule change to the “transition take foul” that would award the offensive team with one free throw and retaining possession, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Board of Governors vote set for July. The change is similar to current rules in G League.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 17, 2022
League discussed update on the “transition take foul” during its General Managers meeting in Chicago today. There was widespread support in meeting, as conversations have been ongoing among the NBA, NBPA and Competition Committee over the past several months. https://t.co/TZnkcWcYLD
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 17, 2022
Both fans and people inside the league agreed the NBA needed to make a move and address the take foul issue. In international basketball (where the take foul was an epidemic for years), a take foul is called as an unsportsmanlike foul with two free throws and the offense retaining possession. In the G-League, the NBA tested the rule as Charania noted, with one free throw plus the team with the ball keeping possession. It still worked to essentially end the practice.
Expect that rule to come to the NBA next season. It needs to.
