The NBA is allowing hand checking

[Sealab2024]

I know they relaxed the whistle but that is crazy to me.

For those that don't know the history, hand checking is one of the most diabolical defensive tactics known to man. Allowing a guy to put his hand on the offensive player can shut down driving completely if a defender is strong enough. You use correct hand placement, leverage and small one inch open hand jabs to stop a players momentum before it can start. It used to be a defensive specialist archetype in the NBA. Every team had to have one and the best on ball defenders were always hand check artists.

It was why teams couldn't just clear and iso back in the day and had to run systems with classic system PG's like Stockton, Magic and Isiah. When they banned it an entire generation of defensive players basically became obsolete and we're out of the league within 12-18 months.

Now it's back. That's wild.

[jkvonny]

They should have never disallowed hand checking to begin with TBH.

I remember around early to mid '00s is when they really enforced calling fouls on hand checking, right? That was weird. Kinda softened up the defense around the league.

[Sealab2024]

They should have never disallowed hand checking to begin with TBH.

I remember around early to mid '00s is when they really enforced calling fouls on hand checking, right? That was weird. Kinda softened up the defense around the league.

Yup. Late 90's/early 2000's. And it radically changed the game. The 2000's still had grown up with it but by 2010 any influence was gone and so was hard nosed defense.

[wojoaderge]

an entire generation of defensive players basically became obsolete and we're out of the league within 12-18 months.

Like who?

[Sealab2024]

an entire generation of defensive players basically became obsolete and we're out of the league within 12-18 months.

Like who?

You really want me to try to remember defensive specialists from 1994?

[ropjhk]

The game is better to watch with some degree of hand checking allowed. Defenses were handicapped to ridiculous levels. The game was descending deeper and deeper into unwatchable territory. Now the game is much more entertaining to me. I hope the NBA permanently goes back to being a league where defense can win games.

[Sealab2024]

The game is better to watch with some degree of hand checking allowed. Defenses were handicapped to ridiculous levels. The game was descending deeper and deeper into unwatchable territory. Now the game is much more entertaining to me. I hope the NBA permanently goes back to being a league where defense can win games.

Agreed. Though like anything it can go too far. The NBA probably had the right idea in scaling it back, but they shouldn't have completely banned it.

[jkvonny]

They should have never disallowed hand checking to begin with TBH.

I remember around early to mid '00s is when they really enforced calling fouls on hand checking, right? That was weird. Kinda softened up the defense around the league.

Yup. Late 90's/early 2000's. And it radically changed the game. The 2000's still had grown up with it but by 2010 any influence was gone and so was hard nosed defense.

Defense and hand checking were still allowed during late 90s and early 00s most of the time but ya. It reached its peak around mid 00s when hand checking was starting to get called foul left and right.

[Liam_Gallagher]

The NBA is best when the scores are between 95-109.

Not a fan of the mid-2000s when scores were in the 70s but also can't stand the early 2020s when scores were in the 120's and 30s.

[LaLover11]

The NBA is best when the scores are between 95-109.

Not a fan of the mid-2000s when scores were in the 70s but also can't stand the early 2020s when scores were in the 120's and 30s.

Just make it 1st to 100 wins

[Zeno]

I think this whole narrative is only true for some crews. It is like only half the refs got the memo causing the consistency of officiating across crews to be nonexistent.

[ITYSL]

an entire generation of defensive players basically became obsolete and we're out of the league within 12-18 months.

Like who?

You really want me to try to remember defensive specialists from 1994?

I mean, you're the one who made the claim that "an entire generation of defensive players basically became obsolete." You'd think that you'd respond with a couple names off the top of your head instead of feigning incredulity that he's asking you for some examples. Hilarious.

[SelfishPlayer]

an entire generation of defensive players basically became obsolete and we're out of the league within 12-18 months.

Like who?

Derek Harper was probably the best at it, and was the poster child used when they banned it. Pippen singlehandedly ruined the Pacers offense in the playoffs one year when the strategy was to have him guard Mark Jackson, picking him up in the backcourt forcing Mark Jackson to turn his back while Pippen hand checked him in the backcourt. That slowed their offense to a crawl. Jackson struggled just to bring the ball up the floor.

[Got Nuffin]

an entire generation of defensive players basically became obsolete and we're out of the league within 12-18 months.

Like who?

Derek Harper was probably the best at it, and was the poster child used when they banned it. Pippen singlehandedly ruined the Pacers offense in the playoffs one year when the strategy was to have him guard Mark Jackson, picking him up in the backcourt forcing Mark Jackson to turn his back while Pippen hand checked him in the backcourt. That slowed their offense to a crawl. Jackson struggled just to bring the ball up the floor.

All of those sub-par Ewing-era Knicks point guards like Doc Rivers, Chris Childs, Greg Anthony, Charlie Ward (and Harper was in there too) seemed like they were in the league simply because they were strong little dudes who were great at putting hands on you. They were notorious for it, and god knows they were terrible at everything else related to basketball

[IG2]

They've pretty much been allowing it since February and even more so in these playoffs. One of the more hilarious arguments in favor of how destructive the hand check would be is how players/teams would struggle to get off 3pters. Average 3PA/G in these playoffs? 33 . Average ORTG? 113.3

Point being, even with older rules, offenses are still way better today, something anyone with a clue and without an agenda should have been able to tell.

Of course, none of this means the rule change wasn't an absolute necessity and makes for a far better viewing experience. At least we are done with the comically overblown individual games we had been seeing since 2019. 40 points is back to being a big deal.

[homecourtloss]

I know they relaxed the whistle but that is crazy to me.

For those that don't know the history, hand checking is one of the most diabolical defensive tactics known to man. Allowing a guy to put his hand on the offensive player can shut down driving completely if a defender is strong enough. You use correct hand placement, leverage and small one inch open hand jabs to stop a players momentum before it can start. It used to be a defensive specialist archetype in the NBA. Every team had to have one and the best on ball defenders were always hand check artists.

It was why teams couldn't just clear and iso back in the day and had to run systems with classic system PG's like Stockton, Magic and Isiah. When they banned it an entire generation of defensive players basically became obsolete and we're out of the league within 12-18 months.

Now it's back. That's wild.

The NBA never stopped allowing handchecking. Go back to 2016 and see Curry and LeBron being handchecked. Go back to 2012, to 2009, 2007, 2003, etc. Playwrs are sjust better athletes and better ball handlers now to work through it than playwrs did in the ‘80s and ‘90s.

[Forbes]

I’ve been asking for this forever and look at how much everyone is enjoying the games.

Handchecking allows ANY defender to keep up with their man.

They haven’t truly allowed it yet.

[Moose]

Like who?

Derek Harper was probably the best at it, and was the poster child used when they banned it. Pippen singlehandedly ruined the Pacers offense in the playoffs one year when the strategy was to have him guard Mark Jackson, picking him up in the backcourt forcing Mark Jackson to turn his back while Pippen hand checked him in the backcourt. That slowed their offense to a crawl. Jackson struggled just to bring the ball up the floor.

All of those sub-par Ewing-era Knicks point guards like Doc Rivers, Chris Childs, Greg Anthony, Charlie Ward (and Harper was in there too) seemed like they were in the league simply because they were strong little dudes who were great at putting hands on you. They were notorious for it, and god knows they were terrible at everything else related to basketball

You think Harper was bad at basketball? Lol

[Harry Palmer]

When they initially got rid of it, players leaned into their forearms and were (according to players) even more disruptive. It didn’t really get easier until they cleaned that up too.

[Ainosterhaspie]

I’ve been asking for this forever and look at how much everyone is enjoying the games.

Handchecking allows ANY defender to keep up with their man.

They haven’t truly allowed it yet.

Why is that a good thing? Shouldn't defense be about skill, fundamentals, agility, timing, IQ, stuff like that? If there is a hack that let's bad defenders easily be effective, that's not a positive.