“The way the game is being officiated is unacceptable” - Portland Trail Blazers talisman Damian Lillard voices his displeasure over the new changes in NBA officiating
Damian Lillard has voiced his displeasure about the officiating since the start of the 2021-22 NBA season.
The league had announced a new rule ahead of the new NBA season to curb offensive players leaning into defenders to draw fouls. Thanks to its implementation, a few players have been worse off than they were before.
Damian Lillard on the new foul rule changes.
(h/t @gifdsports)
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After his team's 117-109 loss to the LA Clippers, Damian Lillard was enraged with the officials and their officiating, saying:
"I feel like the way the game is being officiated is unacceptable," Damian Lillard told reporters. "I don't want to go too deep into it, so they make a big deal out of it, but the explanations, the s*** that's getting missed, I mean, come on..."
Throughout the game, Lillard made only one free-throw attempt, but the six-time All-Star felt he deserved more trips to the charity stripe. The Portland Trail Blazers star feels that he is not supposed to be affected by the rule change, as he does not seek out calls.
"I'm not that type of player – I felt like coming in, the rule change wouldn't affect me, because I don't do the trick the referees, I don't do the trick plays. It's just unacceptable, man."
He added:
"Then the explanations and the remarks in return when you're telling them is just like... I don't really have anything else to say about it."
How has the NBA rule change affected Damian Lillard?
In the 2020-21 NBA season, Damian Lillard made 7.2 attempts per game from the free-throw line, but is currently averaging a career-low 3.2.
Last season, 449 points from his total tally of 1,928 came from the free-throw line, which suggests that the NBA's new rule has hurt his numbers. It is doubly frustrating, as he is struggling from beyond the arc, and not getting the opportunity to get more points on the board from the charity stripe.
There is still plenty of basketball to be played this season, enough to significantly improve his averages if he finds his shooting range. He is averaging 19.3 points across 11 games this season, and has never averaged below 20 points except in his rookie campaign.
Several of the NBA’s best scorers have seen their scoring average decline this season:
◻️ Damian Lillard: Down 10.2 ppg
◻️ De’Aaron Fox: Down 7.5 ppg
◻️ Joel Embiid: Down 7.5 ppg
◻️ Bradley Beal: Down 7 ppg
@colehoops examines the early-season trend ⤵️
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Meanwhile, Brooklyn Nets star James Harden has arguably suffered the most from the rule change. He made 7.3 attempts from the free-throw line last season, but is down to only 4.6 per game this campaign. He said about the new rule change in an interview:
"Yes, for sure, but I'm not the type to complain about it. I just ask every official: if they see a foul, call a foul. Sometimes I feel like coming into a game, it's already predetermined or I already have that stigma of getting foul calls, but I just ask officials to call what they see."
"I can't stop playing basketball. I mean, a foul is a foul no matter what league it is. But it's bigger; I've got to play better obviously. That's it."
With no response from the NBA just yet, Lillard could be at the receiving end of 'unacceptable' calls for the time being.