Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault recently addressed the concerns over the NBA playoffs’ excessive physicality. He spoke his mind openly to the press. As the postseason is in full swing, so too are the questions. Officiating, one can argue, is beyond the league’s control as teams shift towards a more punk-ass style of play. Daigneault said this move is part of the NBA’s intentional pivot as an organization over the last year and a half. This rule promotes less passive, more aggressive defense and has resulted in a record low number of free throws attempted.
This season, NBA teams averaged 21.7 free throw attempts per game, the lowest of any season so far. That idea would continue into the playoffs. Teams are attempting an average of just 20.3 free throws per game, another record pace for the fewest ever seen during the postseason. This radical decrease in free throw attempts begs many questions about striking a proper balance between permitting more physicality and the “letting them play” mantra versus fair play itself.
Then in mid-April 2024, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver revealed a groundbreaking decision that changes how the NBA conducts its officiating program. He emphasized that the league has been transparent with teams regarding its intention to allow for more physical defense. He noted, “That was a point of emphasis on behalf of the league. We were transparent with our teams about that.”
Teams are beginning to adjust to this new officiating reality. When the Boston Celtics played the Philadelphia 76ers on April 9, 2024, the Celtics became the first team in NBA history to take any free throws. Situations like this emphasize just how jarring the shift has been in the way that referees are officiating games this playoff run.
The trend of fewer free throw attempts isn’t limited to one week’s worth of games. We’ve noticed it all season long. By January 2024, the discourse around officiating had grown contentious, with about 50 plays provoking discussion or ire from players and coaches. In fact, for the 2023-24 season, teams averaged just 23.2 FT attempts per game through the month of November. Despite this progress, this figure continued to drop precipitously to 19.7 by March.
Steve McCutchen shared insight as to why officiating tends to trail quicker advances in gameplay. He stated, “Refereeing is always slightly behind innovation because we start to see something and then have to grow into what we’re seeing.” This lag results in an increase in physicality come playoff time. In the playoffs, teams have more familiarity with their opponents, leading to even tougher competition.
The number of replay reviews during the playoffs have skyrocketed. They now comprise 26.9% of all plays reviewed, the largest increase since the 2012-13 season. This overall increase indicates that government officials are under greater pressure than ever before. Consequently, they might be struggling to cope with the increased demands for accountability on their performance.
The cumulative effect of this playoff run’s intensity factored heavily into each of the main players’ struggle. Kristaps Porzingis and Jayson Tatum were both victimized by vicious acts of violence. Thunder player Brown was dislocated left index finger after a very controversial play. Cole Anthony literally yanked him down, and this play has been met with intense backlash.
Reflecting on the relationship between intensity and physicality, McCutchen noted, “There is zero doubt that the playoffs are more intense, and I think that we treat ‘intense’ and ‘physicality’ as synonyms when there’s nuance between them.” Even as intensity sometimes increases physicality, the two are not synonymous, he emphasized.
As the playoffs progress, teams continue to navigate a difficult balance between aggressive defense and maintaining fair play under evolving officiating standards. Even with uncertainty looming, coaches like Daigneault are still focused on getting their teams ready to compete in this high-pressure reality. “We prepare the team for the games, first of all,” he stated.
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