The NBA season kicks off tonight! With every season comes an emphasis on new rules. Here are some NBA rule changes that could affect the Milwaukee Bucks this season.
NBA Rule Changes And The Milwaukee Bucks
One of the biggest changes in the NBA In-Season Tournament. This affects the Bucks very little unless they were to make it to the championship where they would have to play an additional game. That additional game is wear and tear on an older team which could mean something. Overall, this isn’t a huge change for the team. There are a couple of rules to be aware of for this upcoming season.
Expanded Coaches Challenge
Similar to how the NFL does it, an additional challenge can be earned if the first one is successful. A team must have a timeout in order to challenge a play. For the first challenge, the timeout will be regained if it is successful. for the second challenge, no timeout is regained regardless of the outcome. This matters as it could swing a game one way or another. Adrian Griffin will have to be savvy with his challenges as a first-time head coach. Getting more challenges could be worth a couple of wins.
Load Management Rules
Players must now play in 65 games to be eligible for awards like All-NBA and All-Defensive. The NBA has increased its power for punishing teams who sit multiple stars and sit players during nationally televised games. For the Bucks, this isn’t a huge issue. Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo have never been load management people. Both want to play in every game possible. While injuries definitely happen, they don’t seem to be the type of players who will sit out simply to rest.
Crackdown On Flopping
This is the most significant rule change that the NBA is testing out this year. It is a temporary one-year rule that the NBA will assess in the offseason. Here are the new flopping rules.
-When a player is called for a flop, they will be charged with a non-sportsmanlike technical foul, resulting in the opposing team receiving a free-throw attempt.
-Players cannot be ejected if they receive multiple flopping technicals.
-Officials do not have to stop a game to review flopping calls. They can wait until the next dead ball or stoppage in play and then institute the violation after the fact.
-Flopping violations are not reviewable via coaches’ challenge.
-In-game flopping violations will not result in a fine. The NBA can fine a player if it determines he flopped and the call was not made during the game.
For the Milwaukee Bucks, flopping isn’t really something that Giannis is known for. They do not have a chronic flopper on the team currently. However, it will be interesting to see which referees are more strict with the flop and which ones are more lenient.
There are a couple more NBA rule changes that don’t really affect what the Milwaukee Bucks are trying to do. The flopping rule change is the one that is most likely to change how certain players play. The Bucks begin their championship run this week and hopefully, they will be able to make a good run with the core that they have.
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