Should the offensive foul line be moved farther from the basket?
Let’s make a clarification first: the foul line deep in the paint is the white U that’s facing the baseline. If a defensive player is standing inside that U, and the offensive player makes contact with him during the shot, it’s automatically a defensive foul, no matter whether the defender had his feet set or not. The rule is designed to allow offensive players to make more spectacular dunks and layups, without fear of being fouled. It also protects the players, as a lot of hard, injury-inducing fouls used to occur right under the basket. As far as your question, the foul line is out far enough already. They’re taking away the defender’s right to guard the basket. Whey don’t they just tell defensive teams that they have to stop playing defense at the half court line? That way, we could have all offense, all the time. No, the offensive players just need to adjust their game. If you want more scoring, develop more skill – don’t change the rules to allow more streetball in the league.
