Steve Kerr’s outspokenness on the NBA’s fouling problems has paid off.
On Wednesday, commissioner Adam Silver noted a decline in fouls committed against defenders during the 2023-24 NBA season, citing the Warriors coach as a major supporter and influence.
“I think there was a feeling earlier in the season that there was too much upside for offensive players, whether it was – I think Steve Kerr said offensive players were using themselves as projectiles or looking for fouls, whatever you want to call it,” Silver told reporters (via Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press). “So that was an important point on the league’s part.
“So yeah, there were some adjustments along the way. But again, the context is two fouls per team per match, and the end result, more importantly, seems to us to be a better match.
The NBA, on average, has eliminated two fouls per team, per Silver.
Silver’s quote of Kerr comes after Golden State’s 10-year coach complained about officiating after the Warriors’ 120-114 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Christmas Day.
Kerr didn’t hold back, despite the holiday spirit.
“I have no problem with the officials themselves. All around the league we have very good officials,” Kerr said at Christmas. “I have a problem with the way we legislate defense outside of the game. That’s what we do in the NBA. The way we teach the officials, we just allow the players to work their way up to the foul line.
“If I was a fan, I wouldn’t have wanted to watch the second half of this match. It was disgusting. It was simply a matter of getting the refs to call. But the referees have to make these decisions because that’s how they are taught.
During this Warriors-Nuggets meeting, Denver superstar Nikola Jokić attempted 18 free throws, five fewer than all of Golden State.
Kerr has always spoken out about the areas he thinks the NBA can improve. Recently he spoke out against the use of instant replay.
Sometimes Kerr’s complaints lead to dead ends. But not this time, as Silver pointed out that Kerr was one of the reasons officials swallowed their whistles more often.
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