Adam Silver to avoid ‘knee-jerk’ changes to bring excitement back to NBA
Adam Silver is aware the NBA has a few problems making the game less exciting, amidst declining viewership.
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Adam Silver tells Shaquille O'Neal he is working on improving the NBA
The NBA has been bereft with conversations surrounding its seemingly boring play. On one hand, the likes of Shaquille O’Neal have asked for excitement to return. On the other hand, Commissioner Adam Silver wants to keep expanding the game globally amidst slumping viewership ratings.
O’Neal in particular has lambasted the excessive use of three-point shots. He pointed that some superstars such as Steph Curry taking it is exciting. But when almost every other team resorts to that play, the overall game can become stagnant.
The discourse has also seen foul baiting become increasingly common. LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers have seen more fouls calls going to them than other teams. Even opposition head coaches have called the league and its officiating out for that. When Adam Silver was on The Big Podcast with Shaq, he talked about this.
Last year there was an adjustment. Part of it was a response to the basketball community that they felt that we were allowing players to hunt for fouls. We made an adjustment.
Adam Silver said
The commissioner also addressed the suggestion that the NBA was allowing scoring to take precedence. To help improve scoring, the league was also alleged to have reduced the impact of defense. Silver clarified that scoring crept up as they tried to curb extremely physical play.
Adam Silver says the NBA made adjustments last year to limit players from hunting for fouls
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 15, 2025
(🎥 @bigpodwithshaq / https://t.co/9G2EKBjAqo) pic.twitter.com/H933dJG0jD
But he understands fans want to watch elite defense. Therefore, they are making adjustments so that exciting defense returns and fans can get an entertaining product. Even if those problems are slowly taken care of, the overdependence of three-point play is still a problem.
Adam Silver will assess and figure out solution to three-point overdependence
The foul baiting and defense could improve. But fans have been complaining about the excessive use of the three-point shot. To the extent that players are openly talking about it and even going to the extent of avoiding dunking. When Colin Cowherd asked Adam Silver about this while on The Herd, he replied.
I don’t wanna sort of knee jerk move the 3-point line. We’re sort of going through a process now seeing how these players are adapting to the new rules… We are on it. I think it’s a very fixable issue.
Adam Silver said
The Commissioner explained that just moving the three-point line may not be enough. Then, the game will stretch out even more as players will try to make the longer shot. He explained that it could also lead to in the paint area getting clogged, leaving the middle part of the court empty.
Adam Silver on @ColinCowherd's 3-Point idea:
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) January 15, 2025
"I wish it were as simple as just moving it back… We're on it. I think it's a very fixable issue." pic.twitter.com/J5SEXVwgFM
This is why Silver wants to analyze the game and come out with a solid plan to fix it. Any knee jerk changes could cause more harm than good. That could push fans out even further. He wants the game to grow along with the athleticism and skill players are showing.
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Joseph Varghese
(2279 Articles Published)