Atlanta Hawks All-Star Trae Young isn’t happy with the NBA’s new officiating rules that significantly changed the way referees are calling fouls in the 2021-22 season. And he isn’t trying to hide it either.
Speaking after the Hawks’ 122-111 loss to the Washington Wizards on Thursday night, Young complained about what he perceives are missed foul calls by the officials and called the situation “frustrating”.
“There’s a lot of missed calls,” Young said. “It’s basketball. It’s just, it feels that they’re learning, and they’re just, I don’t know. It’s frustrating.”
During the offseason, the NBA identified a number of “non-basketball moves” that have been used by players to initiate contact and draw fouls and instructed the officials to stop calling them. One of those moves is Young’s trademark technique that sees him driving past the opposing player and then suddenly stopping to cause his defender to bump into him.
Young reiterated that he isn’t opposed to the changes but believes the refs are letting defenders get away with too many things.
“There’s a lot of things that, when guys are driving straight, and guys are getting knocked off balance, it’s still a foul, whether they’re using their lower body or their hands,” he added.
The new rules have already made an impact on Trae Young’s game this season. While he is still averaging healthy 24.2 points per game, he is getting to the free-throw line less frequently. He is currently averaging 4.4 free throws per game, which is almost half of the 8.7 attempts he had in 2020-21.
