Fans, analysts, and even players often complain about the state of refereeing in the NBA. But former Los Angeles Clippers guard JJ Redick is sympathetic towards the league’s officiating crew. On the Point Foward podcast, hosted by Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner, the retired player-turned-analyst shared his view about the difficulty of refereeing NBA games.
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“NBA players are some great actors… We are all method actors. We get on court and we’re literally in character. And I think we understand the technical side.
For most of the sport, it is believed that good players know the rules but the greats know the exceptions. Basketball is no different, as according to Redick, there have been some smart basketball players who have exploited the ‘technical side’ of the rules since the beginning.
Redick explained certain players use their physical tools – strength, size, speed – and pair them with their ability to read the game and force defenders to make mistakes. He named Wilt Chamberlain, Joel Embiid, and Luka Doncic as examples who pulled this off consistently.
Redick pointed to the 1961-62 NBA season when Chamberlain set an unbreakable record by averaging 50.4 points per game. He was aided by an NBA record of 17 free throw attempts on average. The Hall of Famer averaged over 13 free throw attempts per game four times in his career. Shaquille O’Neal is the only other player to achieve that feat even once.
Reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid has often been criticized for foul-baiting. Fans have complained about the Philadelphia 76ers superstar’s innate ability to draw whistles from referees on seemingly innocuous plays. The center leads the league with 11.7 free throw attempts per game.
Doncic ranks seventh in the league in free throw attempts per game with 8.2. However, the four players above him are averaging only 0.2 attempts per game more than the Dallas Mavericks superstar.
JJ Redick wants players to stop complaining about referees
Redick explained that coaching his son’s basketball team has helped him understand that every player, even at the lowest level, feels hard done by referees. He added that every player fosters the mindset that the officiating crew is biased towards the other team and it’s impractical to expect referees to be impartial 100% of the time.
Watching the game from a referee’s perspective, Redick might have realised that they are bound to make mistakes.
“Every player impartially will be like, ‘Alright, the referees are going to make mistakes, I’m going to make mistakes. Basketball is a game of mistakes.’ The transparency is where the frustration lies with the players.”
The most glaring example of the lack of transparency is the beef between Golden State Warriors veteran Chris Paul and referee Scott Foster. The duo have had multiple arguments on the court over the years, leading to ejections, including one this season.
Paul’s teams are 3-17 in the playoffs with Foster refereeing and 73-56 without him. While Redick’s point holds weight, it’ll do little to change the players and fans’ opinions about certain referees and the overall state of officiating in the NBA.
