NBA G League Introduces New Experimental Rules For 2018-19 Season

Over the last few years, the G League has been utilized as a hub for new rule experimentation before they are implemented in The Association. The most notable example of this came during the 2016-17 season, when the minor league introduced a rule where the 24-second clock would reset to 14 seconds after an offensive rebound is obtained. That change was meant to make the games more entertaining as the decreased time after the offensive team snags a rebound would lead to more shot attempts. That rule change passed with flying colors in the eyes of the Association as it’ll be utilized in the NBA in 2018-19.

Two years later, the G League is still looked at as the ideal locale for experimenting as we’ll see the introduction of two new rules: 14-second reset on advance and transition take foul. For the 14-second rest, it’s pretty self-explanatory as the shot clock will reset to 14 second following a reset or team timeout. Similar to the aforementioned 14 second rule after the offensive board, this change is meant to speed up the pace of the game as the offensive team will have 10 less seconds to utilize their half-court sets and make plays.

In regards to the second rule, the “transition take foul” occurs when a defender fouls an offensive player during a transition opportunity without making a play on the ball. This foul happens whether that offensive player is in the process of passing or have received a pass from a teammate. An example of this transition take foul is seen in the YouTube clip below.

After this non-clear path fouls transpires, the offensive team are rewarded with an opportunity to select any player in the game to shoot one free throw. After that shot at the charity stripe, that team will retain position of the ball at the point of that prior foul.

Alongside those two new additions, the G League will continue their experimentation with rules introduced in past years. Those include two-minute overtime periods, coach’s challenge, resets and away-from-the-play foul rule.

Basketball fans will get an opportunity to see how those experimental rules affect on-court action when the 2018-19 NBA G League season tips off on November 2nd.