5 NBA stars whose foul shooting has been impacted by rule changes in the 2021-22 season

#3 James Harden

El Chapo could be an NBA anomaly here considering he isn't in his best shape as his hamstring heals, yet his numbers are down as well, similar to Young and Doncic. He's making a full two less field goals a game (5.5 vs. 7.8) than last season for 37% shooting. His NBA three-point attempts and makes are the same as last season, yet the striking difference is his 2pt field goal pct. (38% vs. 55%) eFG% (46% vs. 55%). James Harden is down in free throw makes (5.0 vs. 6.3) and attempts (5.7 vs. 7.3) and scoring average (18.7 points a game vs. 24.6).

#2 Damian Lillard

Goodness Dame. Damian Lillard might be the most affected by the rules changes. He's having a bad time of it shooting the rock and all of his numbers are down as well. His eFG% is 43% vs. 55% of last season, his 6.6 makes vs. 17.8 attempts are off from last year (9.0 vs. 19.9), 37% shooting vs. 45%, 4.0 free throw tries vs. 7.2. Dame will be subtlely direct in his protest at the rule changes. He is a winner that wants to win big, and if his offensive output is affected, the Portland Trailblazers won't win. By comparison, CJ McCollum's numbers are similar to last season's with the exception of free throw attempts (1.8 vs. 2.3), so it appears certain players are targeted because of past launches of themselves into defenders to attract foul calls.

#1 LeBron James

LeBron James has been a consistent 50% shooter in his 19 NBA years, yet early this season, he's shooting 46% vs. 51% of last season. Most of his numbers are just slightly off from last season, and it may be that LeBron James is getting the superstar calls since he's the NBA's main draw. Yet as the season progresses and players continue to express disagreement with the NBA's newfound offensive morality, will he be the mouthpiece for the players to get this all back to center?

I noticed that every player mentioned has an improved free throw percentage early on, and that shows scorers get it any way they can.

Since the NBA is looking to clean up the game offensively as the numbers get out of hand, will the NBA also crack down on charge calls? Are basketball coaches at the youth level teaching kids how to move their feet defensively, so instead of picking up a charge as a goal, better defense is the focus?

Please make this happen, Adam Silver. The charging call is stunting the NBA's athleticism at the rim. Send an edict down to coaches across the land to focus on teaching the art of playing defense, and maybe the disrupting charge call will no longer exist as the game matures into the future.