The NBA's new rules absolutely rule

It feels good to know that justice is being served for egregious non-basketball plays.

Chris Paul. James Harden. Trae Young.

What do those names have in common?

To some, they're just super smart, ridiculously skilled table-setters. They're three of the greatest point guards in the NBA. They're also the players most commonly associated with the NBA's new rule changes, with the league making an effort to get away from the "non-basketball moves" that Young, Harden, and Paul have mastered over the past several years.

Here's Patrick Beverley, getting called for an offensive foul doing Chris Paul's signature move: dribble in front of someone running up the court, stop, and let them bowl you over.

J. Kyle Mann @jkylemann

i am overwhelmed with joy

That is, by definition, a non-basketball move. The sole purpose of it is to draw a foul. Beverley isn't trying to slow the fast break like he might claim — he's trying to get run over by Thanasis. Was it worth it, Pat Bev?

Here's James Harden, who has been very much not himself this season, deliberately hooking Bam Adebayo's arm in hopes for a foul call (that he doesn't get). Instead of, you know, using the advantage you just earned to blow by and finish at the rim:

House of Highlights @HoHighlights

Harden not feeling these no calls from the refs. 👀👀

Of course James Harden isn't happy about these rules — they're specifically designed for him to not be able to get to the line 27 times in a game, or score 27 points in a game despite only making two shots. I still hold that Harden is one of the most talented offensive players in the history of the league, even with the foul-baiting bullshit. But it also feels good to know that justice is being served for egregious plays like the one above.

Here's Trae Young, who spun Chris Paul's infamous stop-on-a-dime move into a way to get free throws, doing it again this year and still getting the call.

Russillo @ryenarussillo

Thought we talked about this

I love Trae Young, but this one irks me the most. I feel like I would fall for this every time, and it would put me in danger of losing my front teeth if I caught the wrong guy. Jaw injuries, concussions — it's not a basketball play.

Here's Trae doing the same thing coming off a screen on the perimeter (we should be calling this one the Steph Curry) and not receiving a call:

hoops bot @hoops_bot

Trae Young tries to bait a foul on Tim Hardaway Jr. but the referees don't bite

These rule changes have made the games infinitely more watchable. No longer is it a free throw contest. This, combined with the NBA's decision to only review challenged plays in the last two minutes of games have basically solved all of last year's major issues. There is one more problem that remains equally annoying, especially because it is the most "non-basketball move" possible:

Rob Perez @WorldWideWob

NBA deserves credit for the expedited turnaround of getting rid of “jumping into defender” fouls to improve the quality of gameplay. This unquestionably needs to be next. Fast break “take fouls” are not basketball, and reward bad defense at the expense of fun. Please, i beg.

This rule is not basketball. In fact, it stops basketball from happening. Someone should keep track of how many times this happens per game, because that number will tell us how many fast break opportunities we are being robbed of.

Do NBA players understand that not every fast break opportunity is a guaranteed bucket? Because sometimes, you can't avoid Shaqtin'.

Shaqtin' a Fool @shaqtin

Bradley Beal couldn't get this one to go down 😂

Thank you, NBA, for fixing the game. You've redeemed yourself for a lot of your past refereeing mistakes. Just fix this last one, please.