Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard blasts rule changes, calls NBA officiating 'unacceptable'

NBA star Damian Lillard has expressed his thoughts on the rule changes made by the National Basketball Academy(NBA) this season. After Portland Trail Blazers’ 117-109 loss to Los Angeles Clippers in their latest clash, Lillard was quoted saying to the reporters that he feels the way the game is being officiated is unacceptable. The NBA earlier made rule changes by restricting offensive players to initiate contact for drawing fouls. These changes made some top NBA players struggle to adjust their games, as they have gone on to score fewer points this season.

As mentioned in a report by CBS, after the Trail Blazers lost their match on November 10, Lillard said, “ feel like the way the game is being officiated is unacceptable. I don't want to go too deep into it so they make a big deal out of it, but the explanations, the shit that's getting missed, I mean, come on. I felt like coming in, the rule change wouldn't affect me, because I don't do the trick the referees, I don't do the trick plays, and it's just unacceptable. Then the explanations and the remarks in return when you tell them is just like [Lillard shrugs]. I don't even have nothin' else to say about it”. Lillard, meanwhile, top-scored for the team in the match by scoring 27 points.

Damian Lillard averages 3.3 free throws per game in the NBA 2021-22 season

Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers suffered yet another defeat in their next NBA 2021-22 match against Phoenix Suns on Thursday. In this match, Lillard scored 28 points but failed to make the win as they lost 119-109. Lillard’s disappointment with the NBA rule change might be justified according to him, however, the changes have certainly hit star guards like James Harden, Trae Young, and Bradley Beal alongside Lillard. Lillard has averaged 20.0 points per game in the NBA 2021-22 season, which is down from his 28.8 points per game in the last season. He averaged 7.2 free throws per game in the 2020-21 season, which is down to 3.3 per game, which is his lowest in the 10 years of his NBA career. All of this deficit regarding the points adds up to explain Lillard’s case against the rule change.

Image: AP