Damian Lillard: New NBA officiating is “unacceptable”

Every player in the NBA is coming to terms with the new NBA rule changes aimed at eliminating “non-basketball plays,” such as when a shooter extends his limbs or jumps into a defender in an attempt to draw a foul. Simply put, the NBA is trying to get rid of theatrical flopping.

Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard is none too happy with these changes and is blasting all of NBA officiating as a whole. The Blazers star went off Tuesday night after his team lost to the Los Angeles Clippers 117-109.

Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard calls new NBA officiating “unacceptable”

According to Sports Illustrated, Lillard had this to say:

"“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 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. It’s just unacceptable.”"

It’s true that Lillard is being affected by these new rules, as is the entire league. It’s most noticeable with the number of free throw attempts Dame has been attempting.

He’s averaging just 3.2 free throw attempts per game, which is lower than the 7.2 he shot last season. That’s partly because the refs aren’t calling some of the fouls they used to.

But are the new rules to blame for Lillard’s lacking 19.3 points a game and his 36% shooting? And do they have anything to do with the fact that he’s only making 25% of his threes?

His stats are down across the board; is that all because of the new rules? Lillard didn’t give clear reasoning as to how the NBA rule changes have hurt his play on Tuesday night, or why they are so “unacceptable.”

Across the association, offensive efficiency is down 4.72% because of the officiating changes. It’s obvious that these regulations are really impacting games, but are they the reason for Lillard’s lackluster season? That’s debatable.

As the season goes on, you can expect to hear other NBA players speak out about these new rules, but there is little doubt that the referees will stick to their guns.