Bill Simmons Puts Forward Removal of Corner Threes and Point Caps to Curb Increase in Three-Point Attempts

Amid a gradual upward trajectory of three-point attempts per-game in the NBA, writer and analyst Bill Simmons has suggested the league should implement rule changes to stop teams leaning into points from deep. 

Bill Simmons Suggests Three-Point Rules Need an Overhaul

At this moment in time, the NBA has a strong penchant for shooting – particularly from beyond the arc.

Gone are the days of up-and-down games, where defense was more about physicality than tactical nouse. With many teams across the division choosing to place the lion’s share of their points scoring in talented shooters, styles are becoming more homogeneous and less individualistic.

Ex-players from years gone by – from generations where distinguishing quirks were encouraged in unshackled systems – have voiced their concern about the state of the NBA.

Shaquille O’Neal recently described the league as “very boring” and attributed kindred styles across teams to the gradual decline in viewership.

Speaking on The Big Podcast, the four-time NBA champion said:

“There’s no more dominant big man. It’s like stretch fives. I thought Joel Embiid was going to be that guy but I don’t think he likes the physicality for a whole season. You know Jokic is a guy that can go in and out, Wemanyama is a guy that can go in and out.

“Besides that, everybody is just doing the same thing… In my sport, everybody just does the same thing which makes it very boring and I think that’s why ratings are down.”

Renowned NBA writer and analyst Bill Simmons has even gone a step further, suggesting the league could benefit from rule changes to prevent an over-reliance from beyond the arc.

Simmons said: “This is the first time I’ve seriously started thinking ‘Do we have to fix the corner three?’ Do you change the arch a little bit so that when it goes right to the corner, maybe the line goes so that a corner three doesn’t exist, and you have to be 3-4 feet from the corner for it to be a corner three?

“Maybe there’s a limit for threes. Once you make 20, you can only make two-pointers from that point on. You basically used up your 20, maybe that’s where it goes.”

His comments follow another record-breaking night for scores from deep, with Golden State and Dallas throwing up the most three-pointers in a single NBA game with 48. This came just a day after the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns equalled the previous record of 44 set in February 2023.