On Sunday, Ja Morant and Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered injuries from brutal charge attempts in the playoffs. The nature of their injuries has created much controversy over whether or not the charge call should be phased out of basketball altogether.
And to be quite frank, it’s a conversation that makes no sense. Yes, it sucks that two superstars are going to be sidelined in the playoffs with seemingly preventable injuries. But calling for an all-out charge ban is ludicrous.
Why is the charge important?
The charge call has a history of being considered cheap, ticky-tacky, and is never respected outside of organized basketball. But, the charge is one of the plays that keep the game honest. For anyone that doesn’t know what a charge is, it’s an offensive foul where an offensive player makes significant contact with a defender that has an established position, outside of the restricted arc under the basket.
In a league where the offensive player has nearly every advantage in the rulebook (as if they need another one), the charging foul essentially prevents attacking players from foolishly barreling through a defender in an attempt to draw contact. But as we specifically saw with Morant, the lengths some players go to draw that contact can be very dangerous for all parties involved.
Zach Harper from The Athletic was one of the first media members to call for the charge ban.
“The charge isn’t really a basketball play,” Harper said. “Not with today’s athleticism. The charge is a bailout call for the defense.
And that argument has gotten lots of support. But it has drawn questions, most notably, how is attempting to run through a defender any more of a basketball play?
It’s understandable to be frustrated when a defender undercuts an airborne player because that’s a different kind of danger. But, there shouldn’t be a public outcry for one of the most fundamental plays in basketball.
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