Amid officiating changes, free throws down for some stars

By NOAH TRISTER
AP Sports Writer

There’s a new crackdown in the NBA on non-basketball moves used to draw contact. So far, some of the game’s biggest offensive stars are going to the free-throw line less often. There’s some concern that the changes may be allowing more physicality in general, beyond what was intended — and nobody’s quite certain how the officiating will evolve throughout the season. Atlanta’s Trae Young averaged 8.7 free-throw attempts per game last season, and that number is down to 5.3 so far in 2021-22. It’s a similar story for James Harden, Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal.