When players like Stephen Curry and Jamal Crawford are on the hardwood, fans can see the NBA’s long-ball specialists pull up from well beyond the 3-point line. It makes for entertaining basketball, and it begs the question: Is it time for a 4-point line in the NBA?
Apparently, league brass already have discussed the option, according to ESPN’s Tom Haberstroh in an Insider article. NBA president of basketball operations Rob Thorn told ESPN in an interview that the 4-pointer has “come up” in league discussions.
“Oh man,” Thorn said, “some of the players we have can shoot the ball 30 feet as easily as they can shoot 23, 24 feet.”
That’s not an exaggeration, either. Crawford, a Los Angeles Clippers guard, makes 60.9 percent of his attempts deeper than 28 feet out, and Curry has been shown in videos casually making shots well beyond the arc in practice. But Thorn said the introduction of a 4-point line likely would be met with some resistance.
“It would be unbelievable,” Thorn said. “But you know coaches would go crazy because now you’ve got another line out there. That’s crazy.”
