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NBA will test out coach’s challenges during 2019 summer league, per report

The NBA is looking to institute a rule change for the upcoming season.

According to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, the league is set to test out using coach’s challenges during the upcoming summer league schedule. In addition, the NBA could utilize the rule during the 2019-20 season if it’s successful this summer.

The NBA will implement a coach’s challenge at the upcoming summer leagues and anticipates using the rule during 2019-20 regular-season as part of a pilot program, per a memo sent to teams this morning and obtained by ESPN.

Coaches will get one challenge per game, and they will lose it even if the challenge is successful, according to the memo. They can use it to challenge only called fouls; goaltending; basket interference; and plays when the ball is knocked out of bounds, the memo says. The league has tested this version of the challenge system in the G League over the last two seasons.

Coaches must have a timeout remaining to use a challenge. The team must call a timeout immediately after the event they would like to challenge, and the coach must “twirl his/her index finger toward the referees” to signal for the challenge, the memo states. If the challenge is successful, the team retains the timeout it used to stop play. If the challenge is unsuccessful, they lose that timeout.

Lowe also reports that the crew chief will decide on calls involving fouls and all other challenges will be handled by the NBA’s Replay Center. The NBA’s office is categorizing this potential rule change as a “trial” in order to see how it works.

Using coach’s challenges isn’t a huge surprise because it’s something that the other major sports have been utilizing for several seasons. The NFL gives coaches two challenge per contest whereas the NBA is just giving one, but it could completely change the course of a game.

One of the most glaring areas could be on plays where the ball is knocked out of bounds. As Lowe notes, the G League has used coach’s challenges over the past two seasons.

Players and coaches alike have criticized officials at times more rampantly in recent years, so having the ability to challenge a call could benefit all parties involved. As the summer league begins in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas in the coming days, this will certainly be a storyline worth watching as the NBA’s next wave of stars take the court.

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