Inside the PBA’s Four-Point Shot Decision: Bold Move or Gimmick?

Original photo: PBA Images

Once upon a time, in the Land of the Rising Sun, a group of elite gentlemen decided that a new line would be drawn.

No, this line would not be formed on the West Philippine Sea. Rather, it would be crafted on hardcourts in their native land, where a horde of faithful fanatics reside.

How would this line affect the sport that these fanatics follow with a zeal? Could any good come of this decision, or would it be the subject of perpetual mockery?

Let’s look at this objectively. (And yes, I’m dropping the act now. To properly judge a major development like this, we must resist the urge to clown around, look past the level of ridicule, and weigh both sides.)

So, here it goes.

News flash: The term “four-point shot” has drawn strong reactions from the Pinoy hoops community.

Honestly, who can blame fans for equating this experiment with comedy acts and carnival gimmicks? After watching thousands of three-point attempts since 1980—when the PBA followed the NBA’s innovation and started counting triples—fans were bound to react vehemently to the drastic rule change.

As passionate followers of the sport, we owe it to ourselves to thoughtfully consider what this rule change means. Taking everything into consideration, we can say—with a straight face now—that the reasoning for this decision is rather imperfect.

Here’s how Alfrancis Chua, newly elected vice chairman of the PBA Board, justified the rule change on behalf of the other governors: “Nagawa na natin ito sa All-Star Game. With this rule, mababawasan ang zone defense, lalabas ang depensa at mas tutulin ang laro.”

Four arguments for a four-point shot. I wonder if three of them will hit the mark.

• What’s the fuss about zone defense? It’s a legitimate strategic approach that any coach should be able to pull out of his playbook as needed. In the same way that man-to-man schemes have pros and cons, zone defense offers both reward (clogging the paint, building a wall against penetration) and risk (giving up perimeter shots). To discriminate against zone defense is to unnecessarily sway the game towards a particular style of play.

• How does the implementation of the four-point shot speed up the game? According to a 2021 study published in The Sport Journal, rule changes that have been proven to speed up NBA games consist mainly of stricter officiating on physicality. This crackdown on subtle bumps and jabs has led to more possessions and enabled offensive players to move more freely on the court. Currently, there’s little evidence to prove that the four-point shot can help PBA games (which bear striking similarities to the NBA style) pick up the pace.

• What exactly does the All-Star Game stand for? Simply put, it’s an exhibition that isn’t meant to be taken seriously. From an optics standpoint, it’s not a good look for the league if fans associate all season 49 games (elimination-round and playoff matchups alike) with a novelty act preceded by dance-offs.

If I’m being perfectly honest, though, what fascinates me most about Chua’s statement is the “lalabas ang depensa” part.

I’m not sure if this is intentional wordplay—the vice chairman might literally mean that defenders will be spread out farther than they ever have—but there’s something to be said about bringing out a different level of competitive play on that end of the floor.

Whether PBA teams like it or not, an arc 27 feet from the rim will be part of their on-court strategy for season 49. This new development will challenge coaches’ minds anew as far as deploying their chess pieces on the floor. The amount of creativity that will go into tweaking defensive schemes allows coaches to take the next step in their professional growth.

What about the players? The rule change can—and should—push them to become even more disciplined when closing out on shooters. This time around, the price to be paid for an overly aggressive block attempt is four free throws. (I imagine fierce stomping and, whenever applicable, hair-pulling if this happens.)

Let’s not forget about offense, as the strategic innovation will permeate into that too. This season, a team running a fastbreak has even more weapons to light up the scoreboard. Aside from a rim-running big and a lightning-quick ball handler, teams can now position their shooters behind two different arcs on the primary and secondary break.

Now that could be entertaining.

So, what to make of this new rule?

Coach Tim Cone is not happy with it, WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu seems to like it, and a lot of fans are still making fun of it online.

I think we can all take our cue from former PBA Commissioner Noli Eala, who Tweeted this hours after news of the rule change broke:

“I’d rather defer any judgment on this new 4-pt shot that the PBA will implement. “A” for trying to innovate, albeit, superficial. But there are far more impt matters this Board should first discuss – farm teams, salary cap, parity, gate attendance, independent Com.”

What a great way to use X, and what a truly objective way of looking at the matter.

The four-point shot. Bow.