The NBA’s ‘Theo Pinson rule’ over bench players standing, explained

Michael Sykes
·4 min read
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It’s extremely rare to see a rule change or a point of emphasis named after an NBA player. It’s even rarer to see that happen with a player who isn’t an All-Star.

But here we are. The NBA’s new Theo Pinson rule is in full effect.

The Mavs’ guard has been solidified forever in NBA history. Not as a player who had a particularly spectacular moment on the court, but as the martyr who caused the league to take bench decorum more seriously than it probably should.

That’s a totally bizarre position to be in, but it’s also accurate. Let me explain.

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Wait, so what's the Theo Pinson rule?

It’s essentially the NBA’s promise to cut down on team bench celebrations this season.

Remember all those moments over the years when teams would go crazy after a spectacular play in the height of the action of a game? It’d be awesome, right? What a moment.

But then, the players would just stand there up off of the bench. And they’d stand. And they’d stand some more. They’d basically be up throughout the game until it ended.

That last part is what the NBA is snuffing out with their new “point of emphasis.”

How does it work?

Monty McCutchen, the league’s head of referee development and training, explained the new point of emphasis here.

“Players who are not in the game are not permitted to stand on the playing court at any time, for any reason.” 

And if they do? They’ll swiftly be handed a technical foul. Especially if they’re distracting players in any way.

Wow, that's wild! But...why is Theo Pinson being singled out?

This was all triggered by behavior from the Mavericks’ bench last season during the Western Conference Finals against the Warriors.

Remember how frustrated the NBA got with how riled up their bench became during the games? The Mavericks incurred $200,000 in fines behind this behavior.

Theo Pinson played a huge part in that. He cheered his team on in street clothes that matched the Warriors’ colors — he wore a white shirt while the Warriors were wearing white jerseys.

Officials asked him to change, but he refused.

Was that really a big deal, though?

Yes. He tricked Steph Curry into passing him the ball once.

That’s bad. Extremely bad. It completely disrupts play and gives the bench an unfair advantage.

Ah. I get it now.

Yup. And the thing about it is these rules aren’t even new. The NBA has always held these standards for their players. USA TODAY’s Jeff Zilgitt explained during the Pinson incident last year:

“League rules state players during a game must remain seated while the ball is in play, except to react spontaneously to a notable play or report to the scorer’s table to check into the game; players not in the game may not remain standing at or away from team’s bench during game action; and bench players are prohibited from distracting opponents in an unsportsmanlike manner during game action.”

Teams just didn’t abide by them — mostly because the rules weren’t heavily enforced. Now, though? They are. And hefty fines are attached.

Have we seen it happen yet?

Yup. You know how the league gets with points of emphasis in the preseason. They’re going to be all over it. We’ve already seen this happen a couple of times.

We’ll see how long it lasts. But it’s certainly a thing right now. And your favorite team better be careful out here.

Story originally appeared on For The Win