Studs built for today’s physical NBA

Watch the NCAA tournament for David Thorpe’s draft steals

BY DAVID THORPE

The only constant in the NBA is change, and the change this season was summarized by an NBA assistant coach who told me “they don’t call fouls anymore.” Every night some broadcast team is aghast at a no-call.

You know how you can adjust your phone’s sensitivity setting? The whole NBA is recalibrated, so—some star calls aside—it’s not a foul unless someone really gets clobbered. It already affects who goes to the line, who scores, and who wins. (Last week we wrote about how it’s leading to more fights.) With the 2025 draft, it’ll also affect who gets NBA jobs.

Think about that as you watch this year’s NCAA tournament. Duke is the toast of the town and a popular pick to win it all, thanks in large part to freshmen Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maluach. Heaven forbid, though, the NCAA officials let ‘em play like they do in the NBA. Those…