Why the NBA should adopt some Olympic rules

Do you want the Timberwolves' Rudy Gobert to be the greatest defender in NBA history?

If so, you're probably on board with the league adopting some FIBA rules used at the Olympics. Those rules include a lack of defensive three seconds and no imaginary cylinder over the basket when the ball is on the rim. The NBA would look different if it incorporated these rules, and in some cases, the on-court product would be better.

Longtime NBA fans remember when the defensive three-second call didn't exist. Before the implementation of that rule for the 2001-2002 season, defenders could lurk in the paint as long as they wanted. 

After the adoption of the rule, centers' lives became considerably more difficult because it became a violation for a center to stand in the paint for more than three seconds at a time if he was not actively guarding an opponent.

Scoring in the NBA didn't immediately skyrocket after the adoption of this rule, so it can't be credited (or blamed) for the massive offensive numbers we see in the NBA today. Still, abolishing defensive three seconds in the key (also called "illegal defense") would objectively make defending the interior easier, and rim protectors like Gobert and Memphis' Jaren Jackson Jr. would become more dominant paint presences than they already are. 

A lack of illegal defense wouldn't break the league or halt the NBA's scoring explosion because of how reliant teams have become on three-point shooting. Still, it would give back defenses a slight advantage in a league where rules — and officiating — have become increasingly catered to offense. The NBA should let centers hang out in the paint for 24 seconds if they want.

The goaltending rule is fascinating because we've become accustomed to the idea of a "cylinder" that extends directly upward from the rim, even though the cylinder is imaginary. The subjectivity of this rule makes it impossible to call consistently. 

FIBA rules — which allow a player to bat the ball off the rim — would remove judgment from the equation, which should be done whenever possible. So let's ban the imaginary cylinder.

FIBA also allows players only five fouls while the NBA allows them six. There's no reason to change this because players being allowed just five fouls would make defending even tougher than it is now.

The NBA's product is elite because its players are the best basketball players in the world. But there are still avenues the league should explore to improve the product. Some of them are on display at the Olympics.