The basketball court of the future

Shooting from farther away

The elite of basketball shooters, like Stephen Curry or James Harden with his characteristic step back, are shooting from farther and farther away. I think this trend will increase with time as people realise that shooting from 8, 9 or 10 metres is relatively easy. It does not necessarily require much more effort from these distances than from 6 or 7 metres. And it is gratifying: you feel special because ordinary people do not do it. With the proper bend of the legs and a flick of the wrist, it does not require more effort than a normal three-pointer thrown with poor form.

I am, for example, completely sure that I could achieve a good shooting percentage if I trained it regularly. 

A wider court at the ends

Maybe courts will have to change in size, and the number of players could increase if the trend continues.

The shape of the court could also be modified in the future. It could be widened at the ends, as indicated in the drawing below. Shooters need more space to shoot from the sides. Otherwise, the game loses opportunities to play laterally, to be seen from a different point of view and to create new plays.

If this shape of court were adopted (which would require agreement), I think people would feel uncomfortable at first. Players would probably step on the new lines. But later everyone might wonder why courts did not have this shape before.

In future articles I will comment on more innovations that could be implemented, for example those based on physics and electronic devices like drones. For one continuation, see my disruptive ideas for basketball training, including long-distance shooting practice.