Darius Garland Wants 4-Point Shot in Response to Talk of NBA Rule Change on 3-Pointer

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland expressed support over NBA All-Star Weekend for a rule change that would potentially revolutionize the way teams play.

Joe Vardon of The Athletic conducted a poll of players who were in San Francisco over the weekend to compete in the NBA All-Star Game and its surrounding events, and he asked some of them how they would feel about making rule changes that would impact three-pointers.

Garland, who was an All-Star and a participant in this year's Three-Point Contest, was one of four players out of the 11 asked who would like to see a rule change.

The 25-year-old Garland specifically campaigned for the addition of a four-point shot, saying, "I'd introduce a four-point shot. Just a couple of feet back—not too far."

Boston Celtics guard JD Davison, who played in the Rising Stars Challenge, backed up Garland's idea, saying, "I'd say bring in the four-point line because guys like [Golden State Warriors star] Steph [Curry] are shooting from half court. It'd make it more competitive."

Curry, who is the NBA's all-time leader in three-pointers made and a future first-ballot Hall of Famer, offered a more diplomatic response, saying: "I don't have any problem with guys and teams shooting a lot of threes. Obviously, that's the way that I play, and I love that factor in the game, but you've also got to put the work in behind the scenes to take full advantage of it."

Many fans and past players have criticized the current state of the NBA since so much of the game is predicated on three-pointers. Back in December, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver admitted that he had heard the criticisms and revealed that the league was looking into it to determine if any changes would be viable or needed.

While Garland is in favor of a radical change, most of the players polled want to keep things the way they are. In reference to adding a four-point shot or moving back the three-point arc, Los Angeles Clippers guard Norman Powell said, "You kind of lose the origin of what the game meant."

Adding a four-point shot would perhaps exacerbate the perceived issue of too much long-range shooting since players would likely want to take their chances on long shots even more often.

Moving back the three-point line may be the best answer when it comes to the idea of nudging teams toward operating more in the paint and taking mid-range shots.

For now, it doesn't appear as though any major changes are on the horizon, but some players seemingly wouldn't mind if the league decides to make some alterations.