The NBA is putting a fresh spotlight on offensive players’ off-arm usage for the 2026-27 season, and Jaylen Brown has become one of the league’s clearest examples of what officials will be watching.
In a video released Tuesday by NBA Official, Monty McCutchen, the senior vice president of referee development and training, laid out the new point of emphasis and showed the difference between a legal off-arm and an illegal push-off. Brown, the former Celtics star, was used on the illegal side of the ledger.
"This contact by Brown is forceful. It is not just firming up, and the offensive foul was correctly called by the slot official," McCutchen explained.
The message from the league is not that players must stop using their off-arm altogether. Instead, officials are being asked to pay closer attention when offensive players extend that arm forcefully and shove defenders to open space.
The video also flipped the script with Paul George, who the Celtics acquired as part of the Brown trade, serving as the example of proper off-arm use.
"George does not fully extend his off arm, nor does he push off his legal defender, Sam Hauser, in a forceful manner," McCutchen said in the video. "Instead, George uses his arm to feel for his opponent and, in doing so, he does not initiate any contact that would be deemed illegal."
Along with the off-arm focus, the NBA said officials will also emphasize straight-line pathway plays, when a defender gets in the way of an offensive player’s direct route, plus freedom of movement around screens, on the perimeter and in the post.
For players around the league, the adjustment may take some time.
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