Statistics matter in basketball not just for the fans but also the players. There are many stats that are complex but most are pretty basic but can still leave you scratching your head. The block shot is one that comes to mind, seems simple right? Think again.
Is a blocked shot considered a turnover in basketball? No! A blocked shot is when the offensive player attempts to shoot, layup, or dunk the basketball into the basket but is denied by the defender in doing so. When a player attempts to shot the ball it is considered a field goal attempt and not considered a turnover regardless of the outcome.
We are going to take a look at the blocked shot stat, a lot of hypothetical questions about this stat come to mind. How it’s recorded when a blocked shot does happen. You may be surprised by this so keep reading.
Common Questions about the Blocked Shot Stat
There are a lot of questions on the blocked shot, you may think you know everything there is to know about basketball.
But I bet there is at least one question in this article that you may not be able to answer or you will second guess yourself.
So let’s take a look at some common questions you may have about the blocked shot stat.
Can a blocked shot be a steal also?
For example, you’re watching your favorite player on TV block a shot, and now your favorite player has the ball after the block, that’s a steal right?
Actually, it’s not. This is because the player was in shooting motion. Only a block will be recorded to your favorite player who was successful in doing so.
After a blocked shot is it considered a rebound?
Yes! Your favorite player blocks a shot against your least favorite player and the ball is on its way down and you are able to attain the possession.
This is considered a rebound also because the shot was attempted. Even though it didn’t hit the rim it is treated as such.
The recovery of a blocked shot by any player is considered a rebound. So a player could technically get a blocked shot and a rebound all at the same time.
What if a player didn’t block a shot but instead grabbed it out of the air when the shot was taken? Is that a steal?
Still not a steal, they made an attempt to shoot the basketball so technically it’s a shot.
This is a block that is very difficult to do but in such a case the player would in fact receive a block and a rebound.
There can be an argument made if the player was trying to pass the ball when they were mid-air, then this may be considered a steal.
But this will be up to the stat keeper to decide if it is a block or steal.
Is it considered a turnover for the player who gets blocked?
If a player takes a shot and is blocked and the opposing team attains possession this will be considered a shot attempt and not a turnover as discussed earlier.
But, if a player were to attempt to shoot and is rising up to shoot and on the way up with the ball the shooter is stripped by the defense then this would be considered a turnover and a steal awarded to the defender.
Often the defense will strip the basketball as a player is attempting to shoot as they are on the up.
This is still not considered shooting motion as a player could potentially be passing the ball also, so it would be considered a steal.
Is it a blocked shot if a player touches the ball as the shot is taken and it still hits the rim?
If a player goes up to block a shot and it grazes off the defender’s fingertips it will be difficult for the stat keeper to determine that it was a block when the ball path didn’t appear to be disrupted on it’s way towards the rim.
But, it definitely is a blocked shot if it appears to disrupt the path to the basket while preventing the made basket.
This will be up to the stat keepers to determine if this is a blocked shot regardless if it hits the rim or not.
What if the shot is blocked but the ball still goes in?
No block shot stat is credited to the player.
Does altering a player’s shot count as a blocked shot in basketball?
To define what altering a shot is, think of a player who is over 7 feet tall in the middle of the paint ready to contest your layup attempt.
You decide you’re not scared and go right at him.
As you are mid-air you realize what a dumb idea that was and adjust your shoot by double pumping and throwing the ball high off the glass with an underhand scoop.
It hits nothing more than the top of the backboard.
The 7 footer didn’t block your shot attempt but it is as good as a block as there was a turn in possessions. This would be considered an altered shot.
This would not count as a block for the 7 footer. But some people think that it should have it’s own statistical category.
I think in order for this to be a stat it would have to be extremely obvious, just like the above example I just gave you.
Like the blocked shot, the altered shots don’t happen very often in games also.
What is a blocked shot in basketball?
A blocked shot is when a player on offense shoots the basketball towards the rim but is rejected by the defense using their hand or arm to prevent the ball from entering the basket.
The difficulty of a blocked shot is the reason why the best defensive players in the NBA average at best 2 a game.
That is incredibly low when thinking about the game of basketball from a statistical standpoint.
No wonder when a blocked shot does happen you get a lot of oohs and ahhs from the crowd.
Why is it so difficult to block shots in basketball?
Think about it this way, ever since you played competitive basketball you had to avoid the player in front of you from blocking your shot in order for you to score.
This became subconscious within the very first basketball game you played.
Players understand how not to get blocked, the better a player is the more they can avoid it even when they are faced against an opposition that is much taller or can jump higher than them.
At some point along the way, when you played basketball for a while you don’t worry about being blocked.
Even though shot-blockers have great timing footwork and are able to position themselves perfectly and the player attempts to shoot the basketball, it is still extremely hard to do.
Even when a player is athletic this makes things much easier for them.