Steve Kerr Believes New NBA Rule Change Will Greatly Help Steph Curry

Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry may receive some much-needed help this season

Sep 29, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) holds onto the ball during Media Day at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Very few players in the NBA take as much of a beating on the court as Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry. The 37-year-old superstar moves off the ball better than anyone, is constantly bumping into defenders, and continuously gets fouled on three-point shots.

As the NBA gears into the 2025-26 season, it looks as though Curry may be getting some help from the league with a new rule change. One that will help prevent Curry and other sharpshooters from getting intentionally hit on their arms while shooting. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr believes it could greatly help Curry.

What is the Rule?

The league will be making a change to the "high-five" rule this season. Currently, when a defender hits the hand, wrist, or arm of a shooter during a follow-through, as long as the contact occurs after the ball is released, it shouldn't be deemed a foul. However, the league will be monitoring "secondary contact," where a defender doesn't just touch the shooter's hand, but makes a clear swipe.

5 minutes of Steph Curry not getting foul calls on jumpshots. pic.twitter.com/aTIUZE2Dic

— Gardas (@Gardas111) August 16, 2025

As the rule change gets implemented, the league will definitely have a hard time calling it in real-time. With that in mind, one can imagine that referees will be calling more three-point fouls at the start of the season.

"The rule in the NBA is that once the shot is released, you're allowed to hit the guy's arm," Warriors coach Steve Kerr explained. "So what's happened in the league this year is players are always going to outsmart the rules. They know what they're doing. So players all over the league are taking shots at guys' shooting hands after release, because they know it's not going to be a foul.

May 10, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr motions to the team in the second quarter during game three against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images | David Gonzales-Imagn Images

“The biggest one is the high-five rule, which the [NBA] Coaches Association was part of in collaboration with the league,” Kerr said to the media. “The last few years, we’ve really let defenders get away with fouling jump shooters on the hand. We call everything down low, but guys have been allowed to foul jump shooters and so they’re tweaking the rules on that."

How Will the Rule Change Benefit Steph Curry?

First and foremost, it sounds as though the league will not allow as much contact to three-point shooters, which should be a no-brainer on how it benefits Curry.

Steph Curry hits the three PLUS the foul 🎯

This is his 5th 4-point play of the season!pic.twitter.com/87VoXXDYwT

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 9, 2025

“They’re not allowing as much contact," Kerr said. "The shooter is now able to follow through. The reason for the high-five rule is, the guy’s shooting, they literally would get high-fived and that’s now going to be a foul.”

When it comes to Curry specifically, Kerr believes it'll spare his superstar guard from getting hammered on the arm. Hopefully, it'll also lead to fewer injuries for Curry as he's dealt with numerous shoulder and hand injuries throughout his career.

May 4, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots the ball during the second quarter of game seven of the first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

“I think it’ll help Steph every game because of the relaxed rules on that the last few years, everybody’s out there just trying to hammer him on the arm,” Kerr explained.. “It’s a good change for him, it’s a good change for everybody, I think it’s just, that’s a foul. To me it should have been called for the last few years, it just got away from everybody and I’m glad that the league addressed it.”

For NBA fans who may have been annoyed by the number of three-pointers teams take, they may not be happy, as there'll likely be more shooting next season. For everyone else, expect even higher-powered offenses next season.