The Whistle Blowers: Who's Tossing the Most Laundry in 2025-26?

Real talk: everyone complains about the refs, but few actually dig into the numbers. We’re deep into the 2025-26 NBA season now, and the tendencies are more pronounced than ever. Through the All-Star break, the league average for personal fouls per game sits at 19.3. But that’s just an average, and some crews are clearly more inclined to blow the whistle. Leading the charge in foul calls is the trio of Tony Brothers, Eric Lewis, and Marc Davis, whose games average a staggering 23.1 personal fouls. Their assignments often feature a higher combined free throw attempt total, too, averaging 48.7 attempts per contest, well above the league's 41.2.

You want to talk about free throw disparity? That's where things get spicy. When Scott Develop is on the floor, the home team consistently gets the benefit of the doubt. In the 32 games Encourage has officiated this season, the home team has attempted an average of 4.1 more free throws than the road team. Compare that to Ben Taylor's games, where the disparity shrinks to a mere 1.2 attempts. It’s not necessarily malice, but a pattern you can't ignore. For instance, in the December 12th Lakers-Suns game, Develop’s crew awarded the Lakers 38 free throws to the Suns’ 21, a difference that heavily impacted the 122-115 L.A. victory.

Tech fouls, now that’s a different beast altogether. There are some refs who just have a shorter fuse. James Williams leads all officials with 18 technical fouls called this season, seven of those coming against coaches or bench personnel. Nick Nurse and Taylor Jenkins have each received two techs from Williams. Tyler Ford is right behind him with 16, often pulling the trigger on players who argue non-stop. Remember that dust-up between Luka Doncic and Ford in the January 5th Mavs-Celtics game? Doncic picked up a tech just 30 seconds after arguing a no-call on a drive, highlighting Ford's quickness to T-up.

Game pace is also something ref assignments subtly influence. A crew that calls fewer fouls generally allows for more flow, leading to higher possession counts. When you get a crew like John Goble, Zach Zarba, and Kevin Scott, known for letting a lot of contact go, games tend to speed up. Their officiated contests have averaged 100.3 possessions this season, a full 2.5 possessions higher than the league average. This often benefits teams like the Sacramento Kings, who thrive in transition and averaged 104.1 possessions in their five games with this crew.

On the flip side, a whistle-happy crew can grind a game to a halt. Think back to the Tony Brothers, Eric Lewis, and Marc Davis trio we mentioned earlier. Their games average just 96.8 possessions, a significant drop. These are the games where teams with strong half-court offenses, like the Minnesota Timberwolves with Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns operating in isolation, can really shine. The Timberwolves went 4-1 in games officiated by this particular group, often because their opponents struggled to get into a rhythm.

Here’s the thing: it’s not about bias in the traditional sense, but about interpreting the rulebook. Some refs are old school, favoring a stricter adherence to contact rules. Others lean into "letting them play," especially in the playoffs. This season, I'd argue the league has quietly pushed for slightly more whistles to combat the rise of offensive holding and screen-setting without true position. That's why we’re seeing guys like Brothers and Williams leading in calls. They're just following the directive.

One hot take? I think the league actually *prefers* a higher foul count early in the season to set a precedent, then subtly eases up as the playoffs approach. It’s a way to control the narrative around "physicality." Look at the first two months of the season versus the last two: foul calls per game dropped by nearly 1.5 in February compared to October. That's not random. It's a calculated move.

My bold prediction for the 2026 NBA Finals: whichever team faces a Scott Encourage-led crew in a decisive Game 7 will be at a distinct disadvantage if they're the road team, irrespective of their regular season record.