Teammate Grade Feedback That Should Be Eradicated

There are a few teammate grade penalties that straight up do not make sense and probably should not exist in their current form.

Getting “dunked on.” I honestly do not understand why I am getting penalized as a teammate for what is essentially a good shot contest. Am I being discouraged from trying to block dunks? If it was just fan loss, I would not care. But being labeled a bad teammate for this is ridiculous. Especially when you can jump from behind the dunker, do everything right, and still get credited as being dunked on.

“Defensive breakdown.” This one often feels like it exists purely because the judgment system is broken. You can be in the right spot, rotate correctly, or react on time, and still get hit with a defensive breakdown for reasons that are not clear.

“Lose ball.” Hot take, but a lot of the time this is not even in your control. If you catch the ball and immediately get it swatted out of your hands, that is a lose ball. If someone with their back to you gets a bump steal, that is a lose ball. Meanwhile, the game is way more lenient with certain turnovers. You can dive for a loose ball, slide out of bounds, and not take the same hit to your grade.

At the end of the day, teammate grade is supposed to reward good decision making and solid team play. When penalties like these feel random or disconnected from what actually happened on the court, they stop being useful feedback. Instead of encouraging smarter defense or better ball security, they push players to play safe, avoid contests, and hesitate in moments where effort should matter. If the goal is to reflect real basketball, these judgments need a serious rethink.