I don't think it makes it harder I think it makes it more likely for you to play defense than take the shot, I have heard it said today's players are like robots, they have to be, why take a challenging shot when you can play a lock up safety with such tight pockets, if the pockets were 4 1/4" with a little wider angle opening, then the player has to decide safety or shot and playing safe becomes harder too, IMHO today's game is a defense oriented game instead of an offensive game, an offensive game plays better on TV as well.
