The NBA will implement a rule change in the upcoming season to record missed end-of-period heaves as team field goal attempts rather than individual player attempts. Because the reclassification means players’ shooting percentages will not be negatively impacted, the league could see an uptick in last-second shots from half court and beyond. While the change brings an excitement factor, it is not universally popular. For one, NBA champion and 17-year veteran Richard Jefferson denounced the rule change as “cowardly.”
Successful heaves will count positively toward players’ percentages while missed shots will count against the team. That key discrepancy did not sit well with Jefferson.
“This is cowardly!” Jefferson said on social media. “We don’t want it to count towards your %…… UNLESS YOU MAKE IT. You want the positive without the potential for negative. PROFESSIONAL SPORTS 2025”
The NBA tested the rule change during Summer League games this year in Las Vegas, Utah and California.
NBA to count missed end-of-quarter heaves as team field goals to encourage buzzer-beating attempts, per report
Zachary Pereles
Some players have contract incentives that reward them for shooting percentages, which disincentivizes them from attempting low-quality shots at the buzzer. Reducing the impact of a failed attempt could lead to more last-second heaves and thus an uptick in made shots, creating more highlight plays.
The definition of a “heave” is key in the rulebook. The NBA outlines three specifications for those shots that fall under the new rule. Any field goal attempt in the final three seconds of the first three quarters qualifies, so long as it was shot from beyond the outer edge of the center circle extended. The play must have also originated in the backcourt.
Last season saw 640 qualifying shots, and players converted a mere 25 of them for a 3.9% success rate. Because of the low-percentage nature of those heaves, many players wait until after the buzzer sounds to fire off a shot, thus nullifying their attempt. Nikola Jokić attempted the most qualifying shots with 25, and Mikal Bridges was second with 13. Stephen Curry made the most with four while Jokić nailed three.