The NBA changed its rules in a fun way this season.
They instituted what’s called the “heave rule.”
And it’s awesome.
What is the NBA’s heave rule?
The NBA’s heave rule allows end-of-quarter shots from deep without hurting players’ field goal percentages.
Players would opt not to shoot shots at the buzzer of early quarters from beyond half court because they had such a low chance of going in. A miss would ruin shooting percentage, which matters in eventual contract negotiations and in award voting.
Now, that isn’t a factor.
Here’s how the NBA announced the rule:
“For stat-keeping purposes, the NBA will tell teams that any shot taken within the final three seconds of the first three quarters and is launched from at least 36 feet away on any play that starts in the backcourt will count as a team shot attempt — but not an individual one.”
And here’s some more data from the NBA:
“According to SportRadar, players last season made about 4% of shots taken in the final three seconds of the first three quarters of a game with the 36-foot minimum distance. Based on its tracking data, Golden State’s Stephen Curry made four shots under those criteria last season and Denver’s Nikola Jokic made three.”
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Why the NBA’s heave rule is a good thing
The heave rule is a good thing because once in a while, it leads to shots like this.
This is Orlando’s Anthony Black at the end of the third quarter on Monday, Oct. 27:
ANTHONY BLACK from 3/4 COURT 🎯 pic.twitter.com/PfOVyYVEWs
— NBA (@NBA) October 28, 2025
Yes please, bring on some more of that.
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