The league is testing a new rule to protect a player's FG% from last second heaves

[Baller234]

https://x.com/NBAPR/status/1941527864802709604

As tested during the 2024–25 NBA G League season and in effect for all 2025 NBA summer leagues, an unsuccessful end-of-period 'heave' will be recorded as a team—not individual—missed field goal attempt when all of the following criteria are met:

🏀 The missed field goal attempt took place within the final three seconds of the first three periods of a game.

🏀 The missed field goal attempt was shot from beyond the outer edge of the center circle extended (approximately 36 feet from the basket), as shown below.

🏀 The play originated in the backcourt.

[Phoenix]

If they want to tinker with this, I'd rather they just make any shot from beyond half-court count as 4 but otherwise leave it as is, instead of rules intended to protect player efficiencies that past players could never benefit from( which makes it even harder to compare because todays players already have the benefit of advanced metrics to tailor their style of play).

[Baller234]

If they want to tinker with this, I'd rather they just make any shot from beyond half-court count as 4 but otherwise leave it as is, instead of rules intended to protect player efficiencies that past players could never benefit from( which makes it even harder to compare because todays players already have the benefit of advanced metrics to tailor their style of play).

The fact that players are more concerned with their stats and efficiency than playing to win is already a sign that maybe we shouldn't be comparing them to past players.

[Akeem34TheDream]

Disgusting. Embarrassing. Wow.

[Real Men Wear Green]

It's not a major issue but the guys doing the last second heaves want this (Payton Pritchard has spoken up for it) and it's not just about vanity. The ding these shots put on their shooting stats does a small amount of damage to their negotiating position with teams in free agency. I don't want the rule change myself but players wanting this is understandable.

[Phoenix]

The fact that players are more concerned with their stats and efficiency than playing to win is already a sign that maybe we shouldn't be comparing them to past players.

I agree but is this something the players themselves are pushing, or the league?

[Phoenix]

It's not a major issue but the guys doing the last second heaves want this (Payton Pritchard has spoken up for it) and it's not just about vanity. The ding these shots put on their shooting stats does a small amount of damage to their negotiating position with teams in free agency. I don't want the rule change myself but players wanting this is understandable.

This seems like something the union should be able to successfully contest isn't a reasonable negotiating tool for owners to use against players, not that I claim to understand the nuances of contract negotiations.

[Baller234]

I agree but is this something the players themselves are pushing, or the league?

I'm guessing it's a combination of both.

I am of two minds. On one hand it provides a solution to a problem, but it's really only a band-aid and doesn't attack the problem at the root cause.

This is why I always laugh at the stat and efficiency dorks. Look at where the obsession with numbers has taken us. You have players outright refusing to shoot the ball because it might drop their fg% from 51% to 47%.

[Real Men Wear Green]

This seems like something the union should be able to successfully contest isn't a reasonable negotiating tool for owners to use against players, not that I claim to understand the nuances of contract negotiations.

I'm not sure the NBPA drove this rule change but this kind of rule change would be the only kind of thing they could do about that. They're not going to be able to keep GMs from considering a player's shooting statistics when they come up with a contract offer. I don't think it will make much of a difference but there are a few guys that take a lot of heaves for whom it matters.

[L.Kizzle]

So, what happens if the shot goes in?
If that's the only shot taken, and it goes in am I 100% from the field or still 0/0 and it counts as 3 for the team?

Make it make sense.

[tpols]

Haha thats too funny.

There are already a lot of guys who are self conscious about their stats and tuck it anyway at the end, shoot it half second after the buzzer like it was an accident. Won't change much.

[tpols]

So, what happens if the shot goes in?
If that's the only shot taken, and it goes in am I 100% from the field or still 0/0 and it counts as 3 for the team?

Make it make sense.

No then it will count for the player.

What they're trying to do is curb the trend of dudes purposely ducking the heave by making it truly "free".

[Phoenix]

So, what happens if the shot goes in?
If that's the only shot taken, and it goes in am I 100% from the field or still 0/0 and it counts as 3 for the team?

Make it make sense.

Exactly. So if the player takes the shot and misses it, it goes to the team. But, if it goes in...........the player gets rewarded for the successful shot, or should that also be rewarded as a 'team' field goal attempt?

Make it make sense indeed.

[ArbitraryWater]

I have no problem with it tbh, Ive seen way too many players shy away from taking a shot at the end of the quarter. It seems a sensible rule tbh even if a little coddled

[game3524]

Nerds have absolutely ruined basketball.