NBA Introduces Change in End-of-Period Heaves Rule

The new rule will come into effect from the beginning of the next season.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) dribbles down the court against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second quarter during game seven of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center.

Image Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

As the NBA gears up for the 2025-26 season, a new change is likely to reshape the end-of-period heaves. According to NBA insider, Shams Charania, the unsuccessful buzzer-beating shots from half court or beyond, will now be counted against the team’s total field-goal percentage, and not the player. The rule will come into effect from the beginning of the 2025-26 season.

“The NBA will implement a new change for the 2025-26 season: unsuccessful end-of-period heaves will now be recorded as a missed field-goal attempt for the team, not the player, sources tell ESPN. Those long heaves will no longer impact an individual player’s percentages, Charania reported.”

So expect even more long-range shots from players this season, which was behind motivation of the change and the league testing it at Summer League in July. The Competition Committee has been in support of the adjustment in recent months too. https://t.co/z9ue0Z219j

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 10, 2025

“So expect even more long-range shots from players this season, which was behind motivation of the change and the league testing it at Summer League in July. The Competition Committee has been in support of the adjustment in recent months too.”

The new rule, which has already been tested in the Summer League in July, will encourage players to take more long-range shots without the fear of affecting their individual stats. It is because over years, players have passed up the chance to throw in clutch since they didn’t want to lower their field goal percentage.

Criteria for New End-of-Period Shots

Here is the criteria defined by the NBA regarding heaves-

Any missed field goal attempt which took place within the final three seconds of the first three quarters of a game will be counted as a team shot attempt.

The missed field goal attempt that was taken beyond the outer edge of the center circle extended, which is approximately 36 feet from the basket.

The play originated in the backcourt.
Requirement for Change

As stated, there have been many players who have avoided taking the 50-footers or deeper shots at the end of the quarters in order to protect their personal shooting percentage. As per SportRadar, players attempted 640 shots in the final three seconds of the first three quarters with a minimum 36-foot distance in the last season. They made 25 shots, for a 3.9% field goal percentage.

Individually, the Denver Nuggets star, Nikola Jokic, is the league’s biggest heaver. He recorded 22 heave attempts last season, setting the NBA record for the most in a season. Out of those, he could only convert two heaves.

Including those heaves, Jokic shot 57.6% from the field and 41.7% from beyond the arc in the season. Had it not been for those heaves, the three-time MVP would have shot 58.4% from the field and 44% from three-point range. Apart from him, Mikal Bridges and Anthony Edwards attempted 12 and 10 heaves, respectively.

Moreover, Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry led the NBA with four made heaves last season. Overall, he has taken 110 heaves throughout his career, as per Basketball Reference. If they were not counted towards his individual stats, his career 3PT% would be up to 42.7% from 42.3%.

While stars such as Jokic and Curry have seldom cared about individual stats, affecting their stat sheets, others have stayed cautious. They simply opt to dribble as the clock runs out or end up holding the ball. With the new change, fans would be able to see more heaves, adding fun and thrill to the games.

Garima Ranawat

Garima is a sports writer with around two years of experience in Indian sports and a newfound interest in the NBA. Inspired by the leadership of cricketing legend MS Dhoni, she wishes to bring in newer perspectives to the NBA fanatics with her writing.