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Denver Nuggets
Sep 10, 2025 2:46 PM EDT
Arguably one of the most exciting plays in basketball is a heave from beyond half court as the shot clock or game clock is set to expire for a quarter.
These attempts rarely go in, but it’s always exhilarating when one does because of the astronomically low probability of making it.
Unfortunately, with the growing trend of analytics and the hyper focus on efficiency in the NBA, the number of these shot attempts has been dwindling for years.
To incentivize end-of-half and end-of-quarter heaves, the league announced a significant rule change that will allow players to take these shots without affecting their field goal percentage.
The rule states that these types of heaves will not count towards a players shot attempts for the game, unless the basket is made.
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The league had apparently been considering this adjustment for a while, so they finally agreed to pass the rule change after a successful implementation during NBA Summer League.
Players typically waited until the playoffs to take the risk on those shots, but there were a couple exceptions to the rule throughout NBA history.
The most recent is Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic, who goes out of his way for these attempts, trying unorthodox methods like slapping the ball on an inbounds pass if he doesn’t have enough time to gather and chuck it.
Now, the already efficient two-time MVP will be able to raise his field goal percentage even more with his misses on those shots not counting.
Historically, the most notable example of a player doing this is Hall of Fame forward Carmelo Anthony. He was renowned for letting them fly without considering his field goal percentage, and he was rewarded by making tons of them.
Now, unless the shots are blocked or there isn’t enough time to get one off, there’s no reason why half court heaves shouldn’t happen multiple times per game.
About the author
Trending News Writer, Athlon Sports
Paul White is an Athlon Sports Trending News Writer, with an expertise in the NFL, NBA and MLB. He covers a variety of areas such as player features, game analysis, connective stories between athletics and personal life and trending news stories.