The NBA is a constantly-evolving league when compared to others. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has bigger issues to deal with right now than tweaking his league's rules. However, there is a new change, even if NBA Insider Zach Lowe dislikes it. Half-court heaves no longer count against an individual player's stats. That is good news for Nikola Jokic, Stephen Curry, and others.
While shooters like Jokic, Curry, and others don't care much about the change, there are some players who benefit. For NBA players that have incentives in their contracts tied to shooting percentage, taking half-court shots is a death sentence. Because of that, players try to bumble the ball and not get the shot off in time in order to save their numbers. The new rule eliminates that.
The change is something that frees up players all around the league. However, Lowe is not a fan of the change. Players that care too much about the stats no longer have to worry about it, much to his chagrin. He spoke about it on The Zach Lowe Show, bemoaning the league for letting players get off without penalty.
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“Heaves at the end of quarters are going to count as team field goal attempts instead individual field goal attempts. I hate it, I hate it, we’re letting these chicken s—t players who won’t shoot heaves because they’re afraid of a .001 reduction in their field goal percentage get off scott free. Oh now, they're going to be able to shoot heaves. I liked exposing those players and I liked lionizing the Steph Curry’s, the Nikola Jokic’s, JR Smith back in the day, Payton Pritchard,” Lowe said. “The guys who are like, ‘No way, I want to win the game and if there is a two percent chance this crazy shot is going to go in, or I’ll get fouled or something I’m taking it.'”
Lowe might not be happy about the change, but Silver gave it a thumbs-up. If nothing else, it brings an exciting wrinkle to future NBA games.