Well, the National Basketball Association (NBA) just released their rule for half-court shots fired at the buzzer. This change has big implications for how player stats will look. This adjustment, finalized at the league’s board of governors meeting on Wednesday, will mean that shots from 50 feet or deeper taken at the end of quarters will no longer affect individual players’ shooting percentages.
Golden State Warrior Stephen Curry has been stealing the headlines with his jaw-dropping half-court connections. Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets is receiving a lot of press for his excellent shooting ability. Last season, Curry sunk four attempts of 50 feet or more at the end of quarters. Jokic actually finished right behind him, making three out of four attempts from that exact range. Unfortunately, these flashy numbers will not go towards their regulated shooting percentages going forward.
The league’s own competition committee has supported this amendment. Their goal, as with all things in the league, is to get their players shooting more deep balls in-game. The NBA’s initial trial of the rule came at July’s Summer League. To put this into perspective, last season players only shot an average of 4% on shots attempted in the last three seconds of each quarter when attempting from 36 or more feet.
Under the previous rule, all shots 50 feet or deeper were excluded from individual stats, but under the new rule, only lonely makes will be removed. This modification even extends to attempts at the end of quarters. This ruling attempts to reduce the impact of low-percentage shots. In practice, though, it’s increasing the accuracy of players’ shot attempts and the efficiency with which they’re scoring.
The league’s intention, it seems, is to encourage a more dynamic, up-tempo, fun-to-watch brand of basketball. This alteration invites participants to display their outside shooting prowess without the trepidation of being punished for gamble shots. Fans should be ready for plenty more attempts as players adjust to this new rule. That enthusiasm is sure to continue as all settle in!
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