How a New NBA Regulation Will Advantage a Star Player from the New York Knicks
The New “Heave Rule”: How a Recent NBA Change Benefits New York Knicks Star Mikal Bridges
Basketball fans, brace yourselves for more jaw-dropping buzzer-beaters and less stat-padding anxiety. The NBA is throwing a curveball for the upcoming 2025-26 season: desperate, long-range shots at the end of periods—often called “heaves”—will no longer count against a player’s shooting percentage. This tweak to the rulebook doesn’t just change the numbers game, it’s already creating buzz in the Big Apple, especially for Mikal Bridges, the dynamic talent on the New York Knicks roster.
A Rule Made for Risk-Takers
Forget about penalizing those wild end-of-quarter attempts from half-court or beyond. As ESPN’s Shams Charania revealed, when players flings up prayers from at least 36 feet away, those shots will now be counted as a team attempt—not a hit to an individual’s shot percentage. The NBA tested this change at Summer League games in July, and the feedback from the Competition Committee was overwhelmingly supportive.
Why did the NBA make this move? Expert analyst Charania explains, “Expect even more long-range shots from players this season, which was behind the motivation of the change and the league testing it at Summer League in July.” The hope is to see players let loose, free from fear of sabotaging their stats. Another observer, Tim Reynolds from the Associated Press, points out, “Many players have avoided taking the miracle 50-footer or deeper shot at the end of quarters to protect their personal shooting percentages. The ‘heave rule,’ the league hopes, will fix that.”
By the Numbers: Bridges and the Heave Shot
Let’s get specific: Mikal Bridges is one of the NBA’s most frequent “heavers.” According to stat-tracking account @AutomaticNBA, Bridges attempted 14 heaves last season—ranking him second in the league, just behind Atlanta’s Trae Young and only trailing Nikola Jokic of Denver, who put up 26 such attempts. Of those, just four percent went in league-wide. For Bridges, he connected on one buzzer-beating toss, a memorable shot that closed out a first-quarter win over Portland at Madison Square Garden.
But here’s where it gets interesting: if this new rule had been in place last year, Bridges’ three-point shooting percentage would have jumped a full point, hitting 36.4% during his first season in New York. That increase isn’t just cosmetic—it places him in elite company. Bridges would have been one of only three NBA players (with at least eight attempts) whose percentage would move up a whole point, alongside the likes of Jokic and Naji Marshall of Dallas.
Perspectives from Around the League
The move is getting wide praise for promoting exciting play and lifting the burden off sharpshooters’ shoulders. NBA insiders say that fans should expect to see even more end-of-quarter fireworks. Coaches also appear to favor the change, allowing their stars to take chances and chase buzzer-beaters without hurting their efficiency stats.
Some, however, argue there’s potential for stat manipulation, or that the stat sheets could lose a little bit of nuance—after all, a wild fling is still technically a shot. But for most observers, the positives outweigh the negatives. Promoting daring plays and reducing players’ hesitation at the end of periods should only drive the game’s entertainment value and strategic complexity higher.
Looking Ahead: Bigger Impacts for Bridges and the Knicks
The NBA’s new “heave rule” is more than just a stat update—it’s opening up new possibilities for guards and wings like Mikal Bridges to shine. It’s also a sign that the league is listening to both its athletes and fans, aiming to strike a balance between excitement and accuracy in the numbers that define careers.
For those following the league closely, it will be fascinating to see if Bridges and other high-volume shooters start pulling up from even further out. And with the excitement brewing for the upcoming season, Knicks fans can look forward to even more highlight-reel moments—without the stat-sheet baggage.
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Source: www.si.com