Did Celtics Guard Inspire NBA’s ‘Heave Rule’ Update?

The NBA is giving players a reason to take buzzer-beaters again — at least in Summer League.

The league is using Summer League play to test a shot rule that encourages players to actually launch buzzer-beaters instead of ducking them. Any end-of-quarter “heave” — defined as a shot taken in the final three seconds of the first three quarters, from 36 feet or beyond, with the possession starting in the backcourt — will now count against a team’s field goal percentage, not the player’s.

The goal is simple: bring back one of basketball’s most electric moments by taking the stat-sheet penalty out of the equation.

For years, NBA players have deliberately avoided long-range heaves at the end of quarters, choosing to protect their individual field goal numbers instead of throwing up desperation shots.

The practice has turned what should be thrilling moments into frustrating non-plays.

That was never the case for Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard, who drilled back-to-back bombs in the 2024 NBA Finals — including a Game 5 buzzer-beater that lit up TD Garden and will live in highlight reels for years to come.

As Sam LaFrance of Hardwood Houdini put it, “Pritchard has never backed down from a chance to put up points, even if that chance comes from beyond halfcourt.’”

Pritchard’s boldness is the exception, not the rule. Many players still hesitate to let it fly in garbage-time seconds, and the NBA’s stat-focused culture is largely to blame.

This rule tweak, which was first tested in the G League in 2024-25, aims to change that.

The league has yet to apply the rule to games at the NBA level, but its inclusion in Summer League signals growing momentum.

And if it works, we might see more buzzer-beaters and fewer shoulder shrugs before the horn.