NBA to implement major new rule that could affect three-time MVP more than any other player
Nikola Jokic does not care about statistics.
That is best demonstrated by the fact that, without fail, the Serbian takes full-court heaves at the end of quarters whenever given the opportunity.
However, these speculative shot attempts, often from well beyond half-court, are hurting players' shooting percentages, a metric used by many to determine the quality of a player by looking at their efficiency.
That's putting many stars off from taking these exciting yet low-percentage shots -- as missing them (which is highly likely given they are so far out) is negatively impacting their shooting averages.
But with Jokic focused on winning, a high shooting percentage is not exactly his priority.
Nevertheless, the NBA is taking action to ensure that these full-court heaves do not impact the shooting percentages of its players.
READ MORE NBA
ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Wednesday that these long heaves will now be recorded as a missed field-goal attempt for a team and not the player.
"The NBA will implement a new change for the 2025-26 season: unsuccessful end-of-period heaves will now be recorded as a missed field-goal attempt for the team, not the player," Charania wrote on X.
"Those long heaves will no longer impact an individual player's percentages."
The biggest winner of the rule change is three-time MVP winner Jokic, who took a league-high 22 end-of-period heaves last season.
Most read in Basketball
His 22 heave attempts last season were also an NBA record for the most in a single campaign.
The 2023 NBA champion, who cried when his horse won a race but not when his team won a chip, was even able to knock down two of them.
Many players chose not to shoot heaves knowing the impact it would have on their shooting percentages.
In fact, only two other players attempted ten or more heaves last season.
Those other players are Mikal Bridges with 12 and Anthony Edwards with ten.
Nevertheless, Jokic still shot a healthy 57.6 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from the three-point range.
Had it not been for those long heave shots, Jokic would have a 58.4 percent from the field and a 44 percent from beyond the arc.
And with the rule change, he'll likely reach these heights next year.
Jokic's FIBA EuroBasket campaign
This rule change will be the last thing on Jokic's mind after Serbia's shock defeat to Finland in the FIBA EuroBasket last week.
It keeps Serbia, who won Olympic Bronze at the Paris Games in 2024 after heartbreak to Team USA in the semifinal, still searching for its first EuroBasket since 2001.
Serbia were beaten 92-86 by Finland in the round of 16, despite Jokic putting up a game-high 33 points along with eight boards, three assists, three steals and one block.
Read More on talkSPORT
This is the second straight EuroBasket, which is held every four years, where Serbia have fallen at the round of 16 stage.
Stay up to date with the latest from the NFL across all platforms - follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for all the offseason news, interviews and more.