Creating space in the EuroCup is as important as ever and having reliable catch-and-shoot marksmen can make a big difference for winning teams.
Stats review: A look at this season's best floor spacers
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4 Lesezeit
Dolomiti Energia Trento scored the biggest win in Round 12 of the BKT EuroCup when it handed Dreamland Gran Canaria its second consecutive loss after the defending champs opened the season 10-0. Shooting 12-for-28 from beyond the arc, Trento put together its best shooting effort of the season thanks in large part to the 7 contested catch-and-shoot three-point attempts it converted.
As Trento found the bottom of the net even when Gran Canaria was getting the job done defensively, its spacing was as impactful as it had been all year. At the EuroCup level, it is easy to take the way teams maintain, create, and capitalize on their spacing for granted—every team does it so well on nearly every possession that it is usually only obvious when a team is not spreading the court effectively.
With offenses often placing four and sometimes five players along the three-point line, having multiple shooters who are a threat to make shots off the ball spreads out defenses. Some players take that even a step further with their ability to make catch-and-shoot three-point attempts over effective closeouts, adding a different dimension to their teams' offense and redefining the value of their spacing.
The best of the best in catch-and-shoot situations
Several of the players in the group above serve as prime examples of shooters who amplify their teams' spacing beyond just potential shots and open looks. The table lists the top players in catch-and-shoot three-point percentage this season with their total number of makes listed for reference and the percentage of their total attempts that were contested by a defender listed to illustrate how often they shoot right over the top of closeouts.
Oleksandr Lypovyy of Prometey Slobozhanske and Braian Angola of Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv have both been exceptionally reliable with their feet set and Nadir Hifi of Paris Basketball has been a revelation as he’s emerged as one of the more versatile young jump shooters across Europe, but Andrej Grazulis of Dolomiti Energia Trento and Hapoel's Xavier Munford have been just as effective while frequently rising up over defenders.
![image]()
Oleksandr Lypovyy![image]()
Braian Angola![image]()
Andrejs Grazulis![image]()
Nadir Hifi![image]()
Xavier Munford![image]()
Jeremy Morgan![image]()
Okben Ulubay![image]()
Gediminas Orelik
How different shooting styles help
In Grazulis’s case, that’s perhaps not entirely surprising. His combination of size and his unconventional release from behind his head gives him a large margin for error to shoot over defenders few players can match. Like Lypovvy, he’s made massive strides with his accuracy from beyond the arc a decade into his pro career and he showed the value of his ability to make contested shots on all three of his attempts in a super-efficient performance against Gran Canaria.
Gediminas Orelik of 7bet Lietkabelis Panevezys may not cock the ball back quite like Grazulis, but he gives teams headaches with his size and shooting prowess all the same. He ranks among the most prolific set shooters across professional basketball this season and has made more contested spot-up threes than four teams to this point. Unlike Orelik and Grazulis, Hapoel's Munford is not particularly tall, but often still manages to get his shot off under duress thanks to the elevation he combines with a quick release.
Quality floor spacers are at a premium in the EuroCup this season as seven teams are making over 40% of their catch-and-shoot three-point attempts. That’s up from only three last season as the consistency with which those shots have fallen is responsible for this season’s league-wide jump in offensive efficiency. While capable shooters keep defenses honest and consistent shooters play a key role in their team’s offensive efficiency, players who take and make contested shots at volume have begun to shift the math and redefine what spacing means in the EuroCup.