A wide range of offensive specialties

With the games remaining in the 7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season, the playoff field is beginning to crystalize. This year's postseason field is trending towards being one of the more interesting groups in recent history on paper with no team looking comprehensively dominant. Group A leader Prometey Slobozhanske is perhaps the best example of how many different formulas have worked this season. They do not rank in the top seven in offensive or defensive efficiency but have dominated the possession battle and have 11 wins to show for it. Without a clear-cut frontrunner, where teams specialize is as interesting as ever.

The figure below shows that differentiation on the offensive end runs deeper than usual this season. The six teams included represent the top six teams in overall offensive efficiency. Most years, their shot charts would have a lot in common—great finishing, great three-point shooting and some amount of midrange prowess depending on a team's personnel. This year, even among the league's best offenses, what each excels at varies significantly.

Turk Telekom Ankara leads the EuroCup scoring 1.03 points per possession. Their success this season has been rooted in their balance—they shoot an excellent percentage around the rim and from the wings. However, digging even deeper, they rank among the most efficient teams scoring hooks and floaters just a step outside the paint. If they have had a weakness from a spatial perspective, it has been their lackluster results from the corners. Promitheas Patras, in contrast, has shot the lights out from the corners, struggled from the midrange, and made shots at a good, but not great, level from every other key spot on the floor.

The contrast between Gran Canaria and Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana is perhaps the most glaring. Gran Canaria has been this season's more consistent finishing team by a wide margin shooting a sensational 71% as a group around the basket. Olimpija ranks only 15th shooting inside, at 61%. Gran Canaria has shot a stellar 46% on corner threes this season but only 35% from beyond the arc overall. Cedevita has shot 38% overall, but splitting the court down the middle, has shot only 34% from the right side compared to a 41% from the left side. Despite those differences, both teams have averaged a nearly identical 1.00 points per possession this season.

Joventut Badalona has been this season's most discerning team in terms of shot selection. They have shot a league-best effective field goal percentage of 57% from the perimeter in part because they have attempted the fewest jump shots, doing an excellent job picking and choosing their spots.

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse has created the highest volume of quality looks on the perimeter this season. While they may not make catch-and-shoot jumpers at the highest percentage, they attempt more open jumpers than anyone. Their strong results on the wings are less surprising with that in mind.

With only a few games remaining and teams still jockeying for position, it will be more interesting than usual to see who is playing who in the EuroCup Eighthfinals as matchups could have more to do with who manages to advance than ever.