The BKT EuroCup's top off-the-bench scorer in total points, Nadir Hifi of Paris Basketball, is barely 21 years old and boasts incredible shooting percentages.
The stars of Paris and young Nadir Hifi are rising quickly together
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Another round, another stellar performance by a 21-year-old Nadir Hifi, who led Paris Basketball to a thrilling 94-101 overtime win at Joventut Badalona on Tuesday.
Hifi has taken the BKT EuroCup by storm this season, scoring in double figures in every game as Paris has zoomed to a 7-0 record, already two victories ahead of any other team in Group A.
The 1.85-meter guard already had a pair of 20-point performances entering Round 7, but Tuesday night in Badalona proved to be Hifi's best and most consequential performance to date.
He netted 27 points against Joventut, sinking 6 of 12 three-pointers, both highs so far in his rookie EuroCup season. He also made 3 of 5 two-pointers, pulled down 5 rebounds, including 4 on the offensive end, dished 2 assists and picked up 2 steals. All of that in 26 minutes off the bench.
"I was in a good rhythm," he said with a smile after the win.
Hifi was already at 21 points with 4 minutes to go in the third quarter, having shot 5-for-8 from long range until then. He failed to score another basket in regulation, but that did not stop him from shining in overtime, when he posted the first 6 points for his team. His sixth triple fell on the opening possession of overtime, then a couple of minutes later Hifi converted a three-point play that showed his quickness and toughness on the fastbreak.
The theme of the night, however, was his three-point shooting.
"My guys got me open, so I took my shots that like I usually take, and I made them", he explained.
Hifi certainly has not been shy about taking the shots this season. Only two players this season have attempted more three-pointers than Hifi's 47, which comes out to 6.7 three-point attempts per game. More importantly, he has been making them at a 40.4% rate.
Paris has done a good job shooting from long range this season, and arrived into Round 7 as one of the best three-point shooting teams in the competition. But Paris struggled against Joventut, making 11 triples but on 34 attempts (32.4%).
Remove Hifi's long-range efforts, and the rest of the team went 5-of-22 (22.7%) against Joventut. It certainly made Hifi's three-point performance all more important and was the key in another Paris victory.
Hifi is now averaging 17.4 points in under 24 minutes on the floor, ranking sixth in scoring overall and tied for first on points per 40 minutes (29.6). Except Hifi, no other player in the EuroCup's top 35 scorers so far can boast shooting higher than 60% on two-pointers, 40% on three-pointers and 90% on free throws.
That's remarkable for any player, but especially for a young rookie playing his first seven games international competition.