Stats review: Real rises soaring at the paint

Real Madrid made a statement in its Round 7 win - a rematch of the 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game - mostly with its play around the rim. Although Los Blancos allowed 43 points in close, they scored 58 - one of the highest totals in a game so far this season.

Owning the paint

Though Real may not be off to the fastest start, sitting at 4-3 with some kinks to work out, its ability to dominate the paint has been the one thing that the team has been able to hang its hat on in the early going.

The chart above lists this season’s top teams in point-differential around the rim—the number of points a team has scored on the interior attempts less the number it has allowed on the defensive end. Through the early part of the season, Real has been this season’s most imposing team by a fairly comfortable margin with Olympiacos Pireaus falling in the middle of the significant gap between last year’s runner-up and the rest of the field.

What stands out about Real's performance to this point has been its combination of aggressiveness and efficiency in attacking the rim in the half-court and the 6.5 points per game jump from last season. While it leads the league in attempts around the rim by a slim margin, Real is shooting an impressive 65% in close that places it among the top five overall alongside teams that have been much more discerning at picking and choosing their spots.

Ranking around the middle of the pack in transition scoring and overall dunks, Real has leaned on its ball movement and the driving ability of its perimeter players to put steady pressure on the rim. It's done a far better job creating shots inside with Walter Tavares and Vincent Poirier being the beneficiaries of many more dump passes than last year, while the versatile trio of Dzanan Musa, Gabriel Deck, and Guerschon Yabusele have all scored at impressive rates as well by using their mismatch potential, energy level, and strength with the ball to make a positive impact on Real's bottom line.

Tavares is an obvious difference maker protecting the rim on the other end, but unlike last season, Real will face stiff competition from multiple contenders to carry the mantle of the EuroLeague's top interior defense. While the average team is allowing 61% shooting and 32.9 points per game inside, Real has allowed just 57% shooting and 29 per game. Still, there are three teams allowing fewer points per game and ALBA Berlin - which has allowed a league-best 52% shooting inside so far - is just a fraction of a point away from becoming the fourth.

While Real built last season’s Final Four run on its play on the interior, it has been dramatically more productive inside on the offensive end this year while sacrificing little on the defensive end. It will be interesting to see if the pace it has set winds up being the foundation for a rise up the standings.

As was the case for stretches last year, Real is a matchup nightmare when it is making perimeter shots and that may be even more true now than it was then.

Looking ahead to Round 8

Real will face an interesting challenge this week as it tests its ability to impose its will inside against ALBA’s top-ranked interior field goal percentage defense. Both teams rank in the top three in shots blocked per game, but ALBA’s hustle in getting back in transition has bolstered its overall defensive numbers around the rim; ALBA is the only team in the EuroLeague that has held opponents to under 50% shooting in the open floor this season.