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Meet the EuroCup's top finishers

Meet the EuroCup's top finishers

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3 Mins read

Much is made of three-point shooting in basketball these days – and rightfully so. It's difficult to understate the influence spacing and jump-shooting has had on the global game over the last decade. Nonetheless, interior scoring remains an important aspect of winning basketball.

Around 39% of all shots in the 7DAYS EuroCup this season have been attempted from the basket area. Those shots have been converted an impressive 64% of the time. While not all attempts are created equal, with a layup in transition being far easier to make than a contested scoop in traffic, the players below have made the most of their opportunities this season.

A total of 63 players have attempted 36 or more shots inside so far this season. Derek Willis of Umana Reyer Venice has been the most consistent finisher in that group. Having earned a reputation as a jump shooter early in his career, Willis's ability to time his cuts and finish alley-oops has made him one of the most complete off-the-ball weapons the EuroCup has to offer. He has made a sensational 1.30 points per possession overall this year as a result.

Gyorgy Goloman of 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys and Aleksander Balcerowski of Gan Canaria both stand over 2.10 meters, present big targets around the rim for teammates, and have been brutally effective in close this year. While both do much of their scoring off cuts, rolls, and put-backs, Goloman has also grown into a capable shooter over the last several years and will take what opposing defenses give him, often driving to the rim after he slides out to the three-point line.

Young French frontcourt players Jalen Hoard of Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv and Ismael Kamagate of Paris Basket have both been effective in close this season, with Kamagate leading the EuroCup in dunks and Hoard leading all players in overall scoring efficiency at 1.43 points per possession.

U-BT Cluj-Napoca has three of the next five players in this ranking. While the Romanian club has had some ups and downs on the perimeter, they lead the EuroCup shooting a tremendous 72% around the rim as a team. Karel Guzman, Andrija Stipanovic, and Emanuel Cate have all been very opportunistic in close, while Stipanovic currently leads all players in points scored inside as well. He is one of nine players who have scored more than 100 points around the rim through Round 12.

Sam Dekker of the London Lions, Zach Auguste of Frutti Extra Bursaspor, and Tyrique Jones of Turk Telekom Ankara just missed the cut for the list above despite being the only other three players who have scored over 110 points in close. There's no shortage of quality finishers in the EuroCup this season and the efficiency of some of the league's highest volume shooters reflects how much of an impact those players can make on the scoreboard for their respective teams.