When it comes to making shots from the furthest distances on the court, these players have stood out most this season.
Stats review: From way downtown
Stats
4 Mins read
The most prolific mid-range scorers in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague took center stage last week. This one, the players at the opposite end of the spectrum get their due.
Just over 47% of all shots attempted this season have been perimeter jump shots and 86% of those have been three-pointers. The vast majority of three-point attempts come within one step of the 6.75-meter three-point arc or from the slightly shorter corners where there's little room to operate.
Some players take things a literal step further by shooting from well beyond the three-point line above the break. Whether it's by design, by virtue of their shooting skill, or out of desperation, some players will rise up from a full meter beyond the three-point line on a regular basis. For example, Partizan guard Aleksa Avramovic ranks among the EuroLeague leaders with his average three-point attempt coming close to 8 meters from the hoop.
The table above puts a different spin on that concept, focusing on each player's average distance on makes and not just attempts. The resulting list of leaders provides some insight into which players are stretching the floor the most this season with their shooting range.
Perhaps the first thing that stands out about this list is the wide range of styles of play included. Mike James of AS Monaco was the most obvious candidate to land on this list and it comes as a surprise to no one that he leads the EuroLeague in pull-up three pointers made this season. He's joined in the top eight by this season's most prolific mid-range scorer, Kevin Punter of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrader, and a player who does a lot of his deepest shooting off the catch in Tamir Blatt of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv. These shooters fill a spectrum of roles for their respective teams.
Blatt's placement here is made especially interesting by the fact that it is the byproduct of his affinity for one particular region of the floor. Whether he's catching on the move or dribbling with either hand, he has seemingly unlimited confidence from the left wing. One thing that is common among each of these shooters is how little they hesitate when they feel open – a result of their comfort level and confidence is a general disregard for where they are on the floor other than that they feel "in range".
It is also striking how many of them are shooting a strong percentage from beyond the arc. While their skill and accuracy are part of the reason that they get to take long shots to begin with, the impact distance has on the percentages of some of the league's most aggressive shooters is – in many cases – quite limited.
That principle stands up to the contrast in mechanics across this group, too. There are players like, Blatt and Yago Dos Santos of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, who generate the force to shoot from deep vantage points with a quick bend of their knees; James, who elevates as much on his jumper as perhaps any player in the world; Paris Lee of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, who will lean quite a bit on some attempts as he hoists some of the deepest makes on this list; and Dzanan Musa of Real Madrid, who will jump higher on some attempts than others, depending on the proximity of defenders, but remains reliable from beyond the arc anyway.
The contrast in styles between these shooters is intriguing as each finds a way to fit the long ball into a fiercely results-driven EuroLeague landscape.