When it comes to making sure the ball goes in the basket with high percentages, the best finishers at the rim are invaluable.
Stats review: Meet the best finishers
Stats
4 Mins read
Martinique-born center Mathias Lessort of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens earned Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Round 21 MVP honors after scoring a career-best 23 points in his team's 88-63 home victory over AS Monaco. There's no shortage of physical players in the EuroLeague, but perhaps none of them have flexed their muscles around the rim quite as effectively as Lessort this season.
As the table above suggests, no player in the EuroLeague has scored more points finishing around the rim – with dunks, layups, tip-ins, and and-one free throws – than the 28-yeard old French big man. At this point in the season, the margin is not particularly close, either, as his combination of strength, explosiveness and body control have made him a force inside.
Ranking second among all players in total dunks and and-ones – and among the top 10 in field goal percentage – Lessort has checked every box on the interior this season. His energy level without the ball, activity level on the glass, ability to catch lobs, and comfort level playing through contact have all factored into his success. While this is far from his first season of finishing consistently at the rim, he's taken his volume to a new level in his fifth EuroLeague campaign.
The other best finishers
The same can be said for Tornike Shengelia in his 11th season. Even if he is not playing above the rim frequently at this stage of his career, his rejuvenated performance on the interior is a big reason Virtus Segafredo Bologna has already matched its win total from last season.
Chima Moneke and Johnathan Motley sit within a few points of one another on this list but could not have taken much more different routes to get there. Moneke leads the EuroLeague in transition scoring as has generated quite a few opportunities using the threat of his improved jump shot to set up drives to the rim while Motley has been most effective as a target for passes rolling to the rim or finishing put backs scoring only a handful of points in the open floor all season.
Real Madrid big men Walter Tavares and Vincent Poirier operate on the extremes of that spectrum. Madrid leads the EuroLeague in points scored on rolls and dunks by a wide margin as the size of their centers is a major factor around the rim. Lobs passes a big part of that offense.
Johannes Thiemann and Tyrique Jones warrant mention for their inside productivity this season. Among the players not listed here, Georgios Papagiannis has the highest dunk rates of player and Moustapha Fall has led all players with significant attempts by shooting 82% on finishing opportunities. Stefan Jovic has the highest field goal percentage among guards while Darius Thompson ranks first in points scored, missing the overall leaderboard by just a couple of layups.
Regardless of position, there's great value in players who can finish consistently inside. Players who create opportunities for themselves inside – whether it is with their energy, physical tools, or skill – can really move the needle, as well. For the group above, the impact on their team's respective offenses is hard to miss.