Offensive Question

[thebigabd]

DeMar DeRozan is probably the best example of an NBA player who is exploiting the mid-range game... I've read a few articles on him in particular.

https://www.sportscasting.com/demar-derozan-blowing-away-field-mid-range-scorer/

 

[WichitaSooner]

It's not that the modern D can't defend it, it's that the modern D has to give something up with the way the game is called, so they give up midrange shots. They're inefficient unless you have a player who excels at it. If you have a player that can efficiently score at all 3 levels (3, midrange, paint) you've hit the jackpot. If you don't have that type of player, your offensive scheme should be to get as many clean looks from 3 and in the paint as you can.

Depending on the location in the mid-range, the NCAA average is right around 35%. Utilizing eFG, you'd have to shoot around 24% from the 3 to be more efficient than an average Div 1 mid-range shooter.

Specifically for OU, we we're more efficient from the left elbow and left baseline compared to right elbow and right baseline.

Left Baseline: 17/44 = 44.7%, NCAA Div 1 Average: 34.4%
Left Elbow: 15/34 = 44.1%, NCAA Div 1 Average: 35.1%
Right Elbow: 16/55 = 29.1%, NCAA Div 1 Average: 36.5%
Right Baseline: 16/48 33%, NCAA Div 1 Average: 34.1%

You can view shot charts here and compare teams, pretty cool site: https://cbbanalytics.com/tools/shot-charts

This is a great post and very informative. You are correct, it isn't that teams CAN'T defend it, it's that they choose to focus on other areas, and understandably so. This chart shows that the average FG% on midrange shots is barely higher than the average 3-pt FG%, so it is ridiculous to shoot them regularly unless you have that outlier player who can make a very high percentage of them but can't make a three to save his life.

 

[scrybe]

Harkless alone made more than 10 mid-range jumpers.

As did Goldwire.

 

[skyvue]

If I had a dollar for every game we shot poorly from deep for at least a half, I could get a burger, fries and a beer at my local pub. In virtually every one of those games, a few two-pointers could have been a big help, maybe even made the difference. Instead we just kept launching from deep.

Analytics and stats don't mean squat when the shots aren't falling. The more tools you have at your disposal the better. It's like a baseball player who refuses to hone his bunting skills (as many do, of course). It's just dumb. The more ways you can score the better, especially when one of the other ways ain't working.

 

[stormspencer]

And yet, if you've got a guy who can hit them it opens a glaring hole in any defense. Andrew Fitzgerald used to live at either elbow. Drove Frank Martin nuts. The modern D can't defend it.

Nolan Johnson is a guy that comes to mind as our last great mid-range player at OU.