Who has the best knack for knocking down tough buckets?
10. Chris Bosh | Miami Heat | 1.9 makes/game | 64.7% assisted
Bosh will bring his polished mid-range game to Miami, where he can knock down open 20-footers, take a dribble left or right to realign himself for a better look, and play pick-and-pop with Dwyane Wade for a few years. If this happens, expect Bosh to be free after screening for Wade consistently, where he will get plenty of easy looks and continue to prove that he is an excellent mid-range player, and should only improve on his 43 percent and 1.9 makes per game for years to come with that great southpaw jumper of his.
9. Brandon Roy | Portland Trail Blazers | 2.2 makes/game | 35.4% assisted
You might not know that Brandon Roy takes most of his shots in the mid-range area, where he attempts 5 per game and knocks in just over 2 to shoot at a 43 percent clip. A suave combo guard who can pull up and knock down a jumper from anywhere inside the arc, Roy is a tough cover in this region because he is also so tough to prevent from getting to the basket. It is the ability to keep his defender off balance, the awareness of knowing what a good shot is and the confidence to pull the trigger that makes him one of the game’s best in the mid-range.
8. Steve Nash | Phoenix Suns | 1.8 makes/game | 8.8% assisted
Like Chris Paul, the component that makes Nash so impr
essive in this category is his ability to create his own shot. The two-time MVP creates 92 percent of his 1.8 makes per game in this department while also shooting 46 percent. In the mid-range Nash is great pulling up after the pick-and-roll while also having the ability to hit tough running, off-balance fall-aways from all angles. Nash is one of the best shooters of his generation (and ever) and it shows.
7. Derrick Rose | Chicago Bulls | 3.0 makes/game | 34.0% assisted
It might come as a surprise to find out that Derrick Rose took the third most mid-range jumpers in the League, checking in at 6.9 per game. It also might come as a surprise to find out that he made the third most mid-range shots in the League as well, at a pace of 3 per contest. In just his second season in the NBA, Rose has proven that he will take and knock the mid-range shot at a high rate—now he just needs to pick his spots a little bit wiser to decrease those attempts and increase upon his 44 percent.
6. Chris Paul | New Orleans Hornets | 2.2 makes/game | 8.2% assisted
Everybody knows Chris Paul has an incredible floater and pull up jumper, but did you know he also shot 45 percent from the field while making 2.2 shots per game, which broke his previous career high from this area? Shooting 45 percent from this range, especially while creating nearly all of his attempts for himself, is good enough to place him
5. Kevin Garnett | Boston Celtics | 2.2 makes/game | 92.8% assisted
The astounding part about Kevin Garnett in the mid-range? How about the fact that he makes 2.2 shots in this area per game, shoots 46 percent and is assisted on nearly 93 percent of all these makes, making Garnett the X player on our list off the catch. As Garnett has gotten older, one thing is for sure—he can still hit his bread and butter catch-and-shoot in the mid-range.
4. Carmelo Anthony | Denver Nuggets | 2.9 makes/game | 36.0% assisted
When he catches the ball within 20 feet and turns to face the hoop Melo can be an absolute terror to guard. Sporting excellent jab series’, awareness with the ball, quick moves with the ball and the ability to rise up and shoot over defenders, Melo makes easy money in the mid-range game. He makes the third most shots in the League from this area at 2.9, just .1 behind Derrick Rose and Caron Butler and he makes 40 percent of the 7.1 attempts he takes per game. Melo has a natural feel for the mid-range game that could continue to progress if he figures out shot selection just a little bit more.
3. Caron Butler | Dallas Mavericks | 2.9 makes/game | 60.3% assisted
Known for his versatility and slashing abilities, it might surprise some people to see the Wizards Caron Butler near the top 3 of a mid-range rankings, but that is exactly where he stands on this list. Thanks to his ability to knock down open shots in the flow of the offense from the mid-range, Butler earned himself a top-3 ranking. The small forward knocked in 3 shots from this range per game at a clip of 43 percent while hitting 54 percent of them within the flow of the offense. When a team runs the offense through a player like this, it’s a sign that he has great abilities there.
2. Kobe Bryant | L.A. Lakers | 2.5 makes/game | 38.5% assisted
Simply put, Kobe has the best repertoire of anybody in the mid-range. The shots he makes—pull-ups, fadeaways, pivot spin moves, double clutch leaner’s—are all made with such regularity that as an audience, we just keep watching and expecting another ridiculous “Kobe shot.” So what is the main reason behind Kobe shooting 41 percent and hitting 2.5 midrange shots per game? It all starts with his pristine footwork, which he uses to create favorable position to get a good look at the basket. Kobe catches the ball and surveys the floor better than anybody in the game right now, which helps him to outthink his opponents when he makes his move to the spot that he wants to get to. Once he gets to the spot he wants the defender is helpless and you can throw 2 points on the board.
1. Dirk Nowitzki | Dallas Mavericks | 3.8 makes/game | 77.4% assisted
While he might not have the advanced dribble moves to beat players to the spot like guards do, the tall German relies on his size and smooth shooting stroke which allows him to post up and shoot over opponents with ease. He sports a ridiculous fadeaway that ends up in the bottom of the net before the post player even knows what happened. Dirk is also great in catch and shoot situations at any spot from 16-23 feet, where he makes 46 percent on 3.8/8 attempts per game, better than anybody in the game today. Along the same lines, 77 percent of the shots Nowitzki makes are off the pass, a clear design of the offense running through him in his most comfortable spots.
Read the SLAMonline Discussion Rules before posting.