![]() ![]() Last season Durant shot an absurd 55 percent on midrange jumpers - by far the best in the league for players with over three midrange attempts per game - but he still only took 5.9 per game. Them game is going towards 3s and lays only so why would anyone work on that shot? If it wasn’t forbidden then players would work on it and they would develop that shot.- Kevin Durant October 15, 2019 He got into a lengthy and (mostly) civil debate with Matt Moore of The Action Network just before the 2019-20 season tipped off. ![]() Players like Kevin Durant insist that the midrange shot isn't dead, and that players shouldn't be discouraged from shooting them if they're open, no matter what the analytics say. Not surprisingly, DeRozan, Aldridge and the San Antonio Spurs have been criticized for refusing to evolve to the modern game as their record has slipped in recent seasons. While Jordan and Bryant regularly hoisted more than 10 midrange jumpers per game, last season's leader, DeMar DeRozan, attempted 7.2 per game, while LaMarcus Aldridge leads the field this season at just 6.6 per game. Taking that many jump shots inside the 3-point line would be absolutely unheard of in today's game. "You see that look in face and you hear him tell Horace Grant: 'Don't let them see you, don't let them see you whine, don't let them see that you're in pain.' I mean, playing with Kobe Bryant, those were words." "It was wild, sitting there watching these episodes so far, because I feel like I am watching Kobe Bryant play in the '80s and early '90s with a different team," Kings coach Luke Walton told The Athletic about watching Jordan in "The Last Dance" documentary. During the 2008-09 season, when Bryant and the Lakers won their first post-Shaquille O'Neal title, he averaged 1.021 points per possession on post-ups, landing him in the 89th percentile, according to Synergy Sports Technology. As you can see, in just a couple of seasons, the de-emphasis on midrange shots was already becoming a trend. In 2007-08, when Bryant won his only MVP award, he led the league with 660 midrange jumpers. His volume and efficiency on midrange shots were unparalleled.ĭuring the 2005-06 season, when Bryant averaged 35.4 points per game, he shot 976 midrange jumpers (12.2 per game) - over 200 more than the next highest total from Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki. ![]() Glen Rice led the league at 50.4 percent on 665 attempts - Jordan nearly doubled that with 1,202 attempts. Jordan made 48.9 percent of those, second among all players with at least 500 midrange attempts that season. The next highest was Cavaliers guard Terrell Brandon at 11.7 per game - a monumental discrepancy. During the 1996-97 season (the furthest back NBA.com goes for this type of data), Jordan led the NBA with 14.7 midrange field goal attempts per game. Jordan and Bryant consistently led the league in midrange field goals in the latter stages of their careers. A look at the stats, however, shows that they not only took more midrange shots than today's players - they also took more midrange shots than their peers. The word "midrange" has become blasphemous in most NBA circles these days, with an emphasis on 3-pointers and layups, so it's not surprising that Jordan and Bryant took more midrange shots than today's superstars. This video that made the rounds several years ago illustrates the similarity by seamlessly metamorphosing Jordan into Bryant, and vice versa, as they execute eerily identical moves and mannerisms. What we do know is that Bryant's game, when it comes down to objective nuts and bolts, looked a whole lot like Jordan's. People often compare Kobe's competitiveness, work ethic and "will to win" to Jordan's, but it's hard to speak about that from an outside perspective. When considering on-court play, however, it's hard to argue that anyone has come closer to Jordan than Kobe Bryant. But anyone who's watched the two legends play can immediately see glaring stylistic and physical differences. In terms of stratospheric stardom, stature and greatness, LeBron James is probably the first name that comes to mind. We all agree that there has been - and likely will never be - another Michael Jordan. It's the starting point of a common, heated basketball argument between friends, colleagues or newfound Twitter rivals. "You can't compare anyone to Michael Jordan. ![]()
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