The art of the mid-range is slowly becoming a lost art, as Stephen Curry has led a revolution making players and teams focus on three-point shooting. But credit goes to DeMar DeRozan, who has continued to keep the torch burning.
While DeRozan is arguably the king of the mid-range game right now, he is not quite the most efficient. Last night at United Center, he scorched the Los Angeles Lakers from just above the free-throw line, with his performance inspiring praise from Carmelo Anthony, one of the league’s best scorers and who also makes the list.
According to Forbes Sports’ NBA columnist Shane Young, 28 players have attempted 80+ mid-range jumpers this season, and Philadelphia 76ers Seth Curry has been the most efficient.
So far this season, 28 players have attempted at least 80 mid-range jumpers.
Here they are, sorted by best efficiency: pic.twitter.com/48j1LREzKe
— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) December 20, 2021
Seth is shooting 60.8% from 102 mid-range attempts. While his mid-range game is commendable, he is averaging below 40% from beyond the arc for the first time in his career.
Brooklyn Nets LaMarcus Aldridge and Kevin Durant are next on the list with 57.6% and 55.3% respectively.
The surprising thing on the list is DeRozan’s position. The Chicago Bulls star currently ranks 9th in efficiency amongst all players on the list and is averaging below 50%. DeRozan has the most attempts so far (207), which goes to show how much his game is reliant on mid-range jumpers. Unfortunately, he does not knock them down as efficiently as many thought.
Even so, DeRozan remains one of the most lethal mid-range shooters there is, and it is fun to watch him go to work. Surprisingly, this list was probably compiled because of DeRozan’s display every other night.
Fellow Bulls star Zach LaVine also made the list and is ranked two spots below DeRozan. He has attempted 116 jumpers and converted 45.7%.
Other superstars who made the list include Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Luka Doncic, Chris Paul, Trae Young, Devin Booker, etc. It is no surprise to see Steph not on the list, as he is either draining three-pointers or driving to the rim for an easy deuce.
