The surprising math behind basketball's least efficient shot 

“Most shooters can’t step back to the three point line from 18 feet...” *James Harden enters stage left*

Best basketball analysis channel on youtube by far

Kawhi and Kd proved how Important the mid-range is in the playoffs where it matters!

This channel is just incapable of making a bad video. It's apparently impossible for you to make a video that doesn't both entertain and educate me. You are an A-1 content creator!

It’s weird because that’s what a lot of us grew up shooting, coach’s would teach us to step in on our pump fakes for mids

Yessss, I will always instantly watch and stop whatever I’m doing to watch these videos

Is it less efficient? Yes. Can it still be very valuable if undervalued and underdefended? Also yes. The thing that made moneyball successfully was building around an undervalued skill set (getting on base) rather than focusing on traditional metrics (hits, HRs and RBI). Creating a team built around undervalued assets is the way you build a multi-year dynasty. Both the Warriors and the Seahawks did this.

A good mid-range game will never go out of style, the more weapons you have the more the opposing team has to guess and the more poisons it has to pick. It makes it easier for a team to guard another team that only shoots 3s and layups as they never have to worry about the mid-range. Now if you add the mid-range into the equation, it's another puzzle to solve. Mid-range is not the most efficient shot and you probably don't want the mid-range to be 90% of your offense. But at the same time if a guy is shooting 50% from mid range it's not really a very good trade-off and the opposing team has to guard that. Mid range can only help augment the most efficient shots in the league which are 3s and layups if you introduce a healthy dose of it. Case and point look at Kawhi and Durant, two guys who are able to consistently dominate in the playoffs and don't really see a dropoff in performance from the regular season. That mid range shot is such a deadly weapon. An open shot from a good shooter is always going to be an efficient shot no matter from which part of the floor and good shooters should always take these. Young kids should take notes from Kawhi and Durant. A mid-range game on top of your other skills can make you unstoppable. Hell, alot of people think Curry is just all about jacking threes but if you watch him play he really has an incredible and accurate mid-range floater that he uses from time to time. Harden is an amazing player too but I don't think he'll ever win a championship with his iso-heavy and "Morey-Ball" style. Yes he takes predominantly the most efficient shots in the game but they are tough shots like his iso step back threes. He'll drive it into the heart of the defense hoping to get a foul. But in the playoffs fouls are called less, defenses tighten, these can quickly become the reason why you lose a game. A tightly contested 3 probably isn't more efficient than an open mid-range 2.

ESPN should give this guy a show. It may leave all the other analysts jobless but I think we can all agree that that's ok:)

Can’t talk, busy bricking a 22 footer.

5:50 lol imagine if the nba had complete control of game footage and content creators could only use courtroom renditions.

McCollum killed the Nuggets in the elimination game with the mid-range. Bcuz Jokić couldn't really step up and as you say it opened up his whole game.

KD has been keeping it alive. Best midrange since Dirk

the mid range game got me overseas 🤷🏽‍♂️ take the open shot if you have it

Moreyball is great for 82 game season. But to win a championship? You need to hit inefficient shots.

How is your channel at 100k and Korzemba is at a million, you deserve more subs

It's not dead for players who can shoot above average from there.

The under valued gravity of DeRozan's playmaking ability. Spurs were able to make smooth 3 point plays due to DeRozan sucking in the perimeter defense while defense at the paint are occupied from guarding Aldridge

Kawhi is the mid range god! Aldridge and DeRozan make a living off of it too. Edit: KD is the mid range god. 55% from there. I spoke too soon as a Kawhi fan

Congrats on 100k! Been here since 30k and you've been my favorite basketball channel ever since ❤

Best bball vids on youtube, explains things so everyone can understand voice is smooth and soothing and everything about the video pulls you in. Keep up the great work

FINALLY i’ve been reading your book nonstop waiting for a video 😭😭

I think a great follow up to this video would be discussing which positions on a team are most valuable to creating added value from the paint and 3 off of midrange metagame, and what an example team could be implementing that strategy to its full potential

Loved the graphics! Awesome video, love learning from you

I love a nice mid range shot, like the Klaw and KDs shots in the mid range really show who can create their own shot and knock them down

Incredible clip. Wonderful presentation. Great stuff Coach

Good to see you back with some quality content. Keep it up, your the best at talking basketball I've ever seen.

Mid range is important in the playoffs by the intense perimeter defense and clogged paint, making the offense step in to take off the pressure inside an outside l.

Love you Channel bro, keep doing what you're doing ❤

Best basketball info on RU-vid, keep up the great work!

Great video as usual Ben, you'll be at 1 mil in no time

The thing is, most players really can’t shoot the midrange shot. There are specific circumstances when it is the best shot, but clearly most players can’t recognize it or shoot it anyway.

This was a fantastic breakdown. Nice work!

I appreciate you actually looking deeper into the numbers and explaining why the mid-range is a big part of most great offenses. Basketball isn't played in a vacuum and while I think prioritizing threes and layups is important it's not the be all end all, and the Warriors and Spurs showcased that last year

Love your videos man, can't wait for next season!

These videos are so good. Really love the content🔥🔥

This is brilliant analysis - you've earned a subscriber!

I have been waiting for this video since the last video came out, got your book in the meantime, keep up the great work Ben.

Great video, really interesting insight about the meta value of midrange shots. The notion of feedback loops (e.g. good defense leads to good offense) isn't necessarily new, but I don't think it's been widely applied to how becoming efficient at less-desirable shots generates more open more-desirable shots, and vice versa. These sorts of tied relationships are interesting to think about, especially as defenses are learning how better to adapt to 3-pt shooting teams.

I always thought of midranges as something to fall back on, since 3p-line and the rim are somewhat easy to shut out. Nice to know there's some more facilitative effects as well

Hi Ben. Your videos are always amazing and educational beyond anything I’ve seen so far in sports media. Keep it up, because the one thing you do that is undeniable is raise the discussion to better and better detail. People who really care about sports and watch your videos probably now think more about footage, shot charts, team defense, and different stats than ever before when they reach a conclusion or even want to try and support quick, assumption-filled arguments they’ve had before! I know I have!

Amazing insights. Thank you

Super stars and stars still need to be able to create in the midrange area, especially come play off time. Look at KD, Kawhi, Kyrie, LeBron, Curry, etc.

My favorite basketball channel talking about my favorite basketball team? Yes please!

Easily top 10 informative channels on RU-vid. Top 2 for sports and it’s not 2. Keep doin good work my man

"The mid-range shot is not dead" says the finals MVP Kawhi "You are right, you lucky I got hurt" says prior MVP and midrange points leader KD

i actually love your vids so much

The background music is so soothing. Thank you.

That's always been my issue with the influx of data in the NBA. Yes, it can tell you over an 82 game season that shooting a plethora of threes and getting to the line will put you in the top 3 teams. But when you are in a smaller sample size of a 7 game series with back and forth adjustments from the opposition, your data will be unreliable. Nuances are king in the playoffs.

Outstanding Quality you blew up fast

This is such good quality content, I feel bad for not subscribing earlier.

This is the best basketball channel on RU-vid all of your content is absolutely stellar. Have watched every video, love the podcast and if you guys haven't read it, the book he wrote Is fantastic and I highly recommend it. The fact that the first chapter addresses the fallacies of scoring efficiency between player and his team is eye opening for why players like wilt were so good because of the shots the decided to take despite having a high attempts per possession. Thank you so much for putting the time and effort into making such awesome content. This will be the first patreon I will actually support keep up the fantastic work and I expect to see you grow in popularity since you totally deserve it.

Love the new little animations and graphics

Finally ur back I missed this channel

I've generally been viewing the midrange shot as a good last option assuming you can make it. With good spacing, most defenses would rather give you the midrange than the 3 because its a less efficient shot. But if you can make it at a high rate they'll have to defend it regardless which can open up the 3pt shot for you. It's just not the go-to shot anymore. It's not about the points the shot itself makes but about the shots it will create in the future.

I FUCKING LOVE YOUR VIDEOS AND THE AMOUNT OF WORK YOU PUT INTO THEM. Easily one of my favorite youtubers . you deserve more attention bro

Love this channel ❤️ great analysis I’ve noticed how teams like the Warriors have been taking more mid range shots recently with Klays post ups, Curry’s pull ups off screens and KDs isos as well as the Spurs with LA, Gay and now Derozan. You can definitely be a successful team in the NBA while shooting an abundance of mid range shots. We saw how the Rockets died by the three 2 years ago

Dude this is legitimately THE best basketball channel

Your content is insightful...frankly head and shoulders above the next...If I were to start a channel I'd copy you

Moreyball is "science laboratory basketball" that looks good in a vacuum, not necessarily in real-life/real-game situations. Smart mid-range shots by solid shooters can still devastate a defense, or at least keep it honest and on its toes, thereby leading to great looks at the rim or open three-point shots.

I think a video about the fundamentals of the pick and roll and its statistical impact over the floor would be super interesting. In general, deep dives into basketball basics would be swag.

Amazing video!

So what you're saying is Pop and Kerr knows more than D'antoni? Yeah, that checks out.

Great Breakdown

As someone who shoots best in the mid range and was starting to think in a Moreyball way, I'm glad to know that I still have utility inside the paint in a way I previously didn't consider. I'll be sure to utilize the effect of forcing the defense to space in different ways to get my lads and myself some more buckets!

Your channel is amazing. I love how you took statistics to the next level and made it fun. If you had to, how would you implement machine learning algorithms to your data?

This guy is really good. Well elaborated details

Most Clutch GOATS were mid range masters. Nice video mate. Subscribed for sure !!!

Nice!!!! been waiting a month for this! Are you making other videos on a different channel i should know about?

Now, this is phenomenal video.

Almost all of the top players have good mid-range games. LeBron, KD, Kawhi, DeRozan, McCollum, Dame, etc. Only role players are advised not to operate in the mid-range due to spacing reasons. But mid range never disappeared, spacing just became more of a priority.

I haven't seen the video yet and I know it's amazing

great video!!!

Great video, i missed the content

Love your channel!! Houston with Russ and Bucks with Giannis maybe should pay attention to this concept.

You reasoning reminds of why, in poker, you have to lose a bluff hand from time time. Why?? Simple, so your opponents know you bluff. So, when you have a good hand, they think you are bluffing when you raise a few times and fill the pot. By making the opponent guard the WHOLE floor, you get more open threes and layup possibilities. It's obvious the way you explain it. Thanks.

I think the addition of a mid range shot turns a star into a superstar eg Kawhi KD McCollum

If you're REALLY good at midrange it's fine. I remember reading an article on Giannis's absurd success on dunks and short range shots and how it totally flipped the narrative of 3s being more efficient than 2s. It's not the same as midrangers but the concept remains. Basically, the idea that shooting more 3s and making them at say 35% is more efficient than shooting more 2s and making them at say 50% is only true if those are the percentages but when you start shooting 70%+ (which is i think around what Giannis was doing) then you obviously take those 2s instead. If you can make midrangers at a rate that eliminates the gap in efficiency between 2s and 3s then i think that's where it's a good shot. Problem is not everyone is Giannis and basically no one except guys like KD are good enough to shoot midrangers that efficiently, at which point you'd be better of having them shoot 3s instead since they're such good shooters.

This was the best video I've seen re: midrange

Rip Hamilton made a career living off the midrange

Hey Ben, I know you cover it in thinking basketball but I think a video on global offence that's less indepth than the book would be very controversial and would get so many clicks again great vid, and like u mentioned in the vid, a video on why Wilt shouldn't have shot all those shots would blow the world's mind

Fantastic video

Great content

This channel needs more subscribers

This analysis should heavily include how the type of attempted shots impacts the amount of off/def rebounds for either team and fast break attacks opportunities, e.g. Making 6/20 3-pointers gives you 18 points, making 9/20 2-pointers gives you 18 points as well, but the number of rebounds is different (14 vs 11). Most rebounds go to the defending team, so in that respect it's better to produce fewer missed shots regardless of how much they pay. But then, 3-pointers produce longer rebounds giving more opportunity for grabbing an offensive rebound and another attempt at a shot. So this is were the complexity lies.

Was wondering if you could make an analysis of Jaylen Brown’s game and what his ceiling is. Very interesting situation up there in Boston.

Can you do devin booker anaylsis? Great video

no shot is a bad shot if you make it an a good enough clip

TJ Warren is an underrated master of the mid-range.

You need a podcast my man. I’d listen every day

Love this content

Finally good, thinking, video.

I'm late as hell to this channel, but SO glad I found it! #NewSubscriber

It would be interesting to see the rate of fouls drawn from mid range shots too. I feel like it might be higher than three point shots based on the fact that they usually come off the dribble whereas a lot of threes are just catch and shoot

Great vid

please make a video about how harden and westbrook duo would work together in Houston system.

Cj use that very well

Awesome video Ben, I’m a huge fan of your content and analysis. As an Australian, I’m a big fan of Ben Simmons. Is this then, the data-driven reason why he HAS to work on his jump shot???

Hey! I just bought that book!

YOURE BACK YESSSSS