pic.twitter.com/grNC2nRgG5. This just bolstered the Suns, who already possess Chris Paul and Devin Booker. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. If anything, it looks like Durant is only getting better and becoming more unguardable with age. Growing up in Los Angeles, DeRozan didnt have access to cable television. The curve has flattened over the past three seasons as some players and teams still see value in the mid-range shot. KD leads the pack with 57%. You probably don't need me to tell you how impressive that is, but for some perspective: Durant is one of 81players who have attempted at least 15 shots from midrange through the first three weeks of the season. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Leonard, on the other hand, has far more similarities to Jordan and Bryant at least in terms of their preferred methods of attack. However, it could also easily be attributed to his free throw shooting. (As a frame of reference, 23.8 percent is in line with role players like Malcolm Brogdon and Tyrese Maxey.). The most memorable moment of his career thus far was leading the Detroit Pistons in a huge upset victory over the L.A. Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals; he would go on to win NBA Finals MVP that year. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Thanks for signing up. Kevin Durant 17-18 . Peaking at a 90% rate from the line last season on an absurd 10.2 attempts per game, Durant looks ready to continue his ascent up the ladder. 3-Point Field Goal Percentage; 3PT:3-Point Field Goals Made-Attempted . The midrange isn't even an efficient shot for mostbut it's basically a layup for Durant, and it feels like he can get to it whenever he wants. Durant is averaging just .9 fewer makes per game on 2.7 fewer attempts per game. The league-average percentage from beyond the arc is 35.8 percent, according to Basketball-Reference.com, and that helps out Durant. Or write about sports? . That lack of wear and tear could theoretically allow him to go harder in the playoffs. Kevin Durant's midrange game is the ultimate cheat code. Kevin Durant Total Career Winning Percentage | StatMuse The entire playing career for Kevin Durant is displayed below. A ridiculous 57.3 percent. Mark has spent the majority of his 12 years in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He also assisted on 162 connections to his teammates from the mid-range, per PBP Stats, which trailed only Russell Westbrook for the most in the NBA. . National Christian Academy in Fort Washington, Maryland, Stephen Noh is an NBA writer for The Sporting News. Seattle SuperSonics, 1st round (2nd pick, 2nd overall), 2007 NBA Draft, More Kevin Durant pages at Sports Reference. While his numbers and rate thus far dictate a well deserved position in the top 20, it's only fair to see more of his career play out before that judgment befalls him. But as noted by Jonathan Tjarks, the evolution to eventually step beyond the arc more often even if he wasnt hitting them was inevitable for DeRozan so he could serve as a better floor spacer (via The Ringer): There was never any mechanical reason that DeRozan couldnt take 3s before. Career Projections . DeRozan is a player known for his success in this range, making Durant's numbers even more impressive. 'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs'); As the analytics community grows, one of the most common debates in basketball is the role of the mid-range jump shot in the modern NBA. Kevin Durant is playing big minutes in NBA Playoffs, but Suns fans shouldn't be concerned about his workload, How KD is helping Devin Booker reach a new level of superstardom. Jeff was nicknamed "Horny" in the Jazz communitya rather awkward name to bestow upon a player. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Adrian Dantley* .6166: 13. However, he has Nash nipping at his heels with only a 0.1% point behind him. Shooting According to NBA.com, he has made wait for it 59.7 percent of his shot attempts from midrange to start this season. During the 1980-81 season, Murphy managed to set recordsat the timefor both longest streak of consecutive free throws made and highest free throw percentage in a single season; records that have since been broken. Whether or not you consider his method for drawing fouls cheapwhich it wasit was effective nonetheless; it helped Reggie rack up over 7,000 career free throw attempts. Hes also doing it with tight coverage in most scenarios which will add a thorn in the side of defenses. Despite his size, Brandon was regarded as a top flight point guard in the mid-90's. When the Phoenix Suns traded for Kevin Durant, they took a gamble. Man is Different. NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLCs Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network. An 11-time All-Star, four-time scoring champion, two-time champion, two-time Finals MVP and one-time MVP, Durant has, of course, been lighting up opponents from midrange for over a decade at this point. Durants 55.3 field goal percentage is also a career high. That same season Ricky got into the record books by recording the second longest consecutive free throw shooting streak at 75 made. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Do you have a sports website? Durant's 62.2 % field goal percentage on two-pointers this season is his career-best, and with the way his body is, he's able to make those types of shots look like layups. The Brooklyn Nets are first in the NBA in offensive rating (117.3) and second in points per game (118.8), while playing the NBAs 11th-fastest pace (100.33). Bryan Kalbrosky is a national NBA staff writer at USA TODAY's For The Win. Latest on Phoenix Suns power forward Kevin Durant including complete game-by-game stats on ESPN. NBA/ABA. Kevin Durant /// Stats /// Cleaning the Glass Even if everyone else in the league decided that they would only shoot at the rim or from beyond the arc, DeRozan would keep the in-between game alive. While rather comical to watch, it was obviously a very effective approach. Do you have a sports website? However, Nash tops that club having reached it a record five straight seasons. While he has had one of the best mid-range games of all time, it has gotten even better over recent years. Efficiency-wise, he has been outstanding, shooting 57 percent from the mid-range. Nicknamed "Hawk", he was a true iron man throughout most of his career. The league average shot from between zero and three feet of the basket was 67.5 percent this past season, according to Basketball-Reference. Allen was originally drafted by the Detroit Pistons in the 1993 NBA Draft. Influences such as Stephen Curry and Kyrie Irving have displayed the skills that new-age players aspire to have. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Monday, May 1, 4:39AM. The whole conversation was simply a fascinating insight into the mind of one of the worlds great shooters. With the conference semifinals set, let's take a look at the best player in each of the 8 first-round series. From the 15-19 foot range, DeMar DeRozan, Klay Thompson, and Lamarcus Aldridge have all taken 240 or more mid range jumpers. Price will also go down as the one Cavalier to leave Cleveland and make his way down to Florida without being hated. It certainly worked in the postseason as he hit eight consecutive mid-range jumpers in less than ten minutes against the Denver Nuggets. Durant is averaging 5.0 assists per game, which is pretty standard for him in recent years. He gets the honor of being considered the greatest free throw shooter in the history in the NBA. us, High Schools: DeRozan has made 39.5%, Aldridge has made 41.2% and Thompson has made 45.1%. To determine which players are fighting the hardest to keep the mid-range game alive in the NBA, we looked at three factors and then compared how each individual performed relative to the league average in the same span (dating back to 2018-19): It is worth mentioning that longtime NBA fixtures who recently stepped away from the game (e.g. According to NBA.com, he has made wait for it . Find out more. Last year, he led all players at 44.0 minutes per game. Aside from his 5 all-star appearances, he will best be known for his adept touch from the line and two Olympic gold medals; one with the 1984 amateur team and the other on the "Dream Team". A clutch game is defined as being within five points in the final five minutes. Kevin Durant is capable of playing big minutes and still producing . While Reggie fights Jeff Van Gundy for top honors as the most annoying broadcaster to join a NBA booth, he has had a storied career in the NBA. KD is also posting career highs in 2 point (64.5%) percentage despite the fact that he is shooting the lowest proportion of field goal attempts at the rim in his career (14%), and career highs in true shooting (67.4%) percentage despite posting career lows in free throw percentage (82.9%) on his 4th lowest number of attempts (6.3). The analytics behind this evolution make sense; if youre going to shoot a 2-point shot, you want the highest percentage shot possible (dunks, layups and shots near the basket). Stat Survey: Joe Harris, Kevin Durant Both Top 3 in 3-Point Percentage For example, Denver could go to an unconventional inverted ball screen where Jokic is the ball handler. He even hasDirk Nowitzki's famous one-legged fadeaway in his bag. Suns stars Kevin Durant and Chris Paul went off about . Harden is seventh in free throws made per game (6.5) and sixth in free throws attempted per game (7.5) while shooting 87.0 percent. Take a closer look at the top 12 pull-up scorers in the league. Spin: Durant capitalized on Denver's smaller wings, canning his signature midrange jumpers while finishing a perfect 4 for 4 at the rim. During the offseason in 2019, while he was rehabbing from his torn Achilles, Durant took to Twitter to join the discourse about mid-range jumpers. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Twitter: MVP!I created a short animation of the famous Sombor Shuffle move by Nikola Jokic.The most beautiful sports story is written a mile high. Durant is putting up 29.1 points, 5.0 assists and 6.7 rebounds per contest. Chris Paul adds in: "Talk to 'em." Kevin Durant.6187: 11. Kevin Durant Stats, News, Bio | ESPN He would go on to peak at a 95% rate for free throws made that year; the only time he exceeded 90% for his career. But in their absence, the following players are working the hardest to keep the in-between alive in the NBA. Kevin Durant - NBA player profile page from WhatifSports James Donaldson.6177: 12. Take a closer look at the top 12 catch-and-shoot scorers in the league. His last two seasons have been his best in the mid-range since his first two seasons in the NBA. Already a member? But its also been successful as his mid-range jumper has been between ten to thirty percentage points better than his shots from long distance in each of the past five seasons, per Cleaning the Glass. During that span he led the league in free throw shooting percentage on seven different occasions. Kevin Durant's Scoring Brilliance Has The Brooklyn Nets Surging - Forbes