A MAN CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE
LAVINE RELUCTANTLY AGREEING TO LIMIT MID-RANGE SHOTS
INDIANAPOLIS — Zach LaVine will be a good soldier for now. If the Bulls’ analytics team wants him to shoot only threes or attack the rim each possession, giving up the mid-range game he embraces as part of his repertoire, so be it.
Let them pound on their calculators and make their pie charts. LaVine will go with the program. That is, until it’s time to push back on the program.
Asked Friday about his mid-range game being shut down, LaVine said, “I know. Ain’t this crazy?”
He said the Bulls’ numbers division is convinced that part of his game has to go away. For how long, he wasn’t sure. Maybe it’s just a preseason thing, or maybe it’s just until the Bulls’ new, up-tempo offense finds its legs. But either way, LaVine feels like the decision is contributing to killing an already “lost art.”
“I grew up being a Michael Jordan, Kobe [Bryant] fan,” he said. “I know that some of the greatest scorers in NBA history were mid-range, mid-post guys. It’s sad to see it be pushed to the side. I mean, Carmelo [Anthony] is one of the greatest scorers ever, but he’s out of the NBA right now somewhat because the analytics don’t want mid-range twos.
“I think it takes away a little bit of the skillfulness, and it takes away some of the weaponry. But I’ll tell you this, there’s still guys in the NBA — and I think I’m one of them — that can still get it done.”
Through the first two games of the preseason (LaVine didn’t play Friday night against the Pacers), he has followed orders. Of his combined 29 shots, only two were from mid-range.
Analytics bloggers often call this the “modern NBA.” LaVine laughed at that term.
“I’ll one-up [the analytics guys]: The best mid-range shooter in all the NBA played for Golden State — Kevin Durant,” LaVine said. “Playoff basketball will show [this] … Guys like DeMar DeRozan or C.J. McCollum. [McCollum] killed Denver [in the playoffs last year] because he got into his mid-range.
“Playoff basketball [defenses] are eliminating the threes. They become tougher shots, so you want to get to a shot where you know you can make it and you worked on it. I think the mid-range is a lost art now because everyone is moving towards the threes and the analytics. I understand that because [of ] how it looks and how it sounds like it makes sense, but sometimes there’s nothing better than putting the ball in your best play-maker’s hands and letting him get the shot he needs rather than the one you want.”
Blame the Rockets. Last season, they had the lowest percentage of shots from both 16-24 feet (2.53 percent) and 8-16 feet (7.12 percent) while leading the NBA with 51.74 percent of shots from beyond 24 feet. The Rockets’ average shot distance was 15.11 feet.
The Bulls were 21st from 8-16 feet (14.31 percent) and 19th from 16-24 feet (10.05), with an average shot distance of 11.90 feet — last in the league.
Of course the Bulls need improvement. But is reducing their mid-range shooting the answer? LaVine pointed to Kawhi Leonard, who not only was an NBA champion last season with the Raptors but also the NBA Finals MVP. And his mid-range game destroyed the Warriors.
That’s why LaVine hopes the Bulls’ analytics department isn’t going overboard.
“It’s a decision we’re going with right now,” he said. “When the real games start, if we’re in dire need of a bucket, obviously I know what I’m going to. Obviously, I’m going to take a mid-range or an isolation when I need to, especially if I’m hot.’’ ✶