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Since the early days of the NBA, the physical trait of height has proved to be an advantage. Players such as Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar dominated the sport with their massive stature, standing above most of the players of their era.
To overcome this natural adversity, shorter players in the guard positions learned how to shoot the ball. Using their quickness to their advantage, guards added new skills that would let them be effective without the fear of getting blocked while shooting.
As the game saw drastic changes with time, the jumpshot became one of the most lethal weapons in basketball. With the likes of Reggie Miller, Ray Allen and Stephen Curry paving the way, the jumpshot has become a staple in the arsenal of any NBA player.
However, being able to shoot the ball is not a skill everyone excels at. With the intent of being effective without a jumpshot, players in the league turn to different skills and traits in order to compensate.
By making use of their athleticism, length and brute strength, NBA players can always find a way to dominate and influence in the game.
In this article, we take a look at five NBA players who dominated the league in the last 10 years despite being bad shooters.
#1 Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook is one of the most explosive players in NBA history. Making use of his athleticism, Westbrook attacks the rim with vicious intent whenever there is an opening in the defense.
But as a shooter, Westbrook finds himself in below-average waters. For his career, Russell Westbrook is a 30.5% shooter from downtown. While taking shooting stats by distance into consideration, Westbrook within 0-3ft of the rim shoots at 59.5% but as we move out to 3-10ft this number immediately drops to 34.1%.
With an elite first step, Russell Westbrook was able to hit defenders with a crossover and blow past them without breaking a sweat.
This athleticism helped him dominate the game for a large part of his career and is a huge reason for his success even now. But as this trait started taking a toll on his body, Westbrook adapted by adding an effective midrange bank shot from the left wing.
#2 Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the most dominant players in the NBA. With his enormous wingspan, height and freakish athleticism, Giannis is rightfully named "The Greek Freak."
Giannis consistently makes use of his inherent physical traits to his advantage on both ends of the floor. His long arms give him an effective advantage over most players on the offensive end as it allows him to finish at the rim with ease.
On the defensive end, his ability to contest and alter shots is possible because his length constantly makes him a threat for blocks.
When within 0-3ft of the basket, Giannis shoots a highly efficient 73.6%. But as we move out, even to the 3-10ft range, this percentage drops to 35% and continues to drop as we enter three-point territory. He is 28.7% for his career from beyond the arc.
Giannis' biggest advantage, however, is his athleticism. Since his rookie year, Giannis has shown great agility for his size and as he has grown in stature and put on the pounds, his strength increased drastically. Bullying defenders and getting to his spot, Giannis has learned to dominate.
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#3 Draymond Green
Draymond Green is a great example of a player who dominated the league despite being a bad shooter. However, Green stands apart from the other players on this list.
Drafted by the Golden State Warriors in 2012, Draymond Green is an intense and vocal presence on the floor. His greatest asset is his sense of the game. Green is an elite defender who is always in the running for defensive player of the year, having won the award in 2017.
On the offensive end, Green is an efficient finisher when close to the basket. Shooting 65.1% when within 0-3ft, Green knows how to finish. However, as we move out of this range, his number drop to 30.3% in the 3-10ft range and 31.6% from three-point land.
But Green isn't dominant because of his scoring ability. With talented players such as Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson on his team and also briefly served by offensive juggernaut Kevin Durant, Green never had to score.
Instead, he dominated by facilitating the offense and making the necessary plays to get things going. In the process of doing so, Draymond Green has emerged as a three-time NBA Champion.
#4 Dwight Howard
Dwight Howard played for the Orlando Magic for a large part of his career. During that time he established himself as one of the most dominant centers in the NBA.
Making use of his athleticism and strength, Howard would bully most defenders in the low post and score on them at will. That trait transitioned over to the defensive end as well.
Being an elite shot blocker and rim protector, Howard was a two-time NBA Blocks leader and three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. He was also a five-time NBA Rebounding champion.
His numbers from anywhere outside the 0-3ft area are well below average, shooting an abysmal 15.9% from beyond the arc. But his role as a player doesn't require him to play in those areas. In the 0-3ft range, Howard shoots a highly efficient 71.8%.
Over the course of his career, Howard has added many moves to his offensive bag which allowed him to stay dominant in the low post. Dwight Howard also recorded the most dunks in NBA history with 2,910.
#5 Blake Griffin
Blake Griffin, in his prime, was one of the most athletic big men in the league. With his leaping ability, Griffin would routinely put defenders on highlight reels with monster poster dunks.
Griffin was a very gifted offensive player. He had tremendous quickness and vertical jump for someone who was so top heavy. His size also gave him the additional advantage of strength, which helped when it came to playing the low post and rebounding.
However, his shooting from distance was less than impressive. Shooting 37.6% from midrange and 33.4% from beyond the arc, Blake Griffin compensated for his shooting with other skills which helped him be a dominant player in the league.
Griffin expanded his offensive skillset as his career progressed. With additional ball handling skills and playmaking abilities in his bag, Griffin became one of the most skilled big men in the league.
Griffin also added a fairly reliable shot from downtown when he was with the LA Clippers. Unfortunately, a number of injuries would cause issues when it came to establishing rhythm on his shot.
For his career, Blake Griffin shot 52.1% from the field while being 71.4% from 0-3ft.
Guess the Lakers players!
