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The NBA has evolved just like anything else. The once mighty mid-range game exists, yet in much smaller increments as the years have gone by. The mid-range game is an art firmly underutilized in the NBA. Cliche notwithstanding, the mid-range NBA game is both the art of deception and the spoils of shooter versatility. It's understood that three points are more than two points, and that mathematical fact seems to have deemed the mid-range jumper a dinosaur, yet something has to play within the arc, so you'd think the art would be passed down as a teaching tool. Hopefully that changes in the near future, because this list contains a few great players. As the 2021-22 season approaches, who are the top purveyors of the NBA mid-range game?
Rip Hamilton was one of the best mid-range shooters in the NBA
The Detroit Pistons were a fluid team led by players at each position who were capable of doing anything in the NBA; killing teams in the mid-range game off screens; screens closer to the rim at times. One of their stars was Rip Hamilton. Rip Hamilton moved non-stop. His philosophy was to know where his teammates are at all times and never stay still for more than two seconds. With that came an outstanding mid-range game augmenting the Detroit Pistons' toughness and execution in the half court. I'd make every guard watch tapes of Rip Hamilton because the mid-range game is sorely lacking. The following players are examples of what Rip Hamilton and his perpetual motion represent.
#5 Khris Middleton
The throwback NBA champion will be remembered as a sidekick to Giannis Antetokounmpo for now, yet as time passes and the Milwaukee Bucks potentially win a few more chips, his name will rise in the pantheon. Khris Middleton is a throwback in the sense that he does it on both ends with a cliche lunch pail and hard hat in tow. His average two point attempt is shot from a distance of 10.42 feet, and Middleton hit those shots at a .515 clip. Khris Middleton will be known as one of those cats that steps into the gym and performs to the beat of the talent on the floor; any floor. He makes 60.73% of his attempts at the rim, so don't mistake him as merely a jump shooter. Khris Middleton is a straight baller, and despite the almost clandestine feel to his game, the players know his mid-range greatness, and now, so do NBA fans.
#4 DeMar DeRozan
What we are about to see in DeMar DeRozan this season with the Chicago Bulls is a resurrection of sorts despite the fact that DeRozan has never left the hoops scene. His mid-range game is a signature attribute that has never been underrated. Marc Eversley is pulling a coup on the NBA world this season from Chicago, and the Bulls will be box office again after almost a 10 year hiatus with respect to Derrick Rose. DeMar shot from a distance of 9.74 feet and responded by making .515 of those attempts - while also converting 61.09% of his shots at the rim.
#3 Bradley Beal
Bradley Beal, the Washington Wizards superstar shooting guard, s a gifted maestro with a hammer on the NBA floor. He shoots at a 42.9% clip when a defender is within two feet and that percentage climbs to 50% at the three-point line. His two-point attempts average 8.65 feet, he makes .535 of those attempts and wills in 65.01% of rim tries. What will be a shame is if the Washington Wizards don't realize what they have in Beal and fail to build properly around the NBA ringer. Fans outside of DC will not begin to understand the gem that Bradley Beal is if he's rarely seen in the playoffs and it isn't their fault.
#2 Chris Paul
Shooting an average of 12.88 feet from the rim because he has a penchant for dagger threes, Chris Paul converts 54% of his shots from within the arc. He will demoralize you in the halfcourt set at the end of clocks. Chris Paul makes 64.52% of his attempts at the rim because he is so deft with either hand and wields a fearless soul for the game. The hopeful future coach is a scientist half court within or behind the arc. He will hit a big shot at the biggest time, and finally advancing to the NBA Finals with the Phoenix Suns will only drive his moral ruggedness further into NBA greatness.
#1 Kevin Durant
Surprise, surprise. Was anyone else expected to be here? Was a diminutive guard or a sharpshooting big man the first to come to mind? Kevin Durant is nothing diminutive in regards to the history of the game, yet a sharpshooting big man he is - with the entirety of his 7 foot frame. He looks at the rim in two-point range from 9.95 feet, hits .577 of those looks, and a career high 78.57% of forays to the rim, Though his former teammate in Golden State, Steph Curry is uniquivocally seen as the best shooter of all time, the best scorer who shoots it well is Kevin Durant -- which will also one day be quietly believed.
