By Alex Madrid/ info@eurohoops.net
With two games played in Basketball Champions League, there are some mind-blowing facts that already happened in the competition. Probably the most exciting and striking one is the amount of overtimes played in just two rounds, six in total. But if you take a quick look at the individual stats you will find some extra surprises.
More than fifty players are shooting over 50% from the two-point territory (57 athletes to be exactly), but it sounds more stunning that the same number of players are shooting at least 50% beyond the arc!
It’s still early in the season and the sample is small, but it’s a pretty impressive start. Summing up, between those 57 players, they shot 381 three-pointers making 230 of them. That means more than a 60% accuracy overall.
Surprised, we decided to ask about this fact to one of the best shooters and champ of the competition. Tim Abromaitis couldn’t score a single three-pointer in the first round for Tenerife, but he responded against Ludwigsburg dropping everything that came out of his hands.
“40% from three is worth a lot more than 50% for two”
“It’s so early in the season. I think once more games are played more guys will cool off and the averages will go back to normal”, Abromaitis said to Eurohoops.
“I don’t know if teams in nearly future are going to shoot more three-pointers than inside shots, but I think it will keep increasing as teams realise that gives you more points and opportunities to score more points. Because if you shoot 40% from three that’s worth a lot more than shooting 50% from two”.
As a big man, Tim Abromaitis also considers that “it’s difficult to be a power forward, especially in Europe now, if you can’t shoot the three-pointer. So much of the game is from pick and rolls and it’s a lot easier to help if you have a “4” man out there that can shoot three-pointers. It’s definitely important to be able to space the floor”.
Then what’s the key to being a great shooter? Tim says that shooting definitely is mostly about been confident: “If your coach and your teammates are confident in you taking a three-point shot and you think you are going to make it then it’s gonna go in. But also a lot of it is preparation and practising every day to get shots up. You have to get confidence trough that preparation”.
Iberostar Tenerife player ranks fourth among three-pointers list with 3 of 4 beyond the arc while Elgin Cook leads with just 2/2. But there’s a lot of players with impressive numbers on that ranking. The former Euroleague class shooter Jon Diebler has already scored 8 three-pointers in just 12 tries, Malcolm Hill is shooting almost 70% from threes getting a total of 9…
We don’t know yet who is the best pure three-point shooter in 2017/2018 Basketball Champions League but, as Tim Abromaitis says, with the threes being a real weapon for every team, everyone is ready to pull the trigger.
Photo Credits: FIBA