Study Reveals the Most Popular Shot EuroLeague Basketball Players Take
Sports analytics and data-driven forecasting play crucial roles in European basketball. Researchers are trying to identify essential performance metrics and effective coaching strategies. What they’re finding is that one type of shot is more popular than the rest.
Researchers Tugay Durmuş and Övünç Erdeveciler at the Faculty of Sport Sciences, Ankara University, Turkey analyzed shot selection in the EuroLeague over a decade (2013−2023).
They looked at almost 1,900 games, while focusing on three types of shots: two-point attempts (2PA), three-point attempts (3PA), and free-throw attempts (FTA).
The results confirm a significant shift in shooting.
Three-Point Shooting is Surging
The most notable result from the study is the shift to shooting beyond the arc. The numbers don’t lie. Three-pointers made per game are surging. These trends underscore EuroLeague teams’ gradual adaptation to the three-point revolution in modern basketball. Here’s a breakdown of the key findings:
- Shot Selection Shift: Euroleague teams have changed their shot preferences significantly. They are taking fewer two-point shots but more three-point shots.
- Three-Pointers Made: The number of successful three-point shots per game has increased. In the first season, it was 20.86, and now it’s 25.10.
- Adapting to Success: Teams are adjusting their strategies based on the success of three-point shooting. This trend is shaping modern basketball.
These changes impact team efficiency, player development, and the global basketball landscape.
Start tracking basketball shots in a few simple steps with our guide.
Perimeter Skills Are Now a Must
The impact extends beyond the hardwood. EuroLeague coaches must now emphasize perimeter skills, and players hone their long-range accuracy. As the league is evolving, it sets new standards to modernize the game for coaches, players, and fans alike.
That’s why more and more teams are using basketball analytics and shot tracking apps to improve performance.
Basketball Shot Tracking Reimagined
Shot load is a metric that not only counts a make or a miss, but it also lets coaches know how much duress a player may have been under in the 10-seconds before the shot went up. It’s a new metric coaches can now get with KINEXON COMPETE Vision.
Having this contextualized information at their fingertips allows coaches to better plan practices that look and feel more like games. Shooting percentages can be positively affected when players “practice like they play.”
The three-point arc is reshaping the game, and EuroLeague teams are riding the wave toward a new era of basketball excellence. If you’d like to learn more about how you can collect shot load data on your players, contact KINEXON Sports.
Or you can take the first step by reading our “Guide to Shot Tracking and Shot Load.”
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