A Balanced Diet: Taking A Look At The Shot-Type MVPs This Season

Yes, threes are rampant, but there's more to it than that

If you couldn’t tell, I’ve been in a bit of a data analysis mood as of late. Last week, we covered the metric I made up called RADAR in order to somewhat quantify how players draw in the defense, while we looked at RADAR +10 yesterday to do that without placing a massive emphasis on lane-barreling big men.

This time, I want to keep with the shot-selection theme, but with a little more of a general overview. I’ve grabbed the shot data from every single shot taken by all players — at least, those who qualify for the NBA’s leaderboards — and put it through the paces for various analyses. I want us to take a look at the players who are thriving in specific shot types, not doing so hot in others, and getting a wider view of what kind of shots the league likes this season. First, let’s cover the last point and go backward from there…