Using Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant Examples, 2x NBA Champion Criticizes Decline of the Mid-Range Game

Basketball, like all sports, has evolved and changed with time. It is a perpetual journey, this evolution, powered no doubt by the stars of each generation. For instance, in the 1960s, during the NBA’s early days, there wasn’t even a three-point line, whereas today, the arc defines the game.

The rise in stature of the three-point shot has also gone hand-in-hand with the league’s popularity. Many have credited Stephen Curry with changing the game, and rightly so.

The Chef started shooting circus threes regularly, which, a few decades ago, would have been unthinkable. More and more stars are adapting to shooting from deep today, but not everyone is a fan of the change.

The three-point surge has been synonymous with the decline of mid-range shooting, something David West, one of the detractors of the prominence of the long-range shot in the modern game, pointed out on The OG podcast.

West pointed out how legends like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant were masters of the mid-range and dominated their opponents with their game. But many players and coaches today consider it to be “off the table”.

“If you can shoot those shots and make those shots, you practice making those shots, they’re effective. They’re a weapon, a legit weapon. I look at it like this. MJ shot mid-range shots, Kobe shot mid-range shots. KD, even Dirk [Nowitzki] didn’t shoot that many threes,” the two-time NBA champ added.

Players like Nowitzki excelled from the mid-range, with their drives and baseline attacks. So, West reiterated how some of the best in NBA history thrived without having to rely on shooting from downtown.

“I hate it, because it takes away a viable skill set and a viable point of attack for a lot of guys,” the former Warriors forward continued.

West won both of his titles with Golden State, a team that arguably was at the forefront of the three-point revolution, led by Curry and his splash brother, Klay Thompson. So, in no way is he trying to take the importance of the three-point shot away.

But what West hates is the idea of players who aren’t good from beyond the arc making multiple attempts in a single game.

“Again, if you’re not able to shoot threes, and half, like 80% of these dudes that shoot threes should not be shooting threes. Every NBA game you watch, you hear somebody say, he’s shooting 23% from the three-point line. Well, why the hell is he still shooting threes!?” Asked West.

Finally, West slammed analysts who ask the good mid-range shooters in the league today not to take those shots. He labeled it as “comical”.

Of course, the mid-range does not get the same number of points as shooting from behind the line does. But West insisted that it’s more of a “feel thing”. It’s about finding the right spot on the court where one feels comfortable enough to get a shot in.