Stats review: Late-clock execution

Some teams are really standing out as the shot clock winds down

Round 14 of the BKT EuroCup saw Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv gain some ground in the standings with only four rounds remaining in the 2024-25 regular season. Putting together a stellar shooting effort in a win over Dolomiti Energia Trento, the club displayed it offensive prowess by scoring steadily from the perimeter. Their execution was a factor in the final 21-point margin as well, as they scored 18 points with the shot clock under 4 seconds while allowing just 4.

Synergy defines short-clock opportunities as any possession occurring with 4 seconds or less on the shot or game clock. Those possessions make up right around 18% of all EuroCup plays, with teams typically falling with 12% and 24% depending on how quickly they get the ball up the floor or choose to use up the shot or game clock.

Historically, there is dramatically less variance in the frequency teams operate late in the clock as there is in the efficiency they score with when they do, and this season is no exception. On average, teams are scoring 0.82 points per short clock possession – well behind the 0.95 average for half-court possessions. With six teams scoring under 0.80 points per late-clock possession and several well below that mark, the challenges of making something out of nothing under time pressure is particularly real for a few teams this season.

Perhaps no team in recent history has benefited as much from their late clock execution as Hapoel. As the table above suggests, they are not just good under time pressure, they’re spectacular. Their 0.99 points per possession scored with the shot clock under 4 seconds would rank fourth in half-court efficiency this season and is a big reason why Hapoel leads the EuroCup in overall efficiency heading into the final stretch of the season. Though the club does not grind the clock often, their shooting wavers little when they do. With only one player ranked in the top 45 in individual late-clock scoring, their considerable success is the result of a true team effort.

Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius edges Besiktas Fibabanka Istanbul for second spot based largely on their shot selection. They have made late-clock three-point attempts at a serviceable 32% clip and have leaned into their guards' ability to make shots from deep with the clock winding down – Wolves and Hapoel are the only two teams that have attempted more three-pointers than two-pointers in short shot-clock situations this season.

The top individual short-clock scorer this season is Aris Midea Thessaloniki's Vassilis Toliopoulos, who is averaging 3.8 points per game in these situations. Aris is one of several teams that has looked to grind the clock regularly this season, with Bahcesehir College Istanbul and Dreamland Gran Canaria leading the way by playing deep into the clock almost 25% of the time.

Bahcesehir has also been the best defensive unit in late-clock situations, allowing just 0.64 points per possession. Valencia Basket and Gran Canaria fall a bit off that pace but are still far better than average. No team in the EuroCup has forced late-clock possessions at an especially impressive rate, but Trento sits just ahead of a large pack of teams.

It will be interesting to see how the outlier level success of both Bahcesehir and Hapoel stands up to the rest of the season.