The 7DAYS EuroCup's shifting relationship with shot quality was key in Round 11's top matchup, but all 18 teams are more closely bunched together than you might imagine.
Stats Review: The teams that create quality shots
Stats
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High-gravity matchups
The two teams at the top of Group B went head-to-head in Round 11 as Buducnost VOLI Podgorica fell to Valencia Basket in La Fonteta. Both teams have had a knack for winning close games so far this season, ranking first and second in clutch scoring efficiency, but that did not come into play as Valencia jumped out to a big early lead in the second quarter and never looked back.
Quality shots
In the win, Valencia went 3-for-3 on dunks, 9-for-13 on layups, and 10-for-15 on unguarded catch-and-shoot jumpers. Those 31 shots resulted in 61 points and represented 53% of the team's total shot attempts. Those three types of shots constitute the highest-value attempts that 7DAYS EuroCup teams create within their set offenses. In half-court situations, unguarded catch-and-shoot jump shots are worth 1.19 points per attempt, layups are converted for 1.26 points per attempt, and dunks generate 1.82 points per attempt. They collectively make up 39% of all possessions, 52% of all shot attempts and a substantial 63% of all points.
Valencia's offensive outburst was relatively unsurprising. Its players have produced quality shots within their half-court offense more consistently than any other team this season. Following that performance in Round 11, Valencia now leads the EuroCup in half-court offensive efficiency, too. The average team has created quality shots on around 52% of their total half-court attempts this season. But that only takes an offense so far, because only two of the five teams above also rank in the top five in half-court offensive efficiency. What sets a team like Valencia apart is not just the quality of the shots created, but the intersection of that with shot-making talent of its players. And with 21-year-old big man Jaime Pradilla threatening a single-season EuroCup record with his 88.1% two-point shooting – 37-for-42 through 10 games! – Valencia has talent to spare.
That was particularly important in their win over Buducnost as seven different players converted at least one open catch-and-shoot three-pointer, with Sam Van Rossom going 3-for-3 on those shots in just over 16 minutes of action. As efficiency has risen across the EuroCup, the returns for teams with superior shot selection has diminished. Valencia generates just 10% more quality looks than the team with the lowest rate this season. But that team that currently producing the fewest quality shots also ranks sixth in overall half-court points per possession. That's a testament to how much of a factor talent and chemistry tend to be in the EuroCup this season.
While quality shots may not offer the long-term competitive advantage in efficiency that they did a few years ago, they remain significant on a game-to-game basis. Teams like Valencia are far more likely to explode for triple digits on a given night because of their execution than are teams that attempt even a marginally higher volume of pull-up two-point jump shots.
Looking ahead to Round 12
In this first season of the EuroCup's new format, the unlikely possibility that the teams at the top of both groups would face off on the same week has hit in Round 12. With Joventut Badalona taking on Partizan NIS Belgrade in Group A and Gran Canaria playing Valencia in Group B, this round has a distinct playoff feel as the teams at the top of the standings look to send a message heading into the stretch run.