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Masters of the endangered floaters

Masters of the endangered floaters

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6 March 20233 Mins read

Round 26 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague saw last season's finalists move up in the standings but trends otherwise held up as the march towards the postseason continues.

While there are some big trends driving results around the league right now – like Real Madrid and Olympiacos Piraeus vying for position at the top of the standings and leading the league in defensive efficiency – the finer details of the game are worth a look as well.

There may not be many details finer than the floater. Also known as runners or teardrops, floaters fill a fairly unique space in the skillsets of EuroLeague players, in part, because not everyone takes them. They account for just 7% of all shot attempts. It is a fairly specific element that is not relevant to everyone but can prove very useful for players who want to score over defenders in the mid-paint area when the need arises.

Floaters are an art form that some players have mastered but others do not deal in at all. Coming too close to the rim to be a jump shot but not close enough to attempt a layup, they demand a great deal of finesse, touch and timing to get the ball just right over opposing rim protectors. As the table above suggests, there are two players this season who have turned their ability to make floaters into a particularly important part of their offensive production: Cassius Winston of FC Bayern Munich and Nate Wolters Panathinaikos Athens. Both rise quickly for floaters when they get to the elbow area and have scored efficiently there despite often just getting the ball away over the outstretched arms of defenders.

This is a guard-dominated list. Most big men are more likely to choose a hook shot or drop-step move to the inside than to try a floater, but that does not mean that forwards never master the art of the floater. Indeed, the best modern example is Olympiacos legend Georgios Printezis, who appeared on the list above in numerous seasons and well into the twilight of his career. Of course, on the perimeter, another EuroLeague legend, Juan Carlos Navarro, was so exceptional at the midrange one-hander that his shot got a global nickname, La Bomba.

One of the benefits the players above provide their teams is an ability to score shots where defenses often try to force opposing teams to shoot. EuroLeague players as a whole are converting 42% of their floaters and 40% of their pull-up two-point jump shots this season. Opposing defenses are deliberately giving shooters latitude in the mid-range in an effort to induce low-percentage shots. As such, players who have mastered the midrange game can make defenses second-guess themselves.

While floaters may not move the dial in the standings week-to-week, it is worth appreciating the players who master what is becoming a fairly unique element of the game.