Stats review: Efficiency on pull-up jump shots

Olympiacos's Evan Fournier netted 25 points on pull-up jumpers alone last week

Olympiacos Piraeus has risen a game and a half clear of the field in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague standings following the double-round week, but the Reds took a unique route to their road wins over Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz and Real Madrid. Averaging 11.8 points on pull-up jump shots per game coming into the week, the Greek club poured in 52 points on dribble jumpers alone over their pair of victories.

While the EuroLeague at large is embracing the three-point shot as much as ever, pull-up jump shooting remains the part of that equation that teams vary on the most. Whereas every team is working hard to create open looks in the corners, their pull-up shooting often gives an insight into their personnel, rules around shot selection, overall approach on the offensive end or, in the case of Olympiacos, how resilient they can be when the moment calls for it.

The table above ranks this season’s most efficient pull-up jump shooting teams, with some details about the volume of dribble jumpers they attempt and what percentage of those shots come from beyond the arc.

Olympiacos has an interesting profile as it ranks among the least aggressive teams shooting off the dribble but attempts one of the highest percentages from beyond the arc – the Reds are not hesitant to rise and fire from the perimeter off the dribble, but they resist the urge in mid-range spots. Olympiacos attempts the second-fewest mid-range jumpers in the EuroLeague, and given they have made both 37% of their pull-up two-pointers and three-pointers, their shot selection lands them near the top of the list above.

Interestingly, the two other teams attempting the highest proportion of their pull-up jumpers from beyond the arc fall on different ends of the spectrum. While FC Bayern Munich leads the league in pull-up three-pointers attempted by a wide margin this season and makes them at a rate that certainly supports that approach, the team taking the highest volume of their pull-ups from beyond the arc ranks towards the bottom of the EuroLeague in efficiency shooting off the dribble – shot selection can only take teams so far at the moment.

The table above paints that picture vividly as the three teams tied for taking the most pull-up jumpers all appear, and while Bayern is not fond of the mid-range, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv and Paris Basketball both embrace long twos. While Maccabi attempts nearly three times as many pull-up two-pointers per game than Olympiacos, at nearly 10 per game, they convert a serviceable 44% of them as their accuracy does justify that approach in many games.

Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens is making a tremendous 49% of their mid-range jumpers, which has them knocking on the door for the league average in overall offensive efficiency with one of the game’s least efficient shots in recent seasons. Couple that with their 37% shooting on pull-up three-pointers, which trails only Bayern, Olympiacos, and Zagiris Kaunas, and their placement at the top of this list tracks with their all-around consistency.

Individually, Panathinaikos's Kendrick Nunn has a lot to do with his team’s shooting efficiency, though FC Barcelona's Kevin Punter maintains a slight lead in points per game. Olympiacos's Evan Fournier sits third in points scored per game pulling up off the dribble, in part because he poured in 25 points on pull-up jumpers alone last week.