Chris Paul and Kevin Durant show why great teams still need great mid-range shooters

It seems that the age of the mid-range shot is coming back.

Take last week, when someone on Twitter presented Daryl Morey, the general manager of the Houston Rockets, with two images showing the shot charts of his Rockets and the opposing Utah Jazz from Game 4 and asked him which team played “Morey Ball.” The images in question showed the Rockets took a slew of mid-range shots — something that had been against Morey’s long-held philosophy of only taking threes or layups when possible — while the Jazz only took two, which they missed.

Morey replied that the Rockets played “get the best shot” ball.

A similar shift in philosophy is happening with the Warriors, who are become the exemplars of the three-point revolution but so far in the playoffs have taken more mid-range shots than any other team — 24.2 mid-range attempts per game. Much of the Warriors’ mid-range game is coming from post-ups by Kevin Durant, one of the best shooters in the history of the league. In his first four games against the Pelicans, Durant posted up 12 times a game.

For the Rockets, a big reason for their change in ideals is Chris Paul, who is a master of the mid-range shot. In that Game 4 against the Jazz, Paul didn’t have one layup attempt. Most of his shots came from the dreaded mid-range, and he only made one three-pointer out of six tries (one of the attempts was a heave from half-court at the end of a quarter).

During a press conference last June, a reporter asked whether Houston’s philosophy would be welcoming to Paul’s style of play. Mike D’Antoni said that, as if with everything, there are exceptions to the rules, and that Paul has the best mid-range game in the league. Paul added that the most inefficient shot in basketball, to him, was a layup.

Before Game 5 against the Pelicans, Steve Kerr joked about the situation the Warriors and Rockets now find themselves in when it comes to shot selection:

“I called Daryl Morey and asked him what we should do and he said ‘more mid-range shots would be good.’”

It may seem ironic the two teams famed for shooting a lot of threes are now relying on the one shot that they’ve convinced the rest of the league to avoid, but really the Rockets and Warriors are taking the logical next step to counter their opponents’ adjustments.

It’s usually wise to avoid mid-range shots, unless you have a player who can make them as easily as others make layups. Besides three pointers, Paul attempted most of his shots from 10-16 feet this season, making 50 percent of them and Durant made 70 percent of his shots resulting from post-ups through Game 4 of the Pelicans series. For Paul and Durant, mid-range shots are quality shots.

Adding more mid-range shots can also expand a team’s gameplan. Because the Rockets and Warriors are famed for shooting threes or going to the rim, teams defend them on those terms. Defenders try to run the shooters off the three-point line and then use their centers to try to deter layups. Rudy Gobert and Anthony Davis made getting to the rim a supremely difficult task for attackers.

This defensive idea logically leaves the middle of the floor open, which would be the reasonable thing to do against the Rockets and Warriors if Paul and Durant didn’t exist.

When both players were signed to their current teams, there questions were about how they would fit into the existing frameworks — who would have to sacrifice for Durant, and whether Paul could work with another ball-dominant player or change his game to fit the concept of Morey Ball. Those questions missed the point, however: frameworks aren’t meant to be restrictive. Their purpose is to give a team a rough idea for its best chance to win.

But Morey Ball is a guideline, not a prison.

The adaptability of the Rockets and Warriors exemplifies why both teams, which were already great, went after Durant and Paul. They’re excellent players, obviously, but they also have specific skillsets that diversify what already great teams can do.

Like Morey said, the objective of their offensive philosophy is to get the best shot possible. Most players can’t make mid-range shots consistently enough to make them worthwhile. Special players open up these systems, players like Durant and Paul who can work within the original framework, then go outside of it to help their teams win.

They show why great teams should keep going after more superstars. Durant and Paul grant their teams the freedom to expand ideas, like turning an otherwise archaic shot into an essential part of modern basketball.