Midrange game error in calculating shooting efficiency

[Benuydere]

I was wandering around B-R's Play Index+. I've made a query of 2pt jump shots behind 10 ft.

According to this, Michael Jordan attempted 1127 midrange jumpers and converted %43 of them. And his total field goal attempts are 1527. So %74 of his total field goal attempts were midrange jumpers. I don't think it was like that back in 90s, looks like he did it just for fun in 2003. But obviously he was midrange weighted anyway. His overall percetange was %45 in 2003.

Kevin Durant, who averaged 32 ppg in 2013-14 season, took 567 midrange jumpers (%34 of his total fga's) and made %44 of them.

My modest thoughts: You can't go with rim-3pt shots all night, meaning you have to shot some midrange. If a team supposedly takes 80 shots a game, some of them are 3s, some of them are layups and dunks and some are midrange jumpers. I'm thinking, your best player doesn't have to shoot much threes, because for example Danny Green, Marco Belinelli or Kawhi Leonard can do that for you. Your guards can drive to the rim on an oppurtunity or your bigs can grab offensive rebounds and putback. Leaving easy tasks to other players and doing harder job yourself looks more smart and impressive to me. Nobody shots midrange statistically better than his general (except for Dirk). So it's harder to do. Midrange mostly isn't the first option, so it usually comes with random flow of the game. While you're trying 20 shots on 15 layups and 5 three pointers, even if you hit %55 you may be stealing from others because your team didn't need exactly you to do that. But if you're trying 20 shots on 9 midrange jumpers, 8 layups and 3 three pointers and hit %48, you're doing something more unique.

I took Jordan's 2003 because those stats are only available from 2001. That's actually very high, even 2006 Kobe took 1039 midrange jumper. But my point is could you say Durant's 2014 midrange performance was better than Jordan's 2003? How could advanced stats value a midrange jumper as equal to points at rim in case of field goal percentage?

What do you think?

[colts18]

Michael Jordan attempted 1127 midrange jumpers and converted %43 of them. And his total field goal attempts are 1527. So %74 of his total field goal attempts were midrange jumpers. I don't think it was like that back in 90s, looks like he did it just for fun in 2003.

MJ was the same way in the 90's. In 1997, he took 1202 midrange jumpers while making 49% of them

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