Los Angeles Lakers: 5 keys to beating the Denver Nuggets
4. Anthony Davis’ Mid-Range Game
As touched on in a prior article, Anthony Davis has been an elite mid-range shooter during the postseason, hitting 50.0 percent (28-of-56) on 5.6 attempts per game. Among 14 players that have attempted at least 30 mid-range shots this postseason, only Chris Paul (56.8 percent), Kemba Walker (56.3 percent) and Nikola Jokic (51.9 percent) have been more efficient.
Despite his recent success, Davis should be wary of relying too much on the mid-range jumper against Denver. He only hit 34.9 percent on 4.1 attempts per contest in the regular season. And although he made 68.0 percent (17-of-25) on 5.0 attempts per game against Portland, this fell off to only 35.5 percent (11-for-31) on 6.2 per game against Houston.
Davis can get solid mid-range looks pretty much whenever he wants against Denver. His defender (likely often Jokic) will have to give him some space to guard against the drive (see below). In moderation, these mid-range jumpers are fine. If they’re not falling, Davis should make a concerted effort to attack the basket and try to get Jokic in some foul trouble.
