khans2k5 wrote:Long two's are a perfectly acceptable shot when they are wide open. The killer is taking contested long two's. I'd rather take the wide open shot regardless of where it is on the court than ask players to pass up the open jump shot to drive into the teeth of the defense and put up a heavily contested shot. Wiggins is the only one who is actually drawing the fouls at the rim and everyone else just misses on a highly contested shot. Bennett was shooting 50% at the beginning of the year pretty much solely shooting 2's, so if he is open he should take that shot because that is a good percentage look. Until more guys get better at finishing through contact or drawing the foul, I'd rather they take open shots. I still think they should back up to the 3 point line, but I'm fine with shooting 2's as long as they are wide open.
Khans, The issue is the volume of long 2's he takes. Bennett's shot distribution shows that
54% of his shot attempts are from between 16 feet on out to the 3-point arc. He hits these shots at a 37% rate for the season. That is simply not a formula for success. LaMarcus Aldridge, the king of power forward mid-range jump shooters, takes only 40% of his field goal attempts from this shot range. Dirk Nowitzski is at 33%. So guys who are far better open floor shooters than Bennett are not taking this shot as much as he is.
Given Bennett's wide frame, long arms, and athleticism, he should be rolling to the hoop far more than popping after setting picks. It's just such a waste of his physical gifts.