[neovive]

As a basketball fan, I love this kind of analysis. As mentioned in the article, I think the defensive skill of NBA players is a big reason for the differences in accuracy within six feet. For many NBA players, it's much easier to take a 7-12 foot shot than to challenge the taller/stronger players that defend closer to the rim. On average, the "rim defenders" in college aren't as strong, making it easier to score on dunks and lay-ups.

[clairity]

NBA big men are certainly among the best in the world at defending the rim (due to selective pressures), but the highly disproportionate number of humans over 6'9" probably also has something to do with it. being able to block a shot while barely jumping really helps (i play rec ball and am taller than average, so have used this to my advantage quite a bit).

[jjuel]

I would be curious to see the same stats in college about points per shot based on distance to hoop and distance to closest defender like he has for the NBA. I would guess there are more defensive breakdowns in college leading to more open layups or close range shots. Percentage by itself doesn't tell the whole story. Would need how closely guarded someone is, time in the game, time in the shot clock, etc. to get a true reading on what is really going on with the shooting percentages.

[m_ke]

Zone defense and the 3 seconds rule have much more to do with this. Zone is much more common in college and seems to explain the stats because 2-3 gives up the high post and 3s on the wing to protect the paint.

[awad]

It's harder to run zone in the NBA for many reasons, not the least of which even a bad NBA shooter is a pretty good shooter when they have room to get a shot off. Given the shot-heavy nature of today's game, you'd be hard-pressed to pull off zone against a good chunk of the league.

[m_ke]

Yes, I just stated the fact that zone defense is much more common in college basketball and that it might explain the disparity in shooting percentages at different distances.

Zone was forbidden in the NBA for a long time and, as you said, even now it doesn't make much sense to run it at this level because of talent, 3 seconds rule and the distance of the 3 point line.

[m_ke]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-zone-defenses-are-taking-ov...