Why I still love the midrange

The midrange jumper makes a player negotiate with a defender. There is no clean geometry to hide inside—only balance, footwork, and the ability to create half a second where none existed.

Kawhi Leonard against Philadelphia, Devin Booker trading impossible makes with Nikola Jokić, LeBron James quieting Boston: these performances live in the part of the floor defenses are supposedly willing to concede.

That is why I keep coming back. The shot is inefficient until the person taking it has mastered every inch of the setup. Then it becomes the most intimate duel in basketball.