There are a lot of very effective big men in the VTB United League. Every team in the League has forwards and centers with remarkable inside scoring statistics. Let’s talk about the best of the best.
Synergy Sports Technology can track almost any statistic, including the type of shot. For example, when a player is under the basket they can either dunk the ball or shoot a layup. Overall, dunks and layups count for 35% of all shot attempts in the VTB United League this season with an average 62% conversion rate.
Dunks are much less common than layups, but far more likely to go in:
Dunks – 5% of all shots, 89% conversion
Layups – 30% of all shots, 58% conversion
The table above ranks the top six most effective inside scorers this season in the VTB United League.
CSKA newcomer Joel Bolomboy, who only debuted in the League in mid-December, has been the most productive inside scorer in the competition. He’s only missed a handful of attempts, shooting 87% under the basket and dunking more than half of his attempts. He’s also the League leader in percentage of and-1 plays (17%). Bolomboy scores while getting fouled on nearly every sixth attempt under the basket!
His teammate Othello Hunter ranks second in the League in inside scoring percentage (83%), which gives CSKA two dangerous weapons down low. The American center rarely earns three-point play opportunities (3% of shot attempts), but he’s very effective on put-backs. Hunter is averaging one put-back per game this year.
Zenit is another team with two players in the top-six, though the players could not be more opposite. Russian forward Evgeny Valiev ranks third in shooting percentage under the basket (81%) and second on and-1’s (12% of all attempts), but he has not dunked once this season, scoring 22 layups instead. His American colleague Jalen Reynolds, meanwhile, has more dunks than anyone else in the VTB United League: 35. The Zenit center may be the most versatile big man in the League: He leads in layups (33 so far) and ranks among the best in shooting percentage (78%) and and-1’s (10% of all attempts).
Avtodor center David Kravish and Tsmoki-Minsk Aliaksandr Semianiuk are the other two players in the top-six. These two big men are effective on put-backs and fast breaks, though they typically go the layup route when scoring inside.
Stats provided by Synergy Sports Technology.
