From Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, and Kobe Bryant to Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, and DeMar DeRozan, here are the 25 greatest mid-range shooters of all time.

In the NBA, the shot that gets all the glory in today’s game is the three-point shot. The art form of being an elite mid-range shooter has become lost among the three-point revolution and almost vilified by modern-day NBA fans. In a way, I understand it. Three points is more than two and going 6-12 from the mid-range is the same as going 4-8 from three. Seeing the mid-range deteriorate into a shot that players almost shy away from has been maddening to an extent as well considering the amount of players who made entire careers of dominating from those spots.

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I mean, imagine telling Michael Jordan or Kevin Durant they were taking “bad shots” just because they feasted off mid-range opportunities in their career. It would be ludicrous. Of course, those aren’t the only two players who were elite at knocking down shots from just outside the paint to just inside the three-point line. Plenty of players over the years, and even in today’s NBA, have mastered the art of the mid-range shot, and they are the players we are here today to honor.

As the league keeps evolving, there seem to be two options for offensive players. Work the ball around until an open three-point shot is available, or work the ball into the paint and convert or draw a foul. This has led to the mid-range shot hanging on for dear life. Well, below are 25 players who carved out some of the greatest legacies in NBA history with the mid-range shot being one of their primary weapons.

These are the 25 greatest mid-range shooters in NBA history.

25. Jason Terry

Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Jason Terry is definitely one of the few players in NBA history who had an iconic mid-range game. Although many will remember him from his days as a three-point assassin on the Dallas Mavericks’ 2011 championship run, it all started with the mid-range shot for Terry to help him settle into his groove.

Over the course of his 19-year career, Terry showed his efficiency was not limited to just his 38.0% shooting from beyond the arc. Terry was also an assassin from just outside the paint up to that three-point line. From 3-10 feet from the basket, Terry shot 41.7% in his career but was very limited in his attempts from that range. From 10-16 feet is where he really picked it up.

Terry’s 10-16 foot jumper accounted for 14.5% of his total career shots, and he converted on 44.7% of those shots. What’s even scarier is the fact that he took even more shots from the 16-foot to three-point range, accounting for 23.5% of his total shots where he converted 46.9% of those shots.

24. Vince Carter

I find it incredible that Vince Carter is solely remembered for his athletic ability and ferocious dunks that are timeless across NBA history. Sure, they are special and deserve to be celebrated but that is far from the end of the story when it comes to Vince Carter. Never mind that he ranks among the NBA’s top 10 in three-pointers made, but he was also a true three-level scorer and a mid-range savant.

In his 19-year career, Carter would take a total of 7,500 shots from what we consider to be the mid-range which is anywhere from outside the paint to the three-point line. Of those 7,500 field goals, Carter made 2,982 of them, or a total of 39.7% for his career, which is the same as players like James Harden, and better than players like Paul George or Chris Webber.

Carter shot above 40.0% from both the 3-10 foot range and from the 10-16 foot range as well which shows his versatility as a scorer along with his ability to get to the rim and knock down 37.1% of his threes. Not bad for just a dunker, am I right?

23. Jamal Crawford

If we are speaking on simply s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 and talent, Jamal Crawford is heavily underrated for his NBA career. He is one of the greatest bench players in the history of the league, winning Sixth Man of the Year three times in 20 seasons. His ball-handling s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s are among the best we have ever seen and getting to the rim was a specialty of his, using those moves for the majority of his career. You may also remember that he was elite at creating and knocking down shots from within the three-point line as well.

Crawford’s handles are what made him such a dangerous scorer from the mid-range in the first place. With his ability to control the ball at every step, Crawford could transition from a dribble into a shot in the blink of an eye, and he was efficient too. His best spot on the floor was undoubtedly the 16-foot to just inside the arc where he attempted over 26.0% of his shots and knocked them down at a 42.6% rate. As a 34.8% three-point shooter, Crawford would much rather work his way into this spot and operate from there as both a scorer and playmaker.

22. Tony Parker

Tony Parker is still one of the most underrated point guards in the history of the NBA. His leadership s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s and ability to elevate his teammates’ play on the court are completely undervalued by modern-day analysts and fans. Perhaps the most underrated part of his game though, came from his ability to operate and pick defenses apart in the mid-range.

In total, Parker took 5,773 shots from the mid-range which is anywhere from four feet from the basket to just within the three-point line. Of those attempts, Parker made 2,363 of them for a career total of 40.9% shooting from the mid-range. That is higher than the likes of Tracy McGrady and Chauncey Billups while on the same level as Carmelo Anthony and just .3% lower than Kobe Bryant.

Parker was unstoppable from 3-10 feet from the basket where he shot an incredible 45.5% for his career armed with a deadly floater and perfect touch. In the 2007 NBA Finals, where he was named MVP for the series, Parker 24.5 points per game on 56.8% shooting overall mostly off shots within this range against the Cavaliers.

21. Alex English

Although the specific numbers for Alex English’s range and efficiency are not available to us, it is as clear as day from where he did most of his best work. English was a member of a high-powered offense with the Nuggets during the 1980s, an offense that led him to lead all players in total points for the entirety of the decade.

Any player during the 1980s who could rattle off eight straight 8,000-point seasons and average 25.9 points per game during a 10-year span doesn’t reach those numbers without being able to thrive in the mid-range. Further evidence of this is his 51.1% shooting percentage on two-pointers from 1980 through 1989. English wasn’t taking the ball to the rim as often as you think he was, meaning a lot of his scoring and shooting efficiency came from the mid-range.

20. Chris Paul

Chris Paul is one of the modern-day NBA players who continues to utilize the mid-range game regardless of its deteriorating popularity. Anyone who has ever watched Paul play the game knows he is always looking to get his teammates involved, especially his frontcourt teammates. His first instinct when defenses try to take that away from him though is his mid-range shot from the foul line and back which falls more often than it doesn’t.

A self-appointed nickname I have given Chris Paul over the years in “The Maestro of the Mid-Range”. I say this not only because of his shooting but the way he can completely dictate how a defense opposes him due to his passing ability. His shooting is damn good though as he is a career 49.0% shooter from anywhere between 10 feet from the basket and the three-point line.

Although he is never looking to score as his first option, Paul has developed a system and if defenses give him the mid-range shot, he is going to take it, and most likely make it. Paul is not one to follow the order of things ever in his career and his volume/efficiency as a mid-range shooter is perfect evidence of that.

19. Tracy McGrady

At his peak, Tracy McGrady is easily a top-three scorer of the 2000s in terms of style, s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁, and three-level ability. Yes, he was crazy athletic and extremely fluid in his motions to get to the rim and finish but his length and shot-creation also allowed him to become a way above-average mid-range shooter as well.

Along the same lines as Kevin Durant or Larry Bird, McGrady used his large frame and length to elevate above defenses and get off shots that most other players couldn’t dream of getting off. In his career, McGrady shot 6,902 attempts from the mid-range and knocked them down at a 40.6% clip. With a total of 18,381 points in his career, this means that 30.5% of his total career points came from the mid-range, not to mention all of the fouls he was able to draw with his shifty maneuvers.

When talking about McGrady’s ability as a scorer, his three-point shooting and finishes at the rim grab all of the attention but his mid-range shooting as you can see, was his bread and butter.

18. LaMarcus Aldridge

LaMarcus Aldridge is one of the greatest power forwards in the NBA over the last 20 years. No, that is not overrating him in the slightest. Seven All-Star selections and five All-NBA Team selections would suggest he is probably underrated by most because of his lack of an NBA championship.

One of the things that made Aldridge such a dominant forward for all of this time was his dominance in the mid-range. Armed with a signature fadeaway, Aldridge’s mid-range game evolved in front of our eyes during his NBA days. What made Aldridge an even more dangerous player from this area on the court was his seemingly endless wingspan and high IQ as a passer, almost like the power forward version of LeBron James.

Other than the work he did in the low-post, Aldridge’s spot on the court was anywhere from 16 feet to just within the three-point line. Aldridge shot 42.8% from this spot in his career as well as 44.7% from 3-10 feet. Anyone knows when watching Aldridge, if he got the ball anywhere from 5 to 15 feet from the basket, there was a good chance he was going into his high-release and cashing in on his favorite shot.

17. Karl Malone

Other than his off-court transgressions, the career of Karl Malone is rarely talked about in basketball circles these days. As the third all-time leading scorer in NBA history, Malone was one of the most consistent and accurate offensive forces of the last 40 years in the NBA, and a big part of that was his mid-range shooting ability.

Malone and teammate John Stockton ran one of the most iconic pick-and-roll combinations we have ever seen in the NBA. Stockton was a sound shooter himself but looked for Malone to find his spot far more often. His spot is not just being on a cut to the basket or finding position in the low post though. What made Malone such a deadly scoring option and allowed him to average at least 25.0 points per game from 1988 through 199, was his mid-range shooting ability.

There were countless moments as you will see on any Malone highlight video in which he stopped dead in his tracks, caught the ball from Stockton, and knocked down a little 10-foot jumper before the defense even knew what was happening. With a 51.9% shooting rate from two-point range, I would say a majority of that was from his stop-and-pop play as one of the first big men to utilize the mid-range game.

16. Kevin Garnett

During the early 2000s, it was not abnormal to see more and more power forwards introducing the mid-range shot into their offensive repertoire. One of the pioneers of this was Kevin Garnett who was drafted out of high school in the late 1990s. While Garnett was a savvy defender and scorer for his size, what really made him an impossible matchup was his high-release mid-range shot as the cherry on top.

Garnett was one of the more voluminous mid-range shooters at the forward position in his career. Out of 11,062 attempts from mid-range, Garnett knocked down 4,997 of them, or 45.1%. That is an incredible efficiency on one specific shot, especially for a big man. Furthermore, Garnett thrived anywhere from 10 feet to just within the three-point line where he shot just over 45.0% for his career in total as well.

Of the 26,071 points he scored in his career, 38.4% of them came from the mid-range. With such a deadly weapon added to his game, it was easy to see why he became an MVP and NBA champion over the course of 21 years in the league.

15. Tim Duncan

Widely viewed and ranked as the greatest power forward in NBA history, Tim Duncan was also a pioneer of the implementation of mid-range shots for big men. It wasn’t always pretty and it wasn’t always exciting but it produced the results that led to five NBA championships, three Finals MVP awards, and two MVP awards over the course of 19 years.

In his career, Duncan was underrated due to his lack of flash and style specifically on the offensive side of the ball. Duncan settled for the vanilla layups or shots mostly created by his ability to gain position on any defender that opposed him during his career. However, Duncan was also a master at using the backboard to his advantage, specifically when it came to pulling the trigger on his short jump shots.

While the sample size may be smaller than others on this list, Duncan shot 40.6% from the mid-range for his career which is the same percentage as Tracy McGrady and Chauncey Billups. For a post player known more for his defensive ability and post game to score 21.2% of his career points from the mid-range is incredible and needs to be recognized as such.

14. Richard Hamilton

Anyone who was a fan of the Detroit Pistons during the 2000s knows exactly why I had to include Richard “Rip” Hamilton on this list. To date, I can not name a single player who looked for the elbow-extended jumper more than Hamilton did over the course of his career. It became a signature of his almost as much as the mask he continued to wear on his face as he helped lead the Pistons to the 2004 NBA championship.

Hamilton was so smooth in the creation of his shots from the mid-range which led to him knocking down an abundance of them in his career. Hamilton shot 3,157-7,466 for his career from the mid-range which ranks in the top 25 for players with at least 5,000 attempts from that spot. This also means that of his 15,708 career points, Hamilton got 40.2% of them off mid-range jumpers showing just how important it was to a borderline Hall of Fame career.

13. Jerry West

Credit: Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports

“The Logo” Jerry West played in a time well before he was supposed to when taking a look at his incredible s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 set. Not only was West an all-time great guard in terms of passing and defense but his scoring really set him apart from the rest of the herd. Other than Oscar Robertson, no other guard could score like West in the 1960s and 70s. What made it all the more impressive was the fact he did all of this without a three-point line, meaning most of his shots could be considered mid-range.

West had one of the most beautiful shooting strokes in NBA history and from what the people who were alive to watch him play say, we should all be lucky he didn’t have the luxury of a three-point line during his era. The beautiful thing about West’s jumper and his 47.4% career shooting percentage is that it didn’t matter if he created his own shot off the dribble or released it quickly in catch-and-shoot situations, chances are he was going to knock it down and make opponents pay for not getting a hand in his face.

While most will clown Jerry West for his poor Finals record, we need to remember that this is a man who averaged 27.0 points per game for his career mostly on jump shots. He averaged 31.0 points per game or better three times in his career and shot over 48.0% from the field five times. If that isn’t evidence of his tremendous shooting ability, then I don’t know what is.

12. Kawhi Leonard

As a defensive savant and almost robotic-like player on the court, Kawhi Leonard took over the NBA during the 2010s as one of the best two-way players on the court. What made him so dangerous on the offensive side of the ball was his ability to select his spots, create enough space to get there, and knock down shots at a high rate due to his perfect touch and high-release mid-range jumper.

In his career, Kawhi Leonard has attempted 2,387 shots from the mid-range which doesn’t seem like a lot, but remember he wasn’t very offensively minded until 2014-15, his fourth season in the NBA. Leonard has knocked down 1,085 of those shots for a career percentage of 45.4% on mid-range opportunities. This accounts for just 17.6% of his career points total but you also have to remember that Leonard is pretty unstoppable with a head of steam coming down the lane.

11. Reggie Miller

One of the first things that comes to mind when it comes to Reggie Miller is his shooting ability. Of course, most remember him for his incredible three-point shooting and clutch moments as a member of the Indiana Pacers which includes his eight points in nine seconds as well as his ownership stake in the New York Knicks for how many times he broke their hearts.

Shooting statistics were not available to us for seasons prior to 1998 but even after that in the latter stages of his career, Miller was a mid-range 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁er. From 1998 through 2005, Miller attempted 3,225 shots from the mid-range, connecting on 43.6% of those shots. Of his 9,455 points scored during that time period, 29.8% of his points came from the mid-range, showing he was far more than just a three-and-D player.

Miller’s reputation as a three-point assassin is warranted but I can only imagine what his total numbers would look like if we could calculate his mid-range game from the start of his career. When you are an all-time great shooter, it doesn’t matter where you get your shots from on the court. They are going to fall and they are going to accumulate exponentially over time.

10. Steve Nash

Steve Nash is far more recognized and celebrated as one of the greatest playmakers and point guards in NBA history than for his shooting efforts. The two-time MVP earned those accolades by leading one of the most potent offenses in league history while capturing assists titles annually. What people fail to recognize also during this time, was his ability as a shooter that made him even more dangerous on offense.

Nash is a three-time member of the NBA’s 50/40/90 club, reserved for only the most efficient scorers in the game. While he could step out and knock down threes from time to time, his best and purest shots came from the mid-range. In his NBA career, Nash made a whopping 47.7% of his mid-range shots. Of his 17,387 career points, 27.7% of them came from as a shooter in the mid-range, far more than any other spot on the court in his career.

Nash’s playmaking made him a legend in NBA history but his shooting made him the complete package when he had the ball in his hands. My hope is that more people continue to do their research and realize just how deadly he was as a mid-range shooter than he gets credit for.

9. Carmelo Anthony

From the moment Carmelo Anthony made his NBA debut in 2003-04, we all knew how special of an offensive talent he was going to become. You just don’t win scoring titles and land in the top 10 for career points without being absolutely special from all three levels. As his career progressed, he began to take far more shots from three-point land as well but what can never be denied is his elite play from the mid-range.

As a matter of fact, in terms of efficiency, Carmelo Anthony and Kobe Bryant are nearly identical in their careers. Anthony is a career 41.1% shooter from mid-range while Bryant shot 42.2%. The only difference between the two is that Anthony attempted 3,000 fewer shots from those spots than Bryant. Even with those differences, Anthony’s mid-range game has accounted for 25.7% of his total career points, showing the balance he used to secure his spot in history.

From 10 feet out to 22 feet, Anthony was a 41.5% shooter in his career which accounted for 41.5% of his total career attempts. The most beautiful part of his mid-range game was the way he played with his back to the basket and used his strength to create the necessary space in order to attempt the easiest shot. As far as the mid-range game goes, they do not get much better than Carmelo Anthony.

8. Paul Pierce

Paul Pierce is another player whose career has become severely underrated since it ended not long ago. The fact is that Paul Pierce was not only one of the most clutch players in NBA history but also one of its toughest shot-makers ever. Pierce was strong and although most of his offense would come from a face-up style, his ability to create space using his body was probably one of his greatest weapons.

I cannot count the number of times Pierce would come down the lane and stop on a dime for a short jumper in a big moment during a game. If a smaller defender happened to get put on him, he would take him out to the woodshed and beat him until the opposing coach made a change. From the mid-range in his career, Pierce shot a cool 41.3% on nearly 7,000 attempts, a percentage that any voluminous shooter from that range would gladly accept.

The best range that Pierce could get his shot off from was anywhere from 10-22 feet. From that range, Pierce shot 41.4% from the field and 47.8% from two-point range overall in his career. With the game on the line, there are few people in NBA history who I would want taking the shot over Paul Pierce.

7. Allen Iverson

There are few players who are considered elite scorers throughout NBA history with the resume of Allen Iverson. He is a former four-time scoring champion and MVP who led a mediocre roster to the NBA Finals in 2001 and stole a game from the powerhouse Lakers. He was a relentless scorer from every level minus the three-point range and showed no fear of taking the ball to the rim despite being just 6’0’’ tall.

Given his limited height, Iverson had to get creative from the mid-range as well which helped him tremendously in his career. Despite being described as “inefficient” by most, Iverson’s 40.4% shooting from 16-22 feet is actually impressive considering the volume at which he attempted those shots.

Overall, Iverson shot 39.0% from the mid-range with 6,562 of his 24,368 career points coming off mid-range jumpers and a beautiful floater game as well. One thing I can never knock is Iverson’s ability to score the ball no matter how much it took for him to do so or the “low efficiency” it took for him to do so.

6. DeMar DeRozan

DeMar DeRozan is an anomaly when it comes to modern-day NBA players. He possesses virtually no three-point game worth speaking of, and never really has in his career. He is, however, one of the greatest mid-range shooters to ever grace the NBA hardwood and has shown that to be true time and time again.

DeRozan is among the elite players in NBA history to shoot over 40.0% from the mid-range for his career, going 40.3% on over 6,400 attempts. What makes him such a great mid-range scorer is actually the combination of two things. First, is the way he handles the ball and has control of every movement he makes. When combined with his ability to rise above the defense at the drop of a hat, it makes for one of the deadliest mid-range games we have ever seen.

DeRozan is particularly dangerous from the 4-16-foot range. From this spot on the floor, he shoots over 45.0% which is tremendous considering it is where over 40.0% of his attempts come from. Given his accuracy and volume as a mid-range scorer, DeRozan is clearly knocking on the top five on our list.

5. Dirk Nowitzki

If Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett are to be considered pioneers of the stretch forward from the mid-range, then Dirk Nowitzki is to be considered the GOAT. Standing 7’0’’ tall, Nowitzki completely baffled defenders with his ability to efficiently knock down shots no matter where he was on the court. Armed with a beautiful touch on the ball as well as a tear-drop arc, Nowitzki became one of the greatest scorers in NBA history.

Dirk Nowitzki really did most of his damage from the mid-range with his back to the basket. With the ball in his hands and the defender on his back, Nowitzki methodically backed them down until he found his spot. Then, in one swift motion, he would turn and jump on one leg before executing one of the most beautiful fadeaway jumpers you have ever seen in your life.

For his career, Dirk shot a ridiculous 47.1% from the mid-range on 13,219 attempts. Of his 31,560 career points, an incredible 39.5% would come from the mid-range. This makes Nowitzki truly elite as a mid-range shooter and we may never again see a 7-footer rely on this part of his game with this rate of success ever again in our lifetimes.

4. Larry Bird

One of the myths about Larry Bird as a scorer, and more specifically as a shooter, was his dominance from three-point range. While he was efficient, and he did win a three-point contest in his warm-up jacket, he was actually a far more deadly mid-range scorer than any other spot on the floor.

Numbers will not tell you about Larry Bird’s mid-range game, mostly because shooting stats did not yet exist when he was at his peak. But at 6’10, and with a release above his head, Bird destroyed defenses who had zero answer for his prolific shooting. There are many things about Bird’s career that go unrecognized or are undervalued for one reason or another. What can never be denied is how unstoppable he was when shooting the ball from any spot he wished on the floor.

3. Kobe Bryant

You would have to be in complete denial if you didn’t think Kobe Bryant’s name was going to appear toward the top of this list. In his 20-year career, Bryant made a habit of mimicking Michael Jordan’s game that made him so successful during his career. Even more so than Jordan though, Bryant was an immaculate mid-range shooter because of his ability to fight through contact and make some of the toughest shots you will ever see.

Kobe’s bread and butter was a spitting image of Jordan as well. I am speaking of course about his signature fadeaway jumper from the post or even a bit further out. Bryant could take advantage of any defender that opposed him once he put his back to them and called for the ball. In a beautiful series of events, Kobe would rise, spin, and release for one of the most perfect shots ever formed.

During his career, Bryant scored 5,566 points from the mid-range while shooting 41.2% on those shots. He shot over 43.0% from the 3-10 foot ranges as well as 10-16 feet while also converting 40.2% of his shots from 16-22 feet. When using the term “mid-range assassin”, Kobe Bryant should be one of the players you have in mind.

2. Kevin Durant

There are many people within the NBA community who will argue with you until they are red in the face that Kevin Durant is the greatest scorer in NBA history. While I do not agree, the case is a good one and it starts with Durant’s ability as a shooter and scorer from the mid-range. As a four-time scoring champion and one of the most unique talents in NBA history, Durant mastered the art of the mid-range shot to even be considered in this conversation.

Over 73.0% of all of Kevin Durant’s shot attempts come from within the three-point line and 52.9% of those can be considered from the mid-range. There is not a single range within those parameters in which his shooting percentage dips below 45.0%, making him easily one of the most efficient mid-range scorers ever.

Durant’s build and play style are certainly the main driving forces behind these numbers. At 7’0’’ tall, Durant handles the ball as if he were a point guard, making it much easier for him to get to the spots in the mid-range he shoots so well from. With the addition of his quick release that already comes from a high trajectory, his shots are nearly unguardable as he has been for the last 16 years.

1. Michael Jordan

I apologize to the modern-day fans who may not want to hear this but Michael Jordan is the greatest mid-range shooter in NBA history. With 10 scoring titles to his name and 30.1 points per game for his career, Jordan runs away with this title when considering the fact that all of his shots came from either at the rim or, you guessed it, the mid-range.

Most fans will combat this with the fact that Jordan was a ball-hog or that he took too many shots. Well, with 10 of his 15 seasons coming with over 48.5% shooting, I said he earned to shoot as much as he wants. Jordan’s mid-range game is arguably the most poetic part of his game simply because it was not respected as much as it should have been. Too many times Jordan was left free to operate and shoot the ball at will, and too many times it ended up burning the other team.

We spoke earlier about Kobe Bryant’s fadeaway being his greatest weapon. Well, imagine that but on steroids. Jordan perfected the turnaround fadeaway during his career using his athleticism, power, and s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 to operate with the purest signature move in NBA history. Almost all of Jordan’s most clutch shots and moments came off mid-range shots. When the greatest scorer of all time uses one specific area of the court to accumulate most of his points, it is safe to say he is the greatest shooter ever from that spot.