Pacers Season Reviews: Darren Collison

Collison’s Stat of the Season

I mentioned it earlier in the article, but DC’s shooting efficiency from the mid-range this season was impressive. Considering many in the NBA consider it the most inefficient shot, Collison connected on 50% of his attempts that were between 10 and 16 feet from the basket – over 75% percent of which came on a shot he created himself.

In the absence of the Indiana Pacers dominant ball-handler and scorer, it was crucial for the Pacers that someone was able to create his own opportunities when the team needed scoring. Almost fifty-six percent of his scoring came unassisted. Below twenty-five percent of his makes from 10 feet to the three-point line were off of a pass:

Collison was able to come off a ball screen from Bogdanovic to separate himself from his man, then Turner’s screen allowed him space from the mismatched defender that led in a high-quality shot. He loved that look.

His shooting consistency, combined with his ability to be in the right place for an open look, was beneficial in scenarios with little time on the clock. In many cases, a player such as Bojan Bogdanovic or Tyreke Evans would drive the lane after a screen and be met with multiple defenders. If Collison were to just stand at the top of the arc, his chances of an uncontested shot would be much smaller; instead, he finds the open space for one of his more efficient shots:

Out of the 79 three-point shots Collison made this season, nearly seventy percent of them came off an assist. His ability to get off and convert on a shot caused defenders to be more likely to wander from their man, which often resulted in an open look for a teammate, if not for himself.

As far as a moment that would define the Pacers point guard’s 2018-19 season, his crossover against Phoenix Suns rookie and first overall pick in 2018 NBA draft, DeAndre Ayton, was one that won’t soon be forgotten:

This was the best version of Collison creating a shot for himself as he so often did. It was glorious.