NOSEBLEED SPORTS MEDIA
MJ Mondays
NO DEBATE. JUST RECEIPTS.
VOL. 1, NO. 19 · JULY 6, 2026 · EVERY MONDAY
THE STAT THAT SHOULDN'T EXIST 01
ANALYTICS KILLED THE MID-RANGE. JORDAN'S CAREER WAS BUILT ON IT.
Mid-Range Field Goal Attempts — Jordan vs
Today's NBA
70%+ ~15% Bad Shot
MICHAEL JORDAN 2025-26 NBA AVERAGE ANALYTICS SAYS
The modern NBA has largely eliminated the mid-range jumper. Analytics says it's the most inefficient shot
in basketball — worth two points but harder than a three. Jordan built his entire career on it. His pull-up
from 15-18 feet, the fadeaway from the elbow, the step-back from the free throw line — these were his
primary weapons. Modern analytics would have told Jordan to stop shooting his most effective shot.
Jordan's response would have been to shoot it more and make it anyway.
THE GAME YOU FORGOT 02
Chicago Bulls vs Philadelphia 76ers 1987-03-24
7 3 22/32 W
POINTS REBOUNDS ASSISTS FG RESULT
56 From Mid-Range.
THE SHOT THEY SAID WAS INEFFICIENT
March 24, 1987. Jordan scored 56 points against Philadelphia on 22-of-32 shooting — 69% from the field.
He took maybe three or four three-pointers all game. The rest came from the mid-range, the free throw line,
and the paint. His shooting selection would be flagged as 'inefficient' by modern analytics departments. He
shot 69% on those 'inefficient' shots. The entire modern argument against mid-range basketball falls apart
when the player making them is Michael Jordan.
MJ VS TODAY 03
Has The NBA's War On Mid-Range Gone Too Far?
JORDAN'S MID-RANGE ERA MODERN ANALYTICS
MID-RANGE % OF FGA MID-RANGE % OF FGA
~70% ~15%
JORDAN CAREER FG% VS 3PT REVOLUTION
49.7% Dominant strategy
PER-GAME DOMINANCE COUNTER-ARGUMENT
Unmatched KD, DeRozan still use it
The analytics argument against mid-range is built on league averages — the average NBA player shooting
from mid-range is less efficient than the average NBA player shooting a three. But Jordan was never average.
His mid-range efficiency was elite because his shot selection was elite. The lesson isn't that mid-range is bad.
The lesson is that bad mid-range shooters shouldn't shoot mid-range. Great ones should shoot as many as
they want.
Should the NBA bring back the mid-range?
YES — TOO MUCH THREE-POINT DEPENDENCE NO — ANALYTICS ARE CORRECT ONLY FOR ELITE SHOOTERS
JORDAN WOULD IGNORE ANALYTICS ANYWAY
THE COLDEST MJ MOMENT 04
EFFICIENCY ON HIS TERMS
He Shot 69% On 'Bad Shots.'
When Jordan shot 22-of-32 from the field — 69% — against Philadelphia, almost every
shot was from the area modern analytics departments call the 'dead zone.' The mid-range
elbow. The baseline fadeaway. The free throw line pull-up. All dead zone. Jordan shot
69% from the dead zone. The term 'dead zone' assumes everyone shoots the same.
Jordan didn't.
THE MJ STAT VAULT 05
FG% — MARCH 24, 1987 VS
CAREER FG% — MICHAEL JORDAN
PHILADELPHIA
49.7% Primarily a mid-range scorer. Career 69%
22-of-32 shooting. Almost entirely mid-
49.7% from the field. Higher than most
range and paint. The efficiency of a layup
modern three-point era players.
drill.
CAREER 3PT% SCORING TITLES WON
Jordan was a mediocre three-point All 10 built primarily on the mid-range
shooter by volume. He didn't need the jumper. The shot analytics says is bad
three because the mid-range was his won more scoring titles than any other
weapon. shot in NBA history.
JORDAN'S MOST LETHAL DISTANCE
18ft
The pull-up from 18 feet, just inside the three-point line, was the most unstoppable shot in basketball for 15
years.
THE FORGOTTEN MAN 06
OVERLOOKED · UNDERRATED · DESERVES MORE
Brad Daugherty
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS · 1986–1994
19.0 PPG · 9.5 RPG CAREER AVERAGE — 5X ALL-STAR
The All-Star Center Cleveland Forgot Because Jordan Kept Eliminating Them
Brad Daugherty averaged 19 points and 9.5 rebounds per game for his career and made 5 All-Star teams.
He's the best center Cleveland ever had. He retired at 28 due to back problems — we never saw his full
career. The championship contender he anchored with Mark Price and Larry Nance was legitimate. Jordan
eliminated them in 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1992. Daugherty's career exists entirely in the shadow of those
eliminations.
The Jordan Connection: Cleveland's Daugherty-Price backcourt gave the Bulls their hardest regular season
competition in the Eastern Conference before the Pistons years. Jordan had no easy nights in Cleveland.
Daugherty was the reason.
Who's Your Forgotten Man?
Reply with a player who deserves more credit. Best answer gets featured next Monday.
MJ MONDAYS The Jordan Era · 1984–2003
Every Monday. No exceptions.