Bearprof;842799839 said:

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It seems to me that I see a fair number of midrange jumpers from the Dubs. Livingston, for sure, and David West too. But also Durant and Thompson, when run off the 3 point line. Not at all uncommon shot for them. So "mostly disappeared" is overstating it.

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You just named one team. I'd still call that mostly. And yes, there are other players who use it to great effect and have for years, like Dwyane Wade. But I think for the most part it has fallen out of favor as inefficient. But if you can hit an open mid-range jumper with great consistency, it is an effective weapon to keep defenses off-balance.

Here's a good chart from 2012-13, which was the most recent I could find on a quick google search:



http://grantland.com/the-triangle/courtvision-the-year-in-scoring/

Further, you misplace my timeline a bit. I was born in 1982, and watched much of Jordan's career in the 90s from around age 8 to 16. College players today were born in the mid-late 90s, and they watched a different generation, where I do think the mid-range game was even less prevalent than it is today (based purely on memory and perception, which I admit could be far off).

concernedparent;842799845 said:

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You have to look at the possible outcomes to make that call. With a dynamic player like Bird, he can become a much more potent threat by driving. The operative word is can, some dudes can penetrate but have no idea what to do when they get there.

If you shoot mid-range, the likely outcomes are:
1. you make it (probably a ~40% shot for Bird)
2. you miss it

If you drive past mid-range:
1. you make a lay up (anywhere from ~10% to ~90%, it's up to player skill to figure out when to shoot)
2. you miss
3. you miss, but because of defensive rotation and the fact the shooter is in the paint, you get an offensive rebound and an opportunity to either get another close range shot, or a shot clock reset.
4. Foul on defense. Especially with the new rules, this is becoming especially common when guarding athletic players like Bird.
5. Defense over-rotates and you either dump off to another player in the paint, or you swing it out for better % shots.
6. Turnover (steal or charge)

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It would be interesting to see the stats for Bird. It seems like turnovers and (less frequently) charges are common, as are misses.