On Brook Lopez's shot location; Farther out, further on

Yesterday we posted a breakdown video by Coach Nick, in which he looked at the differences between the Nets' offense under Avery Johnson and now interim head coach P.J. Carlesimo.

Nick noted that Brook Lopez (prior to last night's game) had 115 post-ups under Carlesimo in eight games, as opposed to 116 under Johnson in 22 games. An interesting stat, for sure.

Another stat that has really stood out in the Carlesimo-era is that Lopez is averaging 4.4 long jumpers per game (16-23 feet), as opposed to the 2.0 shots per game in that range he was averaging under Johnson. One wonders, now, is it an effective use of a possession having your 7-foot center take long jumpers? Well, if he's hitting 54.3 percent of those attempts then, yeah, it most certainly is.

Here's a look at his splits, courtesy of HoopData:

There's likely some regression coming, with Lopez never averaging better than 41 percent from the floor in that 16- to 23-foot rage over his career, but in watching his stroke he's becoming more comfortable in that step out. And as he continues to knock them down a such a high-% rate, it's opening up the offense more for the Nets.

So, should he take fewer long jumpers? One would argue that, yes, given his history he's not going to continue to make 2-plus baseline, 18-foot jumpers per game. But, until then... right?

More on Brook's shot location:

• Player Stats - Brook Lopez - Hoopdata
• Brook Lopez 2012-13 Shooting Splits - Basketball-Reference.com
• Advanced Stats - Brook Lopez - NBA.com