By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
But if the 2016-17 campaign offered an unprecedented quantity of games between the best-known teams on the continent, it is also true that those teams and individuals delivered on the court like never before in terms of quality, too.
Most notably, the season featured a spike in scoring, with the average game reaching 158.16 points combined, the third-best total in competition history after 2000-01 and 2001-02. The scoring witnessed for each and every game was almost 5 points more than throughout the last 15 seasons and 6.1 points more than the standard over the previous 10 seasons. In the end, with more games and more scoring, fans saw 1,600 more points this season than they would have at the previous decade’s rate of scoring.
The scoring rise occurred even though games had fewer stoppages due to fouls and free throws. Fouls were down to 41.08 per game, the second-lowest average for the century. As such, fans sat through almost 6 fewer free throw attempts per game this season than what was the norm over the previous 16 years. However, the free throws they did see were a testament to better skill as EuroLeague players set a record for accuracy at the foul line, making 75.71% of their attempts. It marked the first time ever that more than three-quarters of all free throws were made in one season.
And if EuroLeague shooters were good standing still, they were extraordinary behind the three-point arc, where they set all kinds of records this season. Those shooters made more three-pointers, in per-game numbers, than ever before, 16.86. They also shot from long distance with the best accuracy this century: 37.14%. As such, fans saw 2.5 more three-pointers fall per game this season than the average before this century.
One likely reason that three-point shooting was more efficient is thanks to teamwork that led to great passing in record numbers, too. In 2016-17, EuroLeague teams distributed the most assists ever, 34.9 per game. That exceeded the average over the previous 16 seasons, 27.48, by an astounding 7.42 per game!
Overall then, based on averages, EuroLeague teams as a group this season ranked all-time as follows:
Turkish Airlines EuroLeague per-game improvement in the 2016-17 season
SCORING
In 2016-17, EuroLeague teams posted 158.16 points per game, the third-highest average this century and the most since 2002. Fans saw 4.24 points more scored, in every single game, than the average this century before this season and 6.30 more points per game than during the entire previous decade.
158.16 points
- third-highest per-game scoring average this century
- highest per-game scoring average of the last 15 seasons
- 2000-01 to 2015-16, scoring average, per game: 153.92 ppg.
- 2002-03 to 2016-17, scoring average, per game: 153.28 ppg.
- 2006-07 to 2015-16 scoring average, per game: 151.86
THREE-POINTERS
In 2016-17, teams set new records for average three-point shots attempted (45.38), made (16.86) and accuracy (37.14%).
37.14% three-point accuracy
- highest three-point accuracy this century
- 2000-01 to 2015-16, three-point accuracy, league-wide: 35.5%
45.38 three-point attempts
- most three-point attempts per game this century
- 2000-01 to 2015-16, average three-point attempts, league-wide: 40.46
16.86 three-point shots made
- most three-pointers made per game this century
- 2000-01 to 2015-16, average three-pointers made, league-wide: 14.38
REBOUNDS
In 2016-17, teams collected rebounds at the third-best rate this century, 68.06 per game, which was 2.4 more than the 16-year average of 65.64.
68.06 rebounds
- Third-highest average rebounds per game this century
- 2000-01 to 2015-16, average rebounds, league-wide: 65.64
ASSISTS
In 2016-17, teams distributed the most assists ever, 34.9 per game, marking the sixth season in a row the record was broken. This year, teams exceeded the average over the previous 16 seasons, 27.48 , by 7.42 assists per game.
34.9 assists
- Highest average assists per game this century
- 2000-01 to 2015-16, average assists, league-wide: 27.48
TURNOVERS
In 2016-17, teams protected the ball at the third-best rate this century, committing just 25.56 turnovers per game, which was below the 16-year average of 26.86.
25.56 turnovers
- Third-best average turnovers per game this century
- 2000-01 to 2015-16, average turnovers, league-wide: 26.86
BLOCKS
In 2016-17, teams blocked shots at a higher rate than the century average, rejecting 5.44 per game – fifth-highest of any season – which was above the 16-year average of 5.14.
5.44 blocks
- Fifth-best average blocks per game this century
- 2000-01 to 2015-16, average blocks, league-wide: 5.14
FOULS
In 2016-17, teams committed fouls at the second-lowest rate this century and fans saw games stopped for fouls almost 3 times less than the average over the previous 16 years.
41.08 fouls
- Second-fewest fouls committed per game this century
- 2000-01 to 2015-16, average fouls committed, league-wide: 43.8
FREE THROWS
In 2016-17, fans had to sit through an average of 5.68 fewer free throw attempts per game as compared to the rest of the century, but EuroLeague teams made those fewer free throws at a record rate of 75.71%, higher by 2.5% than the average over the previous 16 years.
75.1% free throw accuracy
- highest free throw accuracy this century
- 2000-01 to 2015-16, average free throw accuracy, league-wide: 73.2%
35.68 free throw attempts
- second-lowest free throw attempts per game this century: 35.68
- 2000-01 to 2015-16, average free throw attempts, league-wide: 41.36
27.02 free throws made
- third-lowest free throws made per game this century
- 2000-01 to 2015-16, average free throw made, league-wide: 30.28