They called it lazy until it became legendary. Back when chucking threes felt like a shortcut, no one saw a revolution brewing behind that soft release. But then came Stephen Curry, calmly rewriting the rules without asking for permission. With every shot, he stretched defenses and redefined greatness. Meanwhile, players like LeBron James and Kevin Durant found poetry in power. They danced through contact, carved paths in the paint, and made mid-range look like art. And now, with all the lessons over the years, came the suggestions for the next generation of stars.

Different strokes, same dream: domination. Speaking of KD, who has now found his next home with the Houston Rockets, has an iconic mid-range stat. Over the last 10 seasons, Durant has buried 52.1% of his mid-range shots—a sharp rise from the 41.9% clip in his first seven years. Meanwhile, James hits 37.4% of his shots beyond 3 feet and 37.8% from mid-range.

However, transitioning into the new era of basketball, even Kevin Durant understands the modern nuances of the game. Thus, joining the Akron Hammer and Steve Nash on Mind The Game, KD had some valuable advice for Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

“I understand the balance between having to get up a lot of threes. But I believe you can’t tell you, Luka, or Austin Reaves, don’t play your game and take those shots in the mid-range. Or just be you,” the Slim Reaper told LeBron and Nash. “Certain guys, though, who need to rely on a system or a team, who can’t create on their own, who can’t create those shots on their own. They need to shoot more threes.”

Luka Doncic isn’t built for limits. His mid-range game may have dipped to 35.1%, but it soared to 48.6% just a season later. That’s range with rhythm. So when KD says Luka should play his game, he means it. Let the system-bound shoot threes. Luka crafts shots, not stats. His mid-range isn’t a weakness. It’s a warning. Now, recalling an interaction with ex-Cavaliers hooper Georges Niang, Durant shared his mindset.

In one of the games, Durant scored somewhere around 15 mid-range shots in a row. So, Niang came up to him and told him that he needed more threes. Durant said, “No. These dudes around me need to shoot more threes. I need to play my game. Because if I get into this paint, because y’all gonna collapse on this mid-range ” 

Moreover, Kevin Durant made it clear: stars play their game, not someone else’s script. When he kicked it out, he wanted a clean three, not hesitation, and a mid-range shuffle. That’s for system players, not shot creators. Greatness, he suggested, demands trust—trust in rhythm, instinct, and roles. Because when elite players bend for systems, magic fades. And KD? He prefers fire over formula.

Now that the conversation has drifted from three-point shooting to mid-range magic, have you noticed the major transformation in the league? Well, if you haven’t, then don’t worry, because both LeBron James and Kevin Durant have. And they’ve made sure to clear the air.

Kevin Durant and LeBron James notice the sudden shift on the court

LeBron James, KD, and Steve Nash shared a moment only hoopers truly get. They talked about the rare few who made every shot feel like a sure thing. Steph was an obvious pick. KD belonged there, too. LeBron brought up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, smooth and confident in the mid-range. Meanwhile, Nash mentioned Kawhi Leonard: quiet but cold-blooded. It wasn’t about numbers. It was about trust, rhythm, and feel, which Durant previously emphasized.

“I don’t care if he missed 10 in a row,” Durant said of the Klaw. KD spoke of Kawhi with quiet awe. The mid-range? That’s his throne. Even though Kawhi can hit threes, there’s something sharper, colder, more certain about his pull-up game. It’s where he feels most dangerous. KD knew it. You can miss ten in a row, but Kawhi? He still owns that space. Now, he added, “It’s certain guys that raise up and get to their spot. You know exactly that they plan on doing that. Shai’s one of those guys in today’s league. I even like what Julius Randle did from the mid-range this playoff. That’s the best I’ve seen him play; that’s the best I’ve seen him shoot the ball.”

That’s not all. Durant also mentioned, “I think the mid-range game’s coming back, for sure. That’s a big old conversation right there.” And LeBron chipped in saying: “Because analytics, all these analytic departments right now are saying layups and threes. Free throws, layups, and threes. But we’re watching the MVP of our league right now pretty much dominating through the mid-range.” 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has turned the mid-range into his personal stage, hitting 57.6% on 4.1 attempts one season. According to StatMuse, that’s part of a sizzling 58.0% on all two-pointers. He’s not just scoring—he’s slicing defenses with surgical calm. The numbers whisper it, but the eye test screams: he’s unstoppable there.

While the league kept chasing layups and threes like trends, the real craftsmen found magic in the middle. KD with his grace, Shai with his calm, Luka with that slow-burn rhythm, and Kawhi with ice in his veins—they never needed a green light. This wasn’t a comeback. The mid-range just got louder.