Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is an anti-analytics throwback star

Over the last decade, analytics-driven coaches across the NBA, EuroLeague and even college basketball have urged their players to abandon mid-range shots. 'Why take low-percentage middies when you can shoot threes or get to the rim?' was the philosophy drilled down to players, several of whom were impressionable enough to heed the advice and restrict themselves to two-level scorers.

However, with each passing year, players and coaches are starting to realize the flaws in the philosophy (Thanks, Daryl Morey). Who could forget when Mike D'Antoni's Rockets missed 27 straight threes against the Warriors in 2017? The Rockets were so hardwired to their game plan that they refused to make an adjustment, leading to their eventual downfall. 

The ongoing playoffs are the perfect example of the return of a lost art. After Jamal Murray made two buzzer-beaters from the mid-range against the Lakers, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to torch the Mavericks from the previously abandoned area on the court.

During Monday's Game 4 win, SGA made 12 of his 14 field goals from the mid-range area while attempting only one three.