Optimizing offensive efficiency through better shot selection

A big part of the job of being a high-level athlete is the constant pursuit of hidden edges that will help optimize performance at both the player and team level. Particularly when it comes to trying to be as hyperefficient as possible offensively, finding ways to score more consistently and more reliably. 

There has obviously been a lot of developments across all of the major North American sports over the past however many seasons, that have helped us do just that. 

In basketball, the mid-range shot has been largely eradicated, with teams instead prioritizing some combination of three-pointers and high-percentage shots around the hoop. In football, teams are starting to clue in on the fact that they should be throwing instead of running, and that they should be going for it on fourth downs instead of just putting it away. Baseball has been arguably the most ruthless of the bunch, turning into a three-true-outcome sport where you're either hitting a home run, drawing a walk or striking out while trying. 

Hockey has been frustratingly slow to adapt and evolve relatively, but there have still been some highly useful revelations in recent years. We're now keenly aware of how valuable shots that get the goalie moving laterally are, which is why you see the best teams actively seeking out passing sequences that are either travelling from east to west or out from behind the net.