Over the course of his 125-game career in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, Nikola Mirotic has shown he is capable of scoring every imaginable kind of basket. The FC Barcelona star has put his impressive blend of size, athleticism and technique to great effect, averaging 12.6 points per game with a collection of searing slams, nerveless long bombs and everything in between.

More than any other method of scoring, though, Mirotic excels with a specific shot which perfectly showcases his varied skillset: the mid-range fadeaway jumper. Often receiving the ball with his back to the basket in the low post, Mirotic's strength and sharp footwork give him separation from the defender attempting to guard him, before his athleticism allows him to hang in the air as he jumps away from the basket. In mid-flight, his size gives him the ability to shoot over pretty much any opponent, and finally his flawless shooting technique sends the ball spinning beautifully through the hoop.

It is Mirotic's almost unique range of talents that makes him so difficult to counter. At 2.08 meters, he is both tall and strong enough to go up against opposing big men inside the paint, but he is also fast and explosive enough to provide a tough match-up to smaller players. When you throw in his court awareness, ice-cool temperament and technical prowess, it makes him almost impossible to stop – especially when all those abilities are mixed together in one facet of play, as best exemplified with fadeaway jumpers.

Mirotic's ability to hit the mark while falling away from the basket is on display pretty much every time he steps on the floor, and was recently showcased in dramatic circumstances at the end of February. With 5.4 seconds of a Round 26 meeting with CSKA Moscow, another title hopeful, the game was tied 80-80. Barca needed the win to secure a playoffs berth.

From a timeout, Malcolm Delaney sent the ball inbounds to Mirotic, who was guarded by defensive ace Howard Sant-Roos in the low post. After the game, Mirotic explained what happened next: "As soon as I got the ball, I saw that I'm matched up against a shorter player who defends very aggressively. On the weak side there wasn't enough space for me to drive to the basket, so I immediately took one dribble and shot a fadeaway jumper, the kind of shot I'm very comfortable with, and the shot that a shorter player can't block."

Needless to say, Mirotic sank the shot and sent his team back home as winners, in addition to striking a psychological blow over the reigning champs, who had humbled Barcelona back in Spain in their previous meeting. In so doing, Mirotic made it clear that he has a weapon that all opponents must fear from now on.