DarkXaero wrote:NyCeEvO wrote:Bigs only get spacing like that when they're coming off of PnPs/PnRs or their man is doubling hard off of a teammate.
Look at the 3 Brook made this season. Look at the plethora of 3s Horford makes. It's not that their guys are sagging off of them and they're just popping 3s.
The off-ball action frees them up and gives them the space to take their time for the 3. The switching defender (normally a wing) has to make a decision on whether to close hard on them, which could lead to a pump fake and drive for an easy 2, or play the numbers and leave them open for a 3.
Steph Curry is the exception to the rule for all basketball players, let alone NBA players. The guys who were considered the GOAT 3pt shooters before Steph all squared up. Klay Thompson squares up.
And what's done in practice is completely different from game situations. Steph Curry makes 70+ 3s in a row in practice. I know for a fact that both Rondo and Dwight shoot 80% from the free throw line in practice.
Game situations and running over sets full speed is a completely different context then basic shooting drills.
The bit with pick & pop, that's more or less part of what I said. Bigs are able to get spacing off pick & pop relatively easily. But even closeouts on 3pt shooting bigs aren't the same as they would be on a wing.
Steph Curry was used as an example. Do you consider Kevin Durant a great shooter too? Because he doesn't square up either. And yes, I know that practice is completely different from game situations. I'm well aware that Dwight and Rondo can actually make their free throws when there is no pressure. I'm sure even the likes of Reggie Evans can. My point is that if Brook is already doing it in practice with his slow release and lack of elevation, he can theoretically do it in a real game. Unlike Rondo and Dwight, Brook doesn't have a shooting deficiency, he's a good mid range shooter and a good FT shooter.
First of all, I started off by saying that Brook should work on his 3s. I suggested corner 3s because that's where the breakdown in defenses usually occur and players tend to be left wide open. I never said he shouldn't shoot 3s at all. I just don't want him coming down the court popping 3s or have plays run for him where he shoots 3s.
Horford does it well. He primarily only shoots 3s on the PnP scenario we discussed earlier or if he's super wide open. I have 0 qualms with Brook doing that since if he drove the basket after being at the three point line, he'd probably be met by a swarm of defenders. At least with the wide open 3, it's uncontested and we potentially get an extra point if he makes it. He'd just need to make it at a solid clip in order for it to be worth it.
The Curry-Durant not squaring up talk is really a myth, or more like a misunderstood aspect of shooting.Traditionally, we've associated "squaring up" to the basket with the alignment of the feet. Technically, that's not the key part of the form for proficient shooters. It's the alignment of the shoulders and the follow through of the shooting hand which need to more or less be in alignment.
The base is simply where you get your power from shooting 3s. Historically, shooting coaches try to get players to keep their feet parallel and level so that they get used to shooting a particular robotic form. Having one's feet parallel to one's shoulders and the shooting hand extended in a straight line is something easy to remember and focus on.
While that is a good way of getting a nice, repeatable shooting form, people have to come realize that when you do this, you form a square with your body and shoot from one of the upper corners even though your eyes are in the middle of your body. It's kind of weird when you think about because we're actually not using our eyes to line up the shot. If we had our eyes on our shooting shoulder, it would be much easier to align our line of sight with our stroke and know exactly when we're off.
Now with players and coaching realizing that squaring up the base while it's important for drawing power and can help with alignment, what's more important making sure your shooting hand is going to the basket.
What Steph Curry often does is twist his body such that upon the releasing the ball, his eyes line up with his shooting shoulder and his shooting shoulder aligns with his hand. It's like a billiards player lining up his pool stick for straight on shot.
Curry is technically squaring himself up but not in the way that coaches and players used to square themselves. This is why he can jump at all sorts of angles and have it appear that he's throwing up a random shot which isn't the case. He only uses his legs for power (not alignment/form) and he lines the basket like he's shooting a target with a gun.
Durant has a similar form. One foot is almost always behind the other when he shoots but if you watch his shoulder and hands, he shoots with his head almost behind his shoulder and his hand "in" the basket. As long as they aim and they are aligned eyes-shoulder- ball-basket, they feel like it's going in.
