What would be the sky hook of the recent era? (Individual play/move that almost inevitably ends with a bucket)

[tsherkin]

Dirk's fade would also be my choice, yes.

I think I've slept on Nowitzki a bit, too.
Last year I rewatched Mav's whole 2011 PO run.

Do you think his one-legged fade was as "lethal" as KD's mid range, or today's Jokic from the high post or nearer?

Relative to era, yes. I don't think the raw percentages were the same but yeah, it was about as unguardable a shot as it gets. You couldn't really stop it because he created it out of a pivot and acquired so much horizontal separation coupled to his high-arcing shot that you just couldn't really challenge it. And he was a nasty, nasty shooter.

[Beethoven]

A layup I guess.

[tsherkin]

A layup I guess.

Any reasoning behind that?

[Tim_Hardawayy]

I like Dirk's fade as an option also since very few could shoot it like he did.

LOL @ Harden step back 3, the only thing Harden will be remembered for was the idiotic rip through move where he pushes his arms with the ball through the defender to force free throws.

[Statlanta]

The James Harden step back.

Dirk move is too inconsistently used. I bet James Harden would stepback in Game 7 of the NBA Finals whereas Curry would not shoot from the logo in 2016 and make his shot iconic

[Beethoven]

A layup I guess.

Any reasoning behind that?

It almost inevitably ends with a bucket

[ChiTownHero1992]

Lower the shoulder and drive through the lane, your either getting 2 points because no one plays defense and wants to be run over, or they foul you and you get to the line and knock down the free throws.

[tsherkin]

A layup I guess.

Any reasoning behind that?

It almost inevitably ends with a bucket

The layup is more the end result though, it doesn't describe the setup.

[SkyHook]

The Joe Ingles fake pass layup was a bucket. Got people to bite almost every time.

[The Laker Kid]

SGA bumping a defender

[Beethoven]

Any reasoning behind that?

It almost inevitably ends with a bucket

The layup is more the end result though, it doesn't describe the setup.

ok

[syrus3]

Tim Duncan’s bank shot

[Mr Puddles]

Bradley Beal’s defense


Almost inevitably ends with a bucket.

[UcanUwill]

I do not think thats what skyhook is. Skyhook is not inevitable bucket, it is jsut that it is impossible to contest, so if you shoot it at a high clip, there is nothing that can be done about you. I think the closest equavalent in todays game is definitely a step back 3, step back 3 can be contested and even blocked, but it is hard to do and for the most part, it is a shot player can get most of the time if he wants to shoot it.

[DimesandKnicks]

Hartenstein's push shot/tear drop

[benson13]

The Kyle Korver run to the corner and wait on the ball for a wide open three move.

But if we're being serious, the Shaq drop stop. He could go baseline or into the paint, and the result was a high percentage shot.

[tsherkin]

But if we're being serious, the Shaq drop stop. He could go baseline or into the paint, and the result was a high percentage shot.

He's been retired for almost a decade and a half; I don't think he counts as "the recent era," particularly with the paradigm shift in the game since his retirement.

[og15]

I like Dirk's fade as an option also since very few could shoot it like he did.

LOL @ Harden step back 3, the only thing Harden will be remembered for was the idiotic rip through move where he pushes his arms with the ball through the defender to force free throws.

We have that super Harden fan on the board, and while the poster takes it overboard, the poster actually ends up being correct about some things. Due to people disliking Harden and his game, many dismiss or disregard how much influence Harden had on the players who have come in the league now. If you ask the players though, many of those guys were adding Harden's "bag".

KG and Pierce even talk about it at the end here:

Watch on YouTube

;list=PLxRQsSfqSEBwUYuPz-AY96gimsM7dEJ61&index=11&ab_channel=SportsBioCorner

[Chokic]

Wemby near the basket.

[tsherkin]

We have that super Harden fan on the board, and while the poster takes it overboard, the poster actually ends up being correct about some things. Due to people disliking Harden and his game, many dismiss or disregard how much influence Harden had on the players who have come in the league now. If you ask the players though, many of those guys were adding Harden's "bag".

Harden has many problems, but he was always a lot more than just foul-baiting the way his detractors liked to say. He remains a very good playmaker with a strong handle, good court awareness and he drives a lot. Even now as an older guy with diminished quickness, he was 10th in the league in drives per game and sixth in potential assists per game, 5th in assist points created, 10th in box creation.

Like, dude has game. What he does have is an extremely narrow profile of from WHERE he takes his shots, which leaves him a very, very high-variance player, especially because he typically shoots about 35-36% in hyper-volume and can be baited into taking that step-back 3 with a fair degree of ease.

But he is an expert navigator of the PnR, he's a dirty isolation player and just finished leading the league in isolation possessions per game, posting 1.06 PPP on those possessions. The aesthetics of his game, and his variance, certainly get in the way of some recognition which he should be handed, no doubt.