2weekswithpay wrote:I read this
article a while back about how shooting should be at the center of almost every player's offseason workout plan.
I’ve found that improving a player’s shooting is the quickest way to influence their game. Most players have significant opportunities for growth in this area, so better shooting can significantly boost their overall performance. After achieving this small win together, it opens up the opportunity for honest conversations about how they view their game within not only their team but the larger NBA ecosystem.
Last summer, I worked with a 15-year vet. He has played in the EuroLeague, China, and nearly every country you can think of, accomplishing incredible success.
During our first conversation, this player expressed what he wanted to work on during the offseason. It was a laundry list of actions, moves, and different types of specific shots. This is a common theme among players, regardless of their level of experience. From youth to the NBA, they all want to work on everything.
The problem with working on everything is that you can only put a limited amount of time into each thing, making it ineffective in terms of compounding. Sure, you are getting “better,” but you are not getting any type of compounding effect.
Maybe the issue isn't work ethic, but players not prioritizing the right things.
This is perhaps the bane of Bulls development the last 15Y. Glad they got the shooting coach for year, but how many players have we had who underachieved in the shooting department after seeing a summer hype video reel of their workout routines, adding muscle, dribbling 5 basketballs, working on defense, etc.
Not that the stuff isn't important, but at the end of the day, how different would it be if McDermott, Portis, Lauri, even Coby, Wendell just hammered in shooting from the gate? For some of these guys it was their bread-and-butter coming in (especially Doug, Lauri and Coby), yet their percentages as young Bulls were below league average.
Which brings me to Pat... "Good" shooter, stuck on low-volume and streaky confidence. How easy would it have been to simply his game to chucking open 3Ps at a high rate at a good clip? Instead, I have no idea what his actual purpose is in the offense.
Then Dalen and Julian seem like DEEP projects. Getting brutal open shooters to gain NBA range is a tall order.
Anyway, hopefully Noa and Matas buck the trend.
