Focused and Hungry
- Thread starter MadRU
- Start date
Can't tell where Jacob Young is around the 7 second mark but his and Geo's stepbacks both seem to be two-pointers... just get back an extra foot and make it a 3!
Yes, this is going to be my hobby horse all year. There's a reason the smartest NBA teams have pretty much completely eliminated the long two-point jumper from their arsenal.
Yes, this is going to be my hobby horse all year. There's a reason the smartest NBA teams have pretty much completely eliminated the long two-point jumper from their arsenal.
Is it a tough shot so maybe set up behind the line in the first place so there’s no need to step back or even better set up two feet behind the line and maybe even step into it and better yet possibly create a foul
Defense isn’t going to give you a three foot cushion if you can make shots.
Stepping back is how you create space. Hard dribble and jab and then step back. Not as simple as just setting up further back
Well yeah, they don't make highlight reels out of the ones you miss. Geo shot 38% on two-pointers last year (that's ALL two-pointers including layups/dunks), that needs to be at least 45%. If he can get there with tough stepback jumpers then fine, but I'm skeptical.
I dont disagree with you, and he needs to be more consistent. His true shooting percentage and effective shooting percentage were, sadly, still near the top of the team for the season as a whole. The stretch between the Indiana game late in the year when he started getting sick and the Minnesota game to start the B1G tourney when he shot 23% did not help.
I agree with you that there are statistically more effective shots, and long 2's suck. I agree that perfect form is preferable to a step back 3 or 2.
But this team is at the point that I want them hitting shots they're comfortable taking and then refining those other issues in the long run. I think Geo will make a big jump in FG% and overall efficiency this year, despite moving to the 1 and being a target. I'm never a fan of completely reworking someone's game or shots, because you can really mess someone up.
Hubert Davis had the sweetest stroke I've ever seen, but I watched Reggie Miller be the cause of a lot more wins than Hubert with his sacraligeous knuckle ball. (And I know you're talking about shot selection, not all form, but I think it's still applicable.)
Last edited:
It's really no tougher than a "step back 2 with your feet on the arc". to maximize his efficiency, he should either be penetrating more before stepping back to get a closer shot nearer to the elbow, or he should be stepping back all the way past the arc.
It is way harder to take 2 or 3 hard dribbles in one direction and then step back than it is to take one hard dribble and step back. If you don’t believe, go out on your drive way and try it. Takes a special athlete to do it and retain efficiency.
My thought last year were that those were the shots he could get off(long 2's). Defend the 3 ball and the penitration to the hole.
Sure - but if you're going to take one hard dribble and step back, at least make sure that you don't end up standing with both feet on the line. Shoot 10 of those a game at 40%, and you just gave up 4 points.
Looked like Issa is still starting his shot from his waist. I hope its true that he is more confident putting the ball on the floor and taking it to the rim.
He caught the ball at his waist, so that's where it started. His release point was extremely high. Issa's problem has been hesitation and lack of confidence, but the actual release point is high in these videos
No coach wants people taking shots with their feet on the 3 point line. 10 shots a game with someone's foot on the 3 point line would be an extremely high number and show zero court awareness from the players.
So say 60 stepback shots at 40% over the course of a season where a players feet are on the line.... that's 24 points. However many you want over however many games, the numbers are just illustrative. Whether it's one game or several, have to focus on getting behind the line on those step backs.
I'd love to see Geo evolve that shot into the Kemba-Walker-esque dagger. He's really good at getting that step, and getting that shot off - he just needs to work on starting from the right spot and timing it right to get both feet behind the line. He's inches away from that, but it'd immediately make him more effective.
Or alternately, if he's going to penetrate and step back, he could work on penetrating deeper to get a higher percentage shot. Shooting with feet on the line is likely a negligible difference in FG% than shooting a three. Either get behind the line, or find a way to get a few feet past it to up the FG%.
Agree with the last point. I don't think many shots are step back 3's with their foot on the line though but that's a bad shot. More of his shots are a step inside which on a step back does make a difference in difficulty.
A step back three in general is a tough low percentage shot. I want our guys taking rhythm catch and shoot 3's. Let's up our percentage on those before we start asking for step back 3's. Doubt Pike wants to see too many of those either
A step back three in general is a tough low percentage shot. I want our guys taking rhythm catch and shoot 3's. Let's up our percentage on those before we start asking for step back 3's. Doubt Pike wants to see too many of those either
Agree - but it does seem like a facet of Geo's game that he's comfortable with. He should either work toward making it into a three, or getting closer for a better percentage two - too often he ends up with one or both feet on the arc.
I'd much rather he be shooting rhythm catch and shoot threes - but he's also working at the point this year, so he'll likely be on the ball much more than off it. Being able to create space for a three would be more valuable for him than for, say, Thiam or Harper, who we'd hope would be fed more catch and shoot opportunities.
