I get asked by a lot of middle/high school age kids on how I became a pure shooter, and it’s become one of the more difficult questions for me to answer. Firstly, I don’t hold all the answers, on most levels I don’t consider myself a good shooter. My advice is based on my own personal experiences and finding what worked and didn’t work for me. This is in regards to things like mechanics, mentality, reps and quick fixes.
I guess they are technically asking what worked for ME? Or what led me into playing 5 years of university ball. I can give that information out a lot more confidently, that takes my shooting opinions a little more into account.
I wanted to answer some common questions I’ve gotten about shooting, it will more or less display my personal path to being a shooter. There’s such a wide range of good and bad shooting advice online now that it’s tough to tell what’s what. Most folks connected with basketball know the basics of shooting, it’s building off those basics where I lose a lot of younger kids in the improvement process.
Most of these questions are straight from the kids I've trained on a regular basis. I’m always wary about giving super specific advice about certain aspects of shooting, which is why I try to answer from what I learned or what I was taught. Here’s some of the more common inquiries or questions I feel I can answer with some detail and clarity:
Have you always been able to shoot it?
I would say yes, obviously I’d like to believe that I can currently hit more shots than my 7 year old self but you never know. I've always made shooting the ball a massive part of how I played, I loved it. You really have to love it, and I mean you have to love MAKING shots. My former Timberwolves teammate Colin Plumb used to have the best phrase about this. He would consistently say that someone was “a great shooter, he just doesn’t make a lot”, you want to be a good MAKER. You want to make sure your teammates love it when you shoot too.
We had hoops all over my house when I was growing up. Little Tikes hoops, bedroom hang-em-up hoops, and a full sized outdoor hoop eventually. My brother and I shot a basketball in some form or another every single day. That’s literally my first tip, shoot on a hoop every single day if you’re able. I swear I built up some dead-eye abilities by shooting on such a wide range of basketball apparatus’. I’ve only recently stopped shooting every single day, it’s a healthy addiction for me.
If you don’t have access to a hoop of some sort, get access. Buy a hoop, buy your child a hoop, find a hoop you can consistently shoot at.
Is BEEF still relevant?
In case you didn’t know, BEEF is an acronym for proper shooting technique.
Balance - 10 toes pointed towards the rim, triple threat stance, knees bent, athletic stance.
Eyes - Eyes up at the hoop of course.
Extension - having that 90 degree elbow bend to start, then maintaining full extension finishing your jumpshot. Getting power from your legs.
Follow-Through - snap that wrist baby.
This is the simplified version of course, if you’ve ever been to basketball camp before you are probably aware of BEEF. However, the past several years have had some conflicting arguments about teaching kids how to shoot properly. FOREST is an acronym I’ve seen and witnessed on some levels, which emphasizes a slight hip/feet turn and shoulder alignment on your ball dominant side. What I just summed up may be the only useful part of FOREST to a grade 3-4 student learning how to shoot. This technique is promoted by BBALL BREAKDOWN on YouTube and gained more traction from their platform. Unfortunately, if you’re teaching kids the basics of shooting, it's not effective for them.
If I’m attempting to FIX an older player’s shot, parts of the FOREST technique actually really help them find a rhythm. BBALL BREAKDOWN is unaware that their delivery makes it seem like they're telling you to copy an NBA player's form. You have to build up your own base regardless of how you're learning to shoot. Pointing at Steph Curry and telling someone to shoot like them isn't doing them any favors. If you try to teach FOREST to a 4th grader, he loses interest at FORE.
I don’t believe FOREST is a totally bogus technique, but for a young baller’s base knowledge, you want them to have a safer starting point. fixing a jumpshot later in life would be a great time to employ the FOREST technique, especially if they're done growing.
When you get to a certain point, it’s about comfort and sustainability. Guess how every one of those all-star players you’re trying to imitate learned how to shoot? BEEF. Your shot evolves from the base you start with, and I firmly believe BEEF is the best base. You very well might develop some elements of the FOREST technique as you naturally develop as a shooter, don’t over-complicate your learning process.
So what do you do when you try to fix someone’s shot?
I look for a couple things, a big one is what I like to call the “tuck”. Tucking the ball means if the ball goes back into your body too much on your shot motion, or just unnecessary motion in general. I would not call this a hitch necessarily, a hitch isn’t a fluid motion, a tuck honestly could be. A prime example to look at would be Kawhi Leonard and Avery Bradley’s shot evolution's. Both guys were complete non-shooters coming out of college because they loaded the ball up behind their head and catapulted it. The follow-throughs were fine, feet were fine, the motion of their shots were not. A lot of that has to do with both of them having massive wingspans, it almost feels like there’s not enough room to get your elbow under the ball. This causes occasional elbow flares, deteriorating the 90 degree angle.
Watch Kawhi and Avery's jumpshots in their early years:
Check out the tweaks to the shots from the first videos to the next.
Notice the differences between the jumpshots? You can even see Avery's better elbow placement in the thumbnail. Kawhi has the best example of keeping the ball in front of his body so he can maintain the 90 degrees. You can see in his draft video that his 3 point shot was slung like a catapult. Your wrist snap also suffers because of this, it turns more into a throw into a shot. You want it to feel like you’re snapping through the basketball, a tuck can cause you to push it.
A lot of players have experienced great shooting success while having a tuck in their shot, a ton of reps can get you far no matter what. If you’re struggling to shoot, maybe consider keeping the ball in front of your body.
What’s the most important part of shooting off the move?
When you first start tossing the ball out to yourself and stepping into your shot off the move, legs and feet are seriously important. Being low and explosive while stepping into your shot all squared up helps so much at any age. It also helps you experiment a bit more with an in-motion shot instead of a set shot, great shooters have use of both. If you make a habit of catching the ball in triple threat all the time, this won’t be hard.
However, when most of the kids I train have watched me play and shoot the ball, they notice that my legs are all over the fucking place. It’s important to note that I started out shooting off the move completely square as much as possible. As I got older, I took a lot more reps of shooting in-motion and fading away. This has to do with the fact that I shot the ball a lot more than ever driving into traffic and finishing with contact (I’m garbage in the paint). That’s really just not my play-style. The older I got the more I realized that as long as I square my shoulders, I can hit that shot at a higher clip than a contested lay-in.
You can work your way into being a shooter that can be off-balance and still accurate, your upper body motions end up being just as important as your feet. Proper footwork is first a foremost still, you want to be stepping the correct way even if you aren’t perfectly square. Momentum and rhythm becomes equally important.
At the University level, I was more focused on getting the ball up quick and efficiently. That’s why you need to focus on footwork/squaring up early on in your career, at a point it can all become subconscious and automatic. The more serious the reps, the better the shot.
How did you work on your footwork?
Reverse pivot jab series. All the time. You can do the exact same things by tossing the ball out yourself and stepping into a pump fake. This is a big factor in developing your jumpshot and jab work, and teaching you how to be effective in 1-2 dribbles max. This is more specific for pull-ups and attacking the hoop.
*This version is the same idea, you can add a lot more onto your move-set than just a cross step.
What about a catch and shoot 3 then?
Some of what I’m explaining might be confusing, and out of reach for someone just learning to become an elite shooter. This is one of those things, not everyone can really be executing this thought process on 3 point shots immediately, be patient with yourself.
There are two different ways that I set my feet for a 3 point shot. I do a 1-2 step in, and what would be called “ball in the air, feet in the air”. This basically means setting your feet and almost hopping right into your stance before the ball arrives, so as soon as the pass is delivered, you’re already in mid-air. This is a super effective way to get your shot off a lot quicker, but there are certain times on the court when you should be using one technique over the other.
When you are trying to cover distance, use the 1-2 step method. Say you’re coming off a pin down or flare screen, those are both scenarios where your defender is probably tailing you. If your defender tails you, covering as much distance with your steps to get a clean look at the hoop becomes important. If your defender is in a scenario where they have to chase you, always use the 1-2 step. The hop into the shot may be quicker to get off, but your defender will be closer to contest your shot if he’s running after you. You want to be as open as possible when shooting deep 3’s off the move, covering distance with a 1-2 step is more effective in that scenario.
So when would you go to “ball in the air, feet in the air”? Any standstill catch and shoot or kick-out, dependent on time and space. From a University basketball perspective, you rarely have the time or space to go through your entire set shot routine. This is where this technique comes in handy, any time you don’t need to cover distance and just get the standstill shot up, go to the hop. Anytime your defender goes under a screen and you make the read to fade out like you should, the hop is super beneficial. You can hop back on your back peddle to put your weight on your insteps, making sure you’re balanced and not falling backwards on your release. This will cause you to jump forward or straight up, which is exactly what you want when fading a screen.
Here's Kyle Korver torching the bucks using both methods.
Not to call out BBALL BREAKDOWN again, but they have the idea that “ball in the air, feet in the air” is the only way to shoot. You can definitely employ that technique for every shot you take, It doesn’t cover enough distance for me personally. As far as efficiency and movement principles go in a 5 on 5 setting though, I firmly believe shooters should be performing both methods. Both methods set up different opportunities to attack off a pump fake.
Who are some guys you watch for shooting principles?
I grew up a Duke Blue Devils fan, I watched JJ Redick’s entire collegiate career from the ages of 9-12. I don’t know why I was so drawn to him, he was Duke’s best player for the majority of that time I guess. I grew even more of an appreciation for him when he reinvented himself in the NBA, mainly because of the way he moves off the ball.
Watching someone who moves incredibly well off the ball is what helped me realize how to get up shots within an offensive system. I highly recommend watching a guy like Duncan Robinson right now, he’s someone who takes opportunities for back-cuts when he’s being overplayed and makes the correct read at a high rate. Klay Thompson is obviously another guy you should be watching, make sure you’re watching the right thing though. Focus on a player’s movement instead of the highlight plays they make, Klay can uppercut you with 60 points on 11 dribbles, that’s such a deep understanding of how to get space for your shot.
I tend to stay away from Instagram with shooting advice, I believe watching guys perform on the highest level and hearing them talk about how they do it is just as effective. Anyone can shoot around in an open gym, it takes a serious talent to be reading and reacting to an NBA defense.
How many reps would you get up daily?
Speaking of JJ Redick, I listened to his podcast with Kyle Korver a couple years back, which I highly recommend listening too if you’re into the art of shooting. They both talked about how in their NBA careers that getting a bunch of reps up wasn’t a huge part of their routines anymore. JJ stated that he’d usually make 100 shots after practice, and it was just to make sure he was feeling right.
That’s kind of what I felt in my 5th year of University ball, I didn’t get nearly as many reps up as I had every single other year. You come to a point where it’s more about your mentality and confidence in games, you’ve already put up a crazy amount of reps over your career. I feel as though a ton of good shooters go through this mid-season, just getting up enough shots to know you’re still locked in. Mentality is important.
However, my entire career leading up to that point wasn’t like that, I earned that confidence. We had a shooting machine at my highschool, I’d get up every morning before school and make around 400-500 shots. We had a basketball superfit class that ran every second day in the mornings before school, so it made it easy to get up on my days off and shoot. I’m a firm believer in a shooting machine, but understandably not everyone has access to that. Partner shooting is effective, Steve Nash’s 20 minute shooting workout is incredible. Hell, If I can’t get in a gym or touch a ball, I shadow shoot. The biggest thing for me is to keep moving while getting up shots, don’t stand in one spot too long, that’s not really game-like. Even if you just side shuffle after every rep, it helps you practice setting your feet every time.
Consistency is key, having a daily shooting routine is something you want to invest in. I don’t believe you need to do this every single day either, I always aim for 3-4 times a week.
What was your routine?
200 made 3’s
150 made pull-ups
100 made free throws
50 made stepback/side step pull-ups
50 made floaters (this one sucks ass)
This is what I’d do using the shooting machine. No machine? Find a friend to partner shoot. It’s necessary to refine your other skills at some point too, so every other day I’d do some ball-handling and attacking practice. <- My former teammates will call bullshit on this.
Keys to getting looks in game?
Read screens effectively, and set good screens as well. I was always horrible at setting good screens, which honestly hurt my team’s production levels a lot. No one is prone to helping off of you if you can shoot. If I go and set a pindown screen for a teammate, my check may offer little help defense, creating a great opportunity for our team. Sometimes they’ll have a miscommunication and both defenders commit to the curl, where you can pop back for a wide open shot. Better yet, both defenders overplay and you slip right down the middle for a lay up.
When it comes to reading a screen, keeping it simple with movement and fakes actually pays off. You don’t need to dance with your defender, use your body or a fake to send him into a position where he has to make a read. Quick and decisive.
3 most common reads:
Curl - Your defender is tailing you with his hands in your back pocket, not the worst strategy to guard a shooter. If he tails you around the screen, curl tightly to the front of the rim if there’s no post on the opposite block. Why do I say that? Helpside will be right in front of you if you curl tight then. If you have a post on the opposite block, elongate your curl to the freethrow line. You’ll either get the little jumpshot or pump fake your defender out of his socks as he tries to catch up to you.
Fade - Your defender decides to go under, so you push off the screen at about a 45 degree angle out to the 3 point line. This is a rookie mistake from a defender to go under a screen on a shooter, but it happens way more than you might think. This is great for creating a closeout to attack if you don’t have the space to fire it up.
Backcut - This is a bit of a more specific scenario, it would be for someone who completely looks to jump the screen. The defender gets caught trying to cheat the screen, and fully denies you. Plant hard as soon as you see this and go back door, be careful if there’s a post on the opposite block though. Helpside would be a bit closer in that scenario.
If you need an example of this, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are pure excellence when it comes to reading and setting screens. A huge part of Golden State’s offense comes from off ball movement and reads from screens involving those two.
How do you get out of a slump?
I can answer this one with a story. One thing to keep in mind is that EVERY shooter goes through massive slumps, it’s not just you. I used to consistently feel like I was the only known shooter to ever go through slumps (dumbass).
I went 1 of 8 from beyond the arc in a game my 3rd season with UNBC, all of these were brutally wide open shots. We had just gotten back from an exhibition trip to California, where I had maybe 6 points over 2 games. I was feeling all types of shitty, so after the game I stuck around while the clean-up crew was out and I got up a bunch of shots. Our intramurals Coordinator Kaz stopped what he was doing IMMEDIATELY and started to rebound for me (Anyone who knows Kaz, is aware of his overall GOAT status at UNBC). I start to get in a rhythm and hit some shots, Kaz sticks with me for probably a full hour. I go over to thank him after I’m done, and he’s looking at me like I’m a complete moron. He then says “You know you’re a great shooter right?”, still looking at me like I don’t know that 2 + 2 = 4. Of course I said yes, but then he says “You're playing like you don't know that”.....
This guy. He made me feel stupid for being concerned about a slump, because what was I going to do differently? Not shoot it anymore? Just because you’re going through a slump, does not mean you can’t shoot it anymore. I’ve gone 1 for 8 from deep, I’ve also gone 7 for 8 from deep, this is my role on the team. If you truly label yourself a shooter first, slumps ain’t shit. They last way longer the more you think about it. You’ve been given this job for a reason, and you’re going to have some bad days at work. If your role isn’t in question, go out and go to work.
Sidenote: Kaz said this to me, and I remained hot for the rest of the season. Shooting at a high level is about your MENTALITY, not everyone is blessed with a Kaz in their life.
Ideal release point?
As long as the balls in front of you, I personally don’t see an issue with release point. A higher release can help you shoot over more defenders, a shorter quicker release from your chin can get the shot up faster. A lot of kids have concerns about their release point, and I always say who cares? I’m only concerned about the fluidity of the shot, there’s benefits to all different release points. You don’t need to shoot it above your head. Look at all the different release points in the NBA.
Too many kids change their shooting form because they believe they have too, you definitely don’t. Your shot evolves with you as you grow, if you have proper technique and a low release point, keep at it. No one will argue with you if you’re sniping it from outside.
I’m not enough of a talent to tell you what’s guaranteed to work for you, some shooting questions I’m not really qualified to give good advice on. This is how I experienced the 3 point shooter role in my life, nothing more. This advice is probably only relative to those who want that pure shooting role on their prospective teams. To me, becoming a good shooter is a lot like solving a math problem. Your coach will want you to show your work, reps outside of practice, making correct reads in practice. You don't ever get to declare you have the answer and simply say you're a shooter, that title is earned by those who can successfully show their work, day in, and day out.
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