Gametape is a full game analysis on a great individual shooting performance. Meaning I will do you the favor of time-stamping certain moments of importance below, as I go through and take notes on the full game footage.
Why wouldn't you just watch the highlights instead of the full game to get these clips? Sometimes when you're a talented basketball player, you do some excellent shit on the court and proceed to huck up a dishwasher that shatters the backboard. It happens. Klay and Steph are especially prone to doing this with their consistently ridiculous heat checks.
Since I've recently posted about shooting, I've looked at lot at Klay's shooting rhythm, movement off the ball, and screen reads. I want to highlight how elite level shooters get their opportunities. Watching a player like Klay motion around on offense can really help apply his thought processes to your own game.
A couple of background points you should know about this game:
1. In the words of internet legend Chris Smoove, the Pacers ain't ready for prime time. Give these guys a manual. Guards lose focus regularly when their check gives up the ball, super lackadaisical defense at times. An exceptionally mailed-in performance.
2. Klay's cardio has to be impossibly good. He defends Paul George on one end and sprints around for 24 seconds on the other, it's incredible.
3. He only plays 3 quarters, he had 60 at the end of the 3rd. I understand at that point it's frowned upon to run him in a 40 point game. BUT CMON STEVE?? HE'S OUT FOR BLOOD.
Analysis
2:36 - I love that they start with this weirdly amazing play. Klay sets a weird mid-range area flare for Draymond, and then rolls right across the key to other side of the floor. Monta Ellis loses sight of Klay and gets caught on a flare screen under the hoop. Dray throws the skip, Klay has enough time to drag-step his foot into place, bang out. Staying in motion, and simply filling open space.
5:53 - Great shooters set great screens. Klay hits Pachulia's man on the pindown. Pachulia gets fouled from pump faking the floater?? Who's jumping for that guy? Sell the team Larry.
8:40 - Upon first glance this doesn't seem like a scoring opportunity, but Klay cuts out to the corner after a hand-off and simply catches the ball already set. Catches it high, keeps it high. Grills a steak on Monta Ellis' face for the long two. Klay makes it a point to always catch on balance, super simple and something you should incorporate.
10:25 - Klay misses short, but he extends out into his pull-up really nicely coming off the pindown screen. He gets a ton of his matchups to run into screens, usually just changing pace with a quick fake. You'll notice he consistently tries to freeze the defense off of his pindown catches.
11:10 - Klay curls a the first screen of a stagger set, a great way to go when Monta Ellis is already tailing him hard. Steph leans into him on the screen when he sees Monta tailing, very effective. Only illegal if you get caught, always cheat to win. (Within reason you degenerates)
13:35 - Monta is still trying to tail the stagger, it's not working. Klay gets a nice catch for a dead-centre 3. He ends up ripping right away, taking more space away from his defender caught on screens. Freezes Myles Turner in helpside, hesi-in-and-out into a jumper. Excellent footwork, steps in 1-2.
13:59 - This is just another high paced cut. He catches the ball about halfway through his cut on the way to the rim and gets a lay-in. Defending Klay Thompson is like watching after a rumblin' stumblin' newly-walking toddler, you have to have your eyes on him at all times or he'll find an easy way to catch on fire.
16:30 - 100 dollar backcut, 2 cent finish. Great read again off stagger, the Pacers continual over-play on the screens is hurting them.
Notes so Far:
-Warriors have 15 assists in first quarter, the Pacers are in a Ninja blender.
-Klay has 17, he had a couple of leak out touchdown lay-ups on the fast break that weren't noteworthy. Non-existent transition defense from Indiana.
29:00 - Klay curls another screen at the elbow, goes straight downhill for a lay-in. He's just always in motion, have you ever guarded someone who is constantly setting/coming off screens? Asthma attack. Attack the screen being set for you, that way your defender has to make a split second decision that's usually incorrect.
30:50 - He fades a tiny bit off the pindown so he can rip the ball right, his check gets caught on the other side of the screen for just enough time. He brings the helpside big over, freezes him with the dribble, and pops back to a fading baseline jumper. You can see his shoulders square right as he releases, the hesitation gives you the extra second to take a longer look at the rim and focus in.
32:10 - Klay gets another kickout pass after McCaw misses. Always realizes how much time he has, he calmly drags that right foot into the set shot 3 ball. Indiana's defense is in the fetal position.
33:26 - He gets a headman pass on the fast break, steps in 1-2 to a tiny ass headfake. Defender jumps into orbit, Klay cross-steps into a beautiful step-back 3 going left. The technique and balance on this play is outstanding, smart decision not driving back into traffic. WATCH THIS FOOTWORK, APPLY THIS.
33:55 - asjdfklahfdskj;hgasghgf WHAT. Klay decides to cut across the middle of the key and run his guy off Pachulia who's posting up. This wasn't incredibly effective, and he catches the ball completely not facing the hoop. He 1-2 steps on a bit of a curl into the DEEP corner as he catches, rises up for an absolutely disgraceful fade-away. Squares his shoulders, heavily contested, but balanced. Call the fucking fire department.
45:48 - Klay comes off a baseline floppy set (single-double screens on opposite sides), defender is a tad behind so he curls a bit and punches the ball middle. Kicks out to Iguodala, not a great shooter. Klay doesn't stop moving though, he follows his pass out to the corner. Iggy gives him space on the pass, turns and drags that right foot into place perfectly. Pump fakes and jumps into Monta Ellis for a foul. One possession = 1 full marathon ran.
48:42 - Beautiful double ball screen set. Looney and Klay are setting the screens at the top, Steph comes off Looney's side with some pace. Klay steps into his defender, Looney sets an immediate cross screen for him. Klay steps in right-left perfectly, covers enough distance, wet ball son.
Halftime : a fat 40 burger from the man wearing the party city goatee.
54:10 - Klay rips off some elbow double screens on the inbound play, loses his guy just by change of speed. Curls last screen into a mid-range jumper, easily getting himself open.
55:40 - Elite shooters know when to backcut, don't ever force a play to happen. Usually when you come off a pindown or stagger like Klay was here, there's no help on a backcut. If you managed to shift your match-up even a little, you're usually wide open. Klay has never needed to dribble to score, it makes him super easy to play with.
**Somewhere between this time frame is the famous full court pass from Draymond to Steph, which turns into the behind the head lob pass from Steph to KD.
1:08:00 - Watch this entire sequence and what he makes Monta Ellis go through, this dude is doing figure 8's along the baseline. My guy put in a shift to shoot these free-throws. You can never pump fake too much in these scenarios.
1:09:10 - Here's where the big middle finger shots start again. Zaza grabs the o-board, Klay literally runs right off of him to the corner. Zaza drops it off behind his back to Klay, crowd already starts erupting. International post players love shooters, because they love doing these ass backwards hand offs (Vaggelis Loukas was/is my hand-off guy) . Klay steps in 1-2 facing the hoop this time, beautiful rhythm.
1:11:20 - Steph steals the inbound pass, you already know he's about to throw an ill-advised pass to Klay. Steph catapults a lefty hook pass right on the money, Klay steps into shoot. He ends up giving a headfake, and resetting himself with a dribble into a hop. First time I've seen him use the hop?
1:14:35 - An on-the-fly flare screen from Javale McGee on the right side gives Klay 60 points. Amazing footwork, back-peddles into a 1-2, keeps his weight forward so he doesn't fade. Tightrope levels of balance.
60 points on like 11 dribbles? Adopt this style of movement and consistent cutting. Team basketball is at it's best with players who don't need the ball for a full possession to succeed. If you can't display some off-ball movement in your gameplay, you become one-dimensional. The number one knock on pure shooters is if they can't move and find open space, you have to create for yourself on some level. Studying game tape is something I've always done and is easily accessible to young ballers. Knowing what to look for is the issue, don't get caught up in the made shots, get caught up in how they got the look.
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