NBA At It Again!

Plus a change, plus cest la mme chose!

This is a French saying that says, The more things change, the more they stay the same. I thought of this as I watched the first two evenings of the new NBA season last week, the beginning of the 2006-2007 season. I was kind of naively hoping Id see better shooting. With everything so new, and new arrangements of teams, new rookies, coaches changing, I thought perhaps another summer of shooting practice might improve the level of shooting in the League.

NOOOOOOOOOO!!

NEW SEASON ... SAME OLD MISSED SHOTS!

Missed shots and missed Free Throws were as evident as ever. Most of the players, obviously, hadnt been spending time during the off season looking for shooting help. Does anyone even care any more?

I made a spreadsheet of the Free Throw and 3-Pt shooting for each of the 30 teams that played in the first 15 games of the year. It was pretty revealing. (I wish they had a statistic for non-3s taken from, say, 5 feet away or further. That would really shock people. Including dunks and layups and tip-ins with outside field goals confuses the issue. Take away the easy ones and the Bigs -- and the League -- would be pretty embarrassed by their stats for outside shots.)

71.7% FROM THE LINE, 31.5% FOR 3S

Overall in these 15 games, the teams averaged 71.7% from the line and 31.5% from the 3-pt arch.

FREE THROWS 71.7%:

For the Free Throws, the team performances went from a low of 50% (Cleveland shooting 15 for 30 in a win, if you can believe it, against the Wizards) up to 92% (Philadelphia making 23 of 25 against Atlanta, who shot a nifty 19 for 22 themselves, 86.4%).

I dont know how 71.7% stands relative to previous years, but its pretty poor in my book. For players as gifted as these guys, who play as much as they play, to make fewer than 3 out of 4 is disappointing, to say the least. Maybe these days 72% is considered pretty good, but in the old days it would be considered mediocre. Further broken down, 13 teams shot 70% or lower, and 5 teams shot 60% or lower.

Here are the box scores for the worst 13 performances from the line:

13 for 22 <- - missed 9

16 for 24 <- - missed 8

27 for 41 <- - missed 14

27 for 42 <- - missed 15

20 for 29 <- - missed 9

15 for 30 <- - missed 15

27 for 45 <- - missed 18

14 for 24 <- - missed 10

23 for 36 <- - missed 13

17 for 25 <- - missed 8

21 for 32 <- - missed 11

18 for 33 <- - missed 15

24 for 39 <- - missed 15

These performances (almost half the number of teams) totaled 262 for 422, only 62.1%!!! These 13 teams missed 160 free throws, 12.3 per game.

3-PT SHOTS

For the 3s, the shooting performance went from an abysmal 9.1% (New Orleans 1 for 11) up to a high of 75% (Orlando making 6 for 8).

Look at these worst 19 totals from the 3-Pt Arch:

3 for 17 <- - missed 14 (18%)

13 for 30 <- - missed 17

5 for 17 <- - missed 12

3 for 19 <- - missed 16 (16%)

2 for 10 <- - missed 8

6 for 19 <- - missed 13

2 for 13 <- - missed 11 (15%)

6 for 21 <- - missed 15

4 for 20 <- - missed 16

3 for 18 <- - missed 15 (17%)

6 for 20 <- - missed 14

3 for 10 <- - missed 7

2 for 14 <- - missed 12 (14%)

6 for 16 <- - missed 10

3 for 15 <- - missed 12

1 for 11 <- - missed 10 (9%)

3 for 16 <- - missed 13 (19%)

4 for 15 <- - missed 11

4 for 17 <- - missed 13

These totaled 79 for 318, only 24.8%!!! One for four, pretty poor, as Dr. Seuss might put it! They missed 239 basketball for an average of 12.5 misses per game.

IS THERE ANY HELP AVAILABLE?

Why do I dwell on these stats so much? Well, these are the greatest athletes on the planet. They are superbly conditioned, possessed of great eye-hand coordination. They practice many hours a day, often under the eye of great coaches and General Managers. They play a lot of games and spend hours and hours on their games. Shooting is probably a big part of that practice time, but obviously not well spent by many of them.

To come to a Free Throw line and make ~75% is not a major human accomplishment. The rim is huge and forgiving, approx. twice the diameter of a ball. The rim can be brought down over the head and shoulders of most adult males in our society. There is a backboard that will often help if the shot goes long. There is no one defending the shooters. They have 10 seconds to shoot. The center of the basket is only 13 feet 9 inches away from the line.

WHATS THE DIFFICULTY?

I see whats not working. I see the guys flipping and throwing the ball up there, hoping it will go in. I see variable motions, I see flat trajectories. I see Set Points that are off line with their eyes, I see stances squared up, when its a one-handed shot, more conducive to an open stance. I see complicated motions, lots of extra muscles engaged. I see fear and doubt. I see shots short and long, some miss left and right by 6 to 10 inches and more. I hear the TV commentators sigh as they report on the, almost continual, 1 for 2 shots made or both shots missed. There isnt much commentary as to whats wrong, what the players can do.

WHAT ARE THE COACHES COACHING?

Can the coaches on these teams help? Are they making a difference? Are the players even listening to their coaches? Are the players coachable? For the $5M, $10M, $15M salaries I read about, they should be.

A LOST ART MAKES IT DIFFICULT

The problem with a Lost Art -- and basketball shooting is surely that -- is that players who couldnt shoot become coaches, and its difficult, almost impossible, to coach something you cant do yourself. It becomes only theory, and theory doesnt put the ball into a basket. And oftentimes, it appears to me, the theories arent even correct.

It takes physical technique to shoot well, not just thinking about it or getting mad, as Shaq said he would do, years ago on Roy Firestones show. Trying to psyche yourself up doesnt work very well or very long. Having a special Pre-Shot Routine isnt the answer either, though I hear it as a requirement by more and more coaches. The guys who are shooting poorly have a routine. They meticulously perform the routine each time. Has it made any difference?

ANY technique can make some shots go in ... sometimes. An old person who doesnt even play the game could toss up shots, maybe even underhanded, and often make 1 out of 2.

Whats more difficult is to make shot after shot after shot with great accuracy, especially under pressure. Making shots when it doesnt count is like making putts in golf on the practice green. Once you get on the course and scores are kept, ITS A WHOLE DIFFERENT BALL GAME!

I HAVE A SOLUTION

If I didnt have a solution, I wouldnt be pointing out these embarrassing statistics. Its not nice to point out the failures of people. But Im a serious shooting coach, and I have an answer to the problems of shooting. I write about it all the time. My videos show whats needed. I can coach it.

If some of the players and coaches want my help, its available. I can show them how to create a pure shot motion that is Accurate, Consistent and Repeatable. Once understood and learned, the motion will send the ball the same distance every time. It will come down softly, more and more dead center. Once distance is under control, then all you need do is learn to control the direction beautifully and ... Swish! It becomes a simple motion. Pressure wont bother you so much because you know what youre doing. Youre not just psyching yourself up.

My videos show very clearly what can be done to master this simple shot. The answer will also be simple, a motion you can perform over and over and over, even under pressure. There are some things that need to be learned and practiced and mastered. But its not difficult stuff. And its thrilling to learn. And, best of all, anyone can do it.

Is anyone reading this who wants to take some action? Call me.

Tom Nordland is a shooting expert and coach from California via Minnesota. His videos, coaching and writings are inspiring a Renaissance (a rebirth, a revival) in shooting around the world as players and coaches are taught the things that really matter in shooting. A great shooter as a youth, Tom was given a gift of seeing shooting like few have ever seen it. He sees the essence of great shooting and how to get there. The good news is that its very simple. The few great shooters of today and yesterday mastered simple things, not complicated motions. Improved shooting is now possible for everybody in the game, and mastery is available to those who sincerely dedicate themselves to it. Visit Toms website (http://www.swish22.com) to read of his background and his articles and newsletters, and to view the remarkable endorsements and amazing testimonials for this approach to shooting.