Over the summer and throughout the preseason we heard, time and time again, how Andre Iguodala was hard at work on his jumper. Rumor has it, he was shooting 500 threes per day, getting his jumper ready for prime time as the team's starting shooting guard. This is something to love about Iguodala. He picks a weakness and works on it tirelessly until he turns it into a strength. This is part of the reason why I (still) think his extension was not only earned, but vital to the team's long-term development.
While he's proved his dedication and work ethic are beyond reproach, that doesn't mean his methods can't be second guessed. I used a question mark in the headline because I'm adhering to my 21-game grace period for everyone on the Sixers. Still, this is a topic that I think we need to discuss. The question, were all those shooting reps really making him a better shooter?
There are two ways to look at this. The first school of thought, and I have to assume this is what Andre was clinging to, is that repetition builds muscle memory and strength. Meaning, by shooting 500 shots/day, he was developing a shooting motion that he could reproduce under any condition and also developing a feel for the long jumper. He may wind up being right, but if I were Iguodala, or his coach, I would've suggested a different approach.
This quote may be a bit harsh, but read it anyway: "The definition of crazy is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results." (I believe it was an Albert Einstein quote) What I mean by that is, if a jump shot is mechanically flawed, no amount of repetition is going to fix it.
Judging from early results, it looks to me like Andre did nothing to mechanically change anything about his jumper over the summer. It looks exactly the same to me. Now, he wasn't a horrible shooter last season, and he's never been a horrible shooter throughout his career, so maybe he didn't think his jumper needed to be reworked. Still, I think if you ask most scouts, coaches or even fans, his shot is not pretty. It's not a fundamentally-sound shot. There is absolutely mechanical work which could have, and should have, been done to make it an easier motion to reproduce and give the ball a better chance at finding the bottom of the net from distance.
The second route he could have taken was to hire a shooting coach and spend the summer starting from scratch. Get a guru and start from square one. Work on balance, release, follow through and trajectory. Use that repetition to perfect improved mechanics. The NBA has several guys who are good shooters with ugly shots. Shawn Marion and Kevin Martin come immediately to mind. The difference is, those guys are already good shooters, so why mess with it? Iguodala was an average shooter, at best, so what was there to lose with this type of approach?
If you brought this up with a lot of guys they'd be hesitant. Andre's been shooting his jumper a certain way probably since he was 10 years-old, and it's brought him this far. To get him to tear it all down and start over could be quite a hit to the ego, but it shouldn't be. The most-dominant golfer ever, Tiger Woods, after winning multiple majors in his 20s realized he could have an even more perfect swing. He took the time to tear down all of the muscle memory he'd built up over the years and rebuild his swing from scratch. He came back even better.
Someone should've made this point to Andre heading into the offseason. Unfortunately, they didn't, now all we can do is cross our fingers and hope that all of those reps will turn into something as the season progresses.
Thad reportedly went to the Mark Price shooting school and you see what that did for him. Why couldn't Iguodala have attended as well? Of course, Thad probably had better mechanics to begin with.
It looks to me like they made a minor adjustment to Thad's shot, and it's paying dividends.
Marquis Daniels also spent time with Mark Price this summer and it is working quite nicely for him.
Was that sarcastic? He's playing well, overall, but he's also only made 18% of his threes.
I thought the reason he didn't go to the Mark Price shooting school with the rest of the team was that AI wasnt signed yet. Maybe that was just a rumor. I think everyone should relax with AI and the team. You cant add someone like Brand and others and expect this team to gel like other teams that have been playing together more then a year. We have talent and when everyone figures out their role on the team we will be very dominant.
I didn't think the Mark Price shooting school was a team-sponsored thing. Either way, there are other shooting coaches. I agree, I think everyone will settle down and play to their abilities once they figure out the new offense, new teammates, etc. That doesn't change the fact that Iguodala could have reworked his shot instead of reinforcing bad habits through repetition.
Here's a quote from Price,
“Many people think the shot is something you work on from the waist up,” says Price. “But when we work with players, we actually start with placement of the feet (for balance). Overall, we’re not unlike a golf school. We put you on video, let you see what you’re doing wrong and go from there.”
Don't you think Iguodala would've benefited greatly from that?
I agree with gcl138. I think that everyone should just calm down. Its been six games. I thought Iggy was a lot better last game, granted he wasn't that accurate but he was at least attacking the hole. I think a bigger thing to dwell on is why everyone just stands around waiting for Brand to turn the ball over whenever he gets double teamed. Also, someone please explain to me why Lou isn't seeing more minutes.
Lou is playing like crap right now, that's probably why he isn't seeing more minutes. He'll wind up back in his role from last year once he settles down.
Marc Stein reports that Portland's very interested in dealing anyone outside the core. We really should take a look at Sergio.
No way in hell should the team consider dealing Speights for anyone on portland. This guy has tremendous upside...Amare Stoudemire upside.
Even if Sergio turns into Tony Parker...Id rather have stoudemire. Now if you could get him for Theo and maybe a pick than that may be something to look at.
As far as Iguodola is concerned. The Mark Price thing could have definitely helped. Good news is Iguodola has all the tools to be a very good player. And even a ugly jump shot can be corrected. Right now though he is playing terrible. I dont expect him to get a lot better either. His lack of development is the biggest reason this team is probably a 45 win team. Brand is useless without a open shooter to kick too and Iguodola isnt it. Lets see what kind of coach Cheeks really is..
I mean, Stoudemire was beasting a year out of high school, the moment he came into the league, Speights is, what, a guy with two years of college under his belt, scored 14 a game in that sophomore season, and he's currently looking pretty good in limited minutes spelling Dalembert. If Stoudemire had played college ball, he would've been the best player bar none in the past five or so years of college ball. (Chris Paul might've been better - that's it.) He wouldn't have been backing up guys like Noah and Chris Richard. So bigtime upside yes, will he ever be Stoudemire, I'd say there's a 2% chance. Sergio, on the other hand, has a real good chance of turning into a top 10 point guard. He's not just quick, he has obscene playmaking ability. Probably the worst case scenario is Jason Williams, when Jason Williams was good. Of course, you wouldn't want to give Speights up, but if they asked I'd think it over.
Two things, if Rodriguez is so good why hasn't he played more of a role for the Blazers? And can he shoot?
So far, in 139 games with the Blazers he's shooting 39% from the floor and only 29% from three.
I'm not saying he isn't worth a shot, but there's no way I'd trade a guy like Speights for him. I'd do maybe Theo and 2nd round pick.
No, he can't shoot (yet? he's only 22 and hasn't played much). He doesn't play because they're a plodding half-court team. And he isn't really that type of player. And Blake is, and Jarrett Jack was. But whenever he does get time he racks up assists - last game he played 12 minutes, got 5. Anyway, Pritchard says he's going nowhere, but Sergio says he's very unhappy. I think part of my interest here is just how cool it would be to cheer "Sergio! Sergio!" at games.
You raise a good question of why someone in the Sixers organization didn't recommend to Iguodala to get help with his jumper. Sometimes I think NBA coaches have been reduced to glorified babysitters of big men with oversized egos. Instead of giving constructive criticism, they hold back and allow players with flaws in their game to continue doing what's hurting their game.