by Steve
Kerr
It is a difficult task to identify the best shooter in the NBA.
If I had to name a few at the top of the list, I would go with Ray
Allen, Reggie
Miller, Peja
Stojakovic, Sam
Cassell, Eric
Piatkowski, Glen
Rice, Pat
Garrity, Michael
Redd, Allan
Houston, and Steve
Nash.
They are all amazing shooters, but ranking them in order would
be so difficult that it would make the BCS look like a fair, well-conceived
plan to determine college football's champion. Since I can't come
up with one guy who stands out above everyone else, I have decided
to create my own perfect marksman, using the best qualities and
characteristics from the most proficient shooters in the NBA.
I call this creation "Roboshooter."
As a player, my most important shooting fundamental was balance.
Without a good base, a shooter is apt to sway ever so slightly
one way or another, leading to poor balance and inconsistent shooting.
Roboshooter will receive the balance of Miller. His balance
is impeccable. He's not the strongest guy in the world, but his
feet are always underneath his body when he shoots. It doesn't
matter if he is shooting a free throw, pulling up from the three-point
line or catching and shooting off of a teammate's screen. His
balance is one of the reasons he has been so consistent throughout
his career, and why he will go down as perhaps the greatest long-range
shooter in NBA history.
The next item on the shooting checklist involves the placement
of the ball in the shooter's hands. Ideally the basketball should
rest softly in the fingertips and roll from his index and middle
fingers upon release.
I have always marveled at the way the basketball leaves Rice's hands.
He holds the ball gently yet firmly – as if he were holding
a bird – and the ball rolls softly from his fingertips on
release. Roboshooter will have his hands.
From the arms up, I don't think anyone looks better shooting
the ball than Cassell. He has the perfect form and his release
is picture perfect.
Cassell has been overlooked as a shooter for years. This may
be because he has bounced around the league and been in the shadow
of Allen. It may also be because his range is limited to 21 feet.
Many people think a player needs three-point range to be considered
a great shooter. But with the game on the line and an open 18
to 20-footer, I'll take Cassell. His perfect form will look great
on Roboshooter.
One quality that a great shooter needs is the ability to knock
down shots even when fatigued. The NBA game is long and physical,
and a guy with great strength and stamina has a big advantage.
He can run the lanes on the fast break, race around screens, play
defense and still knock down a contested 25-footer late in the
game.
In his prime, the late Drazen Petrovic was the best-conditioned
shooter in the game. He was tireless, constantly working off screens
and wearing out his opponents while draining shot after shot.
The guy who comes closest to Petrovic these days is Stojakovic.
He is big and strong, moves well without the ball and slingshots
the rock through the net from anywhere at anytime. Roboshooter
will have his leg strength.
Surfers will tell you that it's easier to ride a wave than to
catch one. In the NBA it is simpler to make a shot than it is
to get one. Defenders are bigger and stronger than ever, and scouting
reports are very thorough. A stingy defense can make it very difficult
for a good shooter to get a good look at the basket. Therefore,
the best shooters not only need to make shots, but to know how
to get open, with or without the ball.
Roboshooter will have Allen
Iverson's speed, quickness and ball-handling ability in order
to create a shot against a tough defender. It's amazing how often
Iverson will have the ball with the shot clock winding down and
a great defender on him and just make a dazzling one-on-one move
to clear space for himself to shoot.
In order for my Roboshooter to get open away from the ball,
we will give him one more of Miller's many talents. His use of
screens, his ability to push, hold and grab jerseys has made him
one of the best players in the NBA at simply getting open and
taking a shot.
Michael Jordan
used to say that defending Miller coming off a screen was like
being in a chicken fight in a swimming pool. You're grabbing him,
he is holding you, and all of a sudden he gives you a subtle shove
and you are a split-second late chasing him around a screen.
There is one thing left to make our creation the perfect shooter.
Even with the perfect fundamentals and skills, there is an intangible
talent that makes a shooter special – fearlessness. A champion
has to have the fortitude to shoot the ball with the game on the
line, and face the consequences if the shot doesn't go in.
Everyone always remembers Jordan's game-winning shots, but few
remember that he missed a lot of them too. The point was that
he not only wanted to take the final shot, he needed to.
His competitiveness was so fierce that nothing would stop him
from doing whatever it took to win the game. And if he did miss
the shot, he would never get down. He would simply pick himself
up and jump at the chance to take the next game-winner.
Jordan's fearless nature is a quality that only a select few
possess. Larry Bird had it. So did Magic Johnson. These days,
the best clutch shooter is Kobe
Bryant. As many clutch shooters as there are in this league
– and there are a lot – Bryant stands out for his
sheer arrogance and self-confidence. He wants that last shot,
and his body language tells the world that he is going to make
it. That is the attitude Roboshooter will have.
Our creation is done and we have finished making the ideal shooter.
And by the way, Roboshooter can't play any defense. Because like
Bill Murray said in Space Jam, Roboshooter "doesn't do
defense." He just shoots.
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