KIROE will come in and say that the reason that D'Angelo regressed in shooting is because he didn't cut his hair short. _________________ I was an atheist, until I knew Kobe.
Great stuff, as always, especially for those not so educated in basketball, like myself.
GT, do you think this struggle is normal, that Russell will eventually overcome, or is there something more serious he's got to work in his shooting? _________________ ....
Great stuff, as always, especially for those not so educated in basketball, like myself.
GT, do you think this struggle is normal, that Russell will eventually overcome, or is there something more serious he's got to work in his shooting?
There's nothing terribly concerning there, IMO. Shooting form is like a golf swing...knowing what you're supposed to be doing and executing it the same way every time are two VERY different things, and it can come & go.
There are guys who I watch where I think "he'll NEVER be a consistent shooter shooting that way", but this isn't that at all. This is just a look at his first 100 shots of the season, in which he's struggled, and an attempt to identify some of the issues that he's had. Not a sweeping indictment of his shooting form at all.
Although I do think he'll struggle on floaters & running/drifting shots with his current form.
This analysis is the best thing on Lakersground since JD2K's vids. Can you please apply for a job on the coaching staff GoldenThroat? I'm just saying...
GT, Russell seems to bring that left foot forward on spot-ups but has had much more luck with those. Is it to establish a wider base on landing? I see Curry doing that a lot. Why is this not as much of a hindrance as it is off the dribble?
Edit: Also as far turnaround jumpers, it may be that he's more confident with the right shoulder because he's more comfortable with using his left leg as a counterweight.
Great stuff, as always, especially for those not so educated in basketball, like myself.
GT, do you think this struggle is normal, that Russell will eventually overcome, or is there something more serious he's got to work in his shooting?
There's nothing terribly concerning there, IMO. Shooting form is like a golf swing...knowing what you're supposed to be doing and executing it the same way every time are two VERY different things, and it can come & go.
There are guys who I watch where I think "he'll NEVER be a consistent shooter shooting that way", but this isn't that at all. This is just a look at his first 100 shots of the season, in which he's struggled, and an attempt to identify some of the issues that he's had. Not a sweeping indictment of his shooting form at all.
Although I do think he'll struggle on floaters & running/drifting shots with his current form.
Thanks. One thing I like about him is that he's a fast learner. _________________ ....
GT, Russell seems to bring that left foot forward on spot-ups but has had much more luck with those. Is it to establish a wider base on landing? I see Curry doing that a lot. Why is this not as much of a hindrance as it is off the dribble?
Edit: Also as far turnaround jumpers, it may be that he's more confident with the right shoulder because he's more comfortable with using his left leg as a counterweight.
This is a speculative answer on my part rather than one where I say A + B = C. If you or someone else were to disagree I wouldn't begrudge them. So with that being said, I'd argue that bringing his left foot forward on his spot ups probably does hinder him a bit.
Being totally hypothetical here & these numbers are pulled from thin air.
Pulling your left foot forward the way that Russell does, but everything else is mechanically sound = 3% reduction in efficiency
Shooting on the move, rather than with your feet set, but everything else is mechanically sound = 5% reduction in efficiency
Shooting on the move AND pulling your left foot forward at the same time = 15% reduction in efficiency
That's basically to say that I believe that mechanical flaws are compounded when they're put under less than ideal conditions. Players can get quite good at shooting without any stressors, regardless of their form. But when you're fatigued from running up & down the court, chasing an opponent around, having to shoot in a small window of time that you're open, shooting on the move, etc...those flaws come to light.
Again...all speculative. I don't have anything to back that up other than my own observations.
Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2016 5:00 pm Post subject: Re: Laker Film Room: A Closer Look at D'Angelo Russell's Shooting Struggles
Great stuff. I remember back in the days of Cousy etc. D'Angelo's percentage would be considered very good, lol.
Quick, how many HOF guards have shooting percentages less than his?
GT, Russell seems to bring that left foot forward on spot-ups but has had much more luck with those. Is it to establish a wider base on landing? I see Curry doing that a lot. Why is this not as much of a hindrance as it is off the dribble?
Edit: Also as far turnaround jumpers, it may be that he's more confident with the right shoulder because he's more comfortable with using his left leg as a counterweight.
It's because you have more of a tendency to shoot on your way down off the dribble than spot-ups --- due to the ball getting into your shot pocket from awkward, less deliberate places while dribbling. I think this issue gets compounded by Russell's low vert - the less you elevate - the more quickly you have to get into your shooting motion when you jump --- I've noticed that any indecisiveness while Russell is preparing to shoot off the dribble causes a miss -- even looking off defenders/having his head pointed towards a pass in another direaction right before he starts his J - messes up his midrange off the dribble shot ---- these look-aways, manipulating the D with your eyes is typical from crafty point guards.. But it messes Russell up right before his pull-ups sometimes. This is a tangent, but he has to be more deliberate when he's in his shot-setup. Again, the less you jump, the more likely you are to shoot on the way down..or not be focused on your target by the time you start your stroke, you have less time
That's just a detail, but I think the most disconcerting, possibly long standing issue with his stroke is how he doesn't leave his follow-through up, the pull-back release that he does so often. We've all seen that from him and questioned it... the replay here - like... Not only the pull-back release, but he doesn't fully extend his shooting arm - these two issues make his shot soooo reliant on touch. You have to wonder how reliable that stroke is..
Why he doesn't leave his follow-through up so often? .. it's definitely a mechanical thing, with his shot pocket that's causing this.. I don't know if it's because his stroke/pocket is so displaced from his face that it pulls his lats more, and makes his arms want to retract more naturally. When you don't hold your follow-through it's because there's a pull, something is pulling your arms down a bit - whether it be because your shooting on the way down(and you feel that pull in your wayy lower lats, and your traps have a lot of pressure holding them down, you can't raise your arms.)
Like here and on his game winner in this game - you can see how far outward his shot pocket is from his face, almost reminiscent of Lamarcus Aldrige's high set-point stroke (who'm also doesn't leave his follow through up very often. But it works for him because he's 7feet tall and shooting midrange imo. .. I remember Kevin Pelton predicting that Aldrige would be a great 3pt shooter for them before last season, he went 0-16, imo because he doesn't hold his follow through and has such a short/high stroke. all a bit similar to Russell's at times)
... So yea, he needs to hold his follow-through consistently, but that will require tweaks to his shot-pocket. It's not for no reason that he doesn't hold his follow-through
(and also regarding LMA, I've yet to watch him this year. wonder if he's tweaked his stroke. shooting well from 3 in small sample size)
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