Big Baby's Jumper
by Jeff Clark on Nov 25, 2008 12:03 PM EST
in Boston Celtics News & Links
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PrintInteresting note by Kevin Henkin on Big Baby's new mid-range jumper:
Early in the season, Davis unveiled a new mid-range jumper and was hitting it with some surprising frequency. Some, including me, wondered if the new weapon in the Glen Davis arsenal had come under the guidance of the Celtics’ coaching staff or if Davis had worked on the shot on his own during the off-season. The answer is, a little bit of both. Davis was instructed to work on the jumper after last season by the coaching staff and put quite a bit of effort into doing so. “I was just working on it this summer. I haven’t been hitting it though,” he added. When I pointed out that the jumper had indeed been falling in some other previous games, he said, “Yeah, off and on. But yeah, it’s something that I’d been working on all summer. I was encouraged to [work on] it.”
Davis will be a free agent after the season and it would be good to see if the Celtics have a keeper or if they should continue to look for taller options to help out in the post.
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Well...
I don’t necessarily have a problem with Baby taking the mid-range J. He can hit it. But my problem is this – nearly every single one of his shot attempts now comes in the form of a mid-range jumper off of a pick n’ pop. Again, I don’t mind Baby taking that shot a bit, but it is now to the point where 95% of his offense is that shot.
Instead of constant pick n’ pops, I’d like to see Baby roll to the bucket a bit more, like he did last season. A year ago, Big Baby got a lot of easy opportunities around the basket and displayed a real knack for finishing over “the trees” with his soft touch and cute flip shots. I would be willing to bet that he hasn’t attempted more than 5 layups this season.
For a guy with his touch and quick feet, that shouldn’t be happening. Mix it up, big fella.
Go Celtics! Go Hoyas!
Amen, CB32
Thanks for saving my fingers the work. Couldn’t agree more.
-sw
Manuel Aristides Ramirez is the greatest hitter I've ever seen.
by Steve Weinman on Nov 25, 2008 2:02 PM EST up reply actions
Davis's shot is an embarrassment.
I’ve said it before, but Davis’s form in taking uncontested jumpshots is embarrassingly bad. It’s the same form used by most fifth grade girls. You stick your butt out (in Davis’s case, a feat in itself), and shove the ball towards the basket on a line from your chin, while you sight along your arms. It’s hard to imagine a guy like Davis could get to the NBA with such incredibly bad style.
If Davis had any sense, he’d hire someone to coach him up on this shot. Heck, if he needs a model, all he has to do is to compare his own shot with Ray Allen’s.
BBD's Outside Shot
It seems to me he is squaring up to the basket, is leaning into the basket and taking the shot. This is basically what Ray Allen does, but not in as exaggerated a form as BBD. BBD is also taking his time and not shooting quickly. I think, as he gets more confidence in the shot and takes it without thinking (should he make a different play, etc) he will look better. I really don’t care how he looks taking the shot as long as he makes it. Eddie House may have the worst form in taking his deep shot, but he makes them. Using Ray Allen as an example is unfair. Ray is, for want of a better word, one of the most beautiful and graceful shooters I’ve ever seen. I also think BBD is a keeper. He got off to a bad start in pre-season, got and listened to a message from Doc and has been playing very well ever since. He’s playing his role, as opposed to, marketing himself for a contract.
Mechanics Aren't Just For Style Points
TrueGreen, in terms of his jumper, to suggest Davis is doing “basically what Ray Allen does” is ridiculous. I don’t wish to be argumentative, but their forms aren’t remotely close.
You say you “really don’t care how he looks taking the shot as long as he makes it”. This indicates you’re missing the heart of matter. The mechanics of the shot (how it looks) is what determines the likelihood of whether it’ll go in a high percentage of the time. ‘Who’ says, and I expect he’s right, that Davis is hitting on something like 23% of his jumpers. That’s rather poor, especially since they’re all close or mid-range, and he’s generally unguarded. But it’s hardly surprising consider his form.
I don’t want to spend a lot of time explaining the physics of the matter, but there’re reasons why great shooters (percentage-wise) put up soft jumpers with plenty of arc using a pronouced wrist snap (such as Ray Allen). They’re also leaping in a nearly vertical fashion, and releasing high above their head with their shooting arm fully extended, again for reasons of getting the shot off unblocked, and in a consistent fashion. If you think this is what Davis is doing, then I recommend taking another look at him.
haha, he does stick his butt way out. It’s funny now that i think about it. Thats a strange habbit. It’s not like he’s preventing someone from blocking him from behind, and he’s not so weak that he’s struggling to reach to rim… very strange form. And he looks like he’s jumping way up in the air, but he’s really only a couple inches up.
According to 82games, 69% of BBD’s shots are jumpers and he’s hitting 22.5% of them.
His jumper has looked very bad through training camp and the opening part of the season. If he can’t turn it around over the next while, well, then it’s time to put it back in the bag and stick to what he can do.
wholly agreed...
much like his weight, this has “long term project” written all over it.
Bleed Green. What does it mean? Ask Red.
by CelticsHooRah on Nov 25, 2008 9:13 PM EST up reply actions
It's Not That Hard to Fix
I don’t want to leave the impression that I thought Davis’s jumper would be hard to fix. If he wanted to develop a decent jumper (not a great one, mind you), he could surely do it in a summer. I’ve seen enough high school players do it, and they didn’t have the resources at Davis’s disposal.
Seriously, jump shots are a dime a dozen, as compared with the major talent and skills that Davis brings in other areas.
As for keeping his weight down, well, that’s a challenge of a much higher order.
He's a keeper, but not his jump shot
BBD is a big time contributor on the 2nd squad. No kidding is right though, the form is not good. Everyone to his own, body type etc figuring in, but he does need more arch. And, he may have unveiled it this season but he only started sinking it in the last 3-4 games. He’s right to work on it, he’s young. Deliver on your strenghts and work on your weaknesses – he seems to be doing that.
Also, his hands are fast. Many of the fouls called on him are not fouls but the refs make those calls automatically. He’s a unique (for us) player and he makes us stronger.
by Wildblu1 on Nov 25, 2008 8:30 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Talking About Outside Shots
Have you noticed Perk? The foul line extended and in shot is almost always open to BBD and Perk. There is a definite effort by the coaching staff to get these guys comfortable and confident in taking it.
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