Coach Smart as a Teacher
Nice article on Smart working to teach his young stars.
4 months ago
HighTops
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Befuddled
Evans says Monday’s extra shooting session was planned after watching film of his shot with Smart.
"He made a good point," No. 13 said. "When I shoot, (instead of) fading back, just try to make an even point where I’m squared up to the basket and worry about jumping straight up and down.
"There are a lot of times where I don’t have to fade – he’s right."
If this is really the first time this has been pointed out to Evans, I would be at a loss for words. Smart may be a basketball genius, but this really wasn’t the Da Vinnci code. What was PW possibly saying to Evans?
I can imagine PW having just said "Don't fade".
Whereas it might be more beneficial to say “Jump straight up”. It’s hard to just not do something. You have to substitute it with something else. Anyway, you’re right that somebody should have told him that, like maybe his brothers – unless fading is part of the blueprint.
"We're not talking about me and Darko in the same sentence." - Chris Webber vs KAHN!
by caseycheesecake on Jan 31, 2012 10:08 PM PST up reply actions
Totally agree
He has worked with some legitimate trainers before. But I think his emphasis is more on Smart’s solution than the problem.
I also think it's important where he was practicing
Smart didn’t put the tape on the floor outside the 3pt arc. I thought too much emphasis was put on Tyreke’s 3pt shooting after his rookie season. And here we are a year and a half latter and he still can’t shot the 3, and doesn’t have a mid or short range jumper either.
"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
The greatest impact player in NBA History - Tim Donaghy
Exactly
Great players become elite when they develop their mid-range game. I think Tyreke finally realizes that his mid-range game, once consistent, will help his drives to the basket.
"First we get jobs, then we get the khakis, then we get the chicks."
i wish it was cause it sounds so good, but i can recall various off-season articles throughout Reke’s career written about other coaches and trainers working on the same kink in his shot and Reke responding with the same agreement. i think it just comes down to muscle memory in the moment. his brain is hearing it, but his body hasn’t quite yet. so, the more he hears it, practices it (better form) and re-learns his muscle memory, the better. I do agree that Smart comes across as a much better teacher and communicator. even in interviews, he seems to answer questions about game plans and plays with definitive answers that sound coherent. PW always seemed like he was looking for the funniest way to answer without actually answering.
What I remember is talk about Tyreke's release
Then we saw video of him practicing his 3pt shot. AT the time I thought it was stupid to try to change your shot while shooting the most difficult shot in the game.
Later, I remember reading how Tyreke with the help of his posse, looked at his 3pt shooting back in high school and decided he needed to go back to that form. All along I’m thinking he needs to take one step inside the FT Line and practice his shot from there, and then work in shooting from there off the dribble once he got his form fixed.
So, I’m pretty happy with what Smart’s doing for him right now.
"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
The greatest impact player in NBA History - Tim Donaghy
Agreed.
I recall several articles on the fade. There was that one clinic, I think it was with O.J. May and Brandon Roy where Reke talked about the fade and he was working not fading so much.
He has been working to correct the fade since his rookie season.
To HT’s point, there has also been work on his release.
Asked if the Kings had any intention of trading Cousins, basketball president Geoff Petrie said, "No."
^O.J. Mayo
Asked if the Kings had any intention of trading Cousins, basketball president Geoff Petrie said, "No."
Another good one
"It’s important [Evans] continues to grow and wants to learn, and I think he has the capacity for wanting to do that."
So wait, does he have the potential to do it or just the potential to want to do it?
I agree with your first comment
The second one you’re looking too much into it probably.
by Allbenji on Jan 31, 2012 6:29 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
also perplexed..
I can’t possibly believe this is the first time Tyreke has heard the fade critique of his shooting mechanics but his quote makes it sound like Smart just made some grand revelation that had never been impressed upon him. WTF! His unnecessary fade has been painfully obvious since Las Vegas summer league back during his rookie year to just about anyone who has a basic knowledge of how to take a jump shot. And every year he comes back with the same broken jump shot. I can’t believe one of the best jump shooters of his time in PW or coachie or GP, who was also a pretty damn good shooter, have never said anything about this to Tyreke. What does this say about his capacity to understand the more subtle nuiances of the game and get better or breakdown a scouting report. Maybe I am reading too much into this but how can anyone who has watched this team with Tyreke the last few years not scratch there heads?
Damn you Robert Horry!!!
I think the difference is instead of telling Reke to fix his shot as before, Smart is showing him how.
And sometimes it just takes the right person saying it the right way before you get it.
by sac_faithful on Jan 31, 2012 6:45 PM PST up reply actions
I dunno about that..
It seems to me to be a pretty easy thing to show someone how to fix. You go straight up and land in the same place. It isn’t like trying to teach someone physics.
Damn you Robert Horry!!!
Not to mention all off season
PW may have been a poor teacher. But isn’t he working out with professional trainers in the offseason?
To your point on an easy thing to fix. Ask any coach.
It is a lot easier to teach something new than it is to break a bad habit. Tyreke has an ingrained bad habit.
It appears that several coaches and trainers have tried to break him of his bad habits.
First, a person has to learn the correct way. Second, they have to practice the correct way over and over again until it feels comfortable. The brain has ingrained the old way of doing things, you have to develop strong neural pathways to use the new way. Next, a person needs to be comfortable with the new way, as there is a tendency with fatigue or stress to revert to the old way.
Just telling someone to “stop fading” may not work or “just jump straight up.” To the person, it may feel like they are doing it the right way when they are not. (It took a long time for JT to learn to keep his arms straight up when defending. He thought he was keeping his arms straight up, when in actuality, he wasn’t. In order for JT to learn that his arms weren’t straight up when he thought they were, he needed feedback. I’m sure he looked at a lot of tape to see that he still wasn’t keeping his arms straight up. That was visual feedback that he got later that night or the next day.)
I’m pleased that Smart broke down Reke’s shot and used the tape. This gives Reke a very concrete way of seeing when he is going straight up and when he isn’t. It gives him the feedback of when he is fading – he can see when he doesn’t stay within the tape.
Apparently, the brain bank of Westphal failed to come up with such a simple training aid to help correct the fade.
Asked if the Kings had any intention of trading Cousins, basketball president Geoff Petrie said, "No."
I think you might be reading to much into it
Coach Smart shows him he fades away EVEN WHEN HE DOESN’T NEED TO. It’s possible Tyreke overestimates where the defender is on most occasions & fades away even when he doesn’t need to. That doesn’t mean he’s never been told to not fade away. It means he possibly has never been shown he doesn’t have to always do it.
It’s similar to someone like JT who has bricked point blank layups his whole career because he always played in fear of getting stuffed. You show him on tape ways to recognize where the defenders are & he doesn’t always need to play with fear around the basket.
It’s more complex than just saying “don’t fade” or “dunk the damn ball” I have no problem with it.
by Allbenji on Jan 31, 2012 6:49 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
Who knows?
I remember us talking about it a lot here, but don’t remember it coming up in interviews with Westphal – but lord knows I could have missed it.
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The thing is..
When you watch Tyreke he fades on every shot. If he is wide ass open he fades. If you watch him shoot a free throw he even has a slight fade. His fade doesn’t come and go during the course of the game. It is always present.
Damn you Robert Horry!!!
FT has been much better and he's been shooting 85% since January 1
Normally improved FT precedes improved jumpers. But Evans is shooting his jumpers with that fade. If he shot straight up and down, he clearly has the ability to shoot consistently.
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