Shot Selection

Ah, the NBA season. Baseball has ended (if you’re into that kind of thing), and chances are somewhat high that your NFL team is struggling. So now you can escape into the 2 (and a half) franchise NBA, where anybody can be good but only a select few will ever be great. And though I love the NBA and all it has to offer, I have spotted a trend that worries me; poor shot selection.

This is not saying “Darn those kids chucking up all them three point shots!” I’m fine with the growing number of threes, so long as they are not ill-advised. There are more threes because teams are spacing the floor that way, not because they are forcing them up (at least that has been the case the past few years). It’s okay if Steph Curry hoists up a contested three once in awhile, but when I see Trevor Ariza catching and shooting without even checking if he’s in bounds, I am ashamed (nothing against Trevor though. He’s a quality all-around wing).

It’s not just threes that have been tainted by this pandemic (not sure if it’s happening in Euro Ball). Guys will shimmy into a crossover, take a setup dribble, pull up in the defender’s face from 16 feet out...and throw up a complete brick. Ball movement will work its wonders, only to be halted by some dude who thinks his double team look is better than his teammate who is open 10 feet away.

I would’ve thought that by now, coaches would’ve seen this trend and been quick to address it. Heck, if I was coaching and I saw one of my guys shoot one of those shots, I’d pull him out of the game right then and there. Yet they’ve continued to support these agonizing attempts, possibly in an effort to instill more shooting and confidence in their players. I mean, who would dare score less than 100 points a game in today’s NBA? (unless you’re the Jazz, Kings, Mavericks, or Bulls, though I don’t think that’s intentional…)

Anyways, just my two cents on negatives in the NBA right now. I don’t really see much else (besides a horrific lack of competition) to complain about, simply because the league is so good and fun right now. I won’t discourage shooting (so long as it isn’t my team), because hopefully by taking all these terrible shots guys will figure out their limits (ha just kidding).

#NBA #shotselection #TrevorAriza #StephCurry #Jazz #Bulls #Kings #Mavericks