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  1. #1

    What Tools Are Important In Creating One's Own Shot?

    Quote Originally Posted by CDu View Post
    This is especially true on teams that don't have a bunch of guys capable of creating for themselves (like UNC the last couple of years and perhaps like Duke next year).
    I've posted a number of times my view that the single most important physical skill, especially for perimeter guys, and maybe for all but a true back-to-basket center, is dribbling/handle. Not more important than all other skills combined; but the single most important.

    Kidd-Gilchrist has a handle, as do Davis, and Lamb and Miller. Barnes doesn't, much, nor Bullock, nor Hairston [either of them]. Mike Scott and Stoglin, yes. Andre, no. Draymond Green, yes. Those big Temple guards, yes. A couple of the Lehigh guys. Ditto for 3 of the Johnnies [IIRC]. Several Mizzou, Syracuse, and Marquette players.

    Here's my question, actually 2, which I intend to ask neutrally and objectively - i.e., actual questions [to CDu and others]: [1] Does "creating for themselves" reduce mostly to handle? [2] Is a good handle the most important factor in creating for other players, too? Or is it just one of 3 or 4 roughly equal factors in being a creator?

    ETA for thread relevance: Amile has a pretty good handle for a baseline, drive-oriented "big."
    Last edited by gumbomoop; 04-16-2012 at 01:39 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    NC
    Quote Originally Posted by gumbomoop View Post
    Here's my question, actually 2, which I intend to ask neutrally and objectively - i.e., actual questions [to CDu and others]: [1] Does "creating for themselves" reduce mostly to handle? [2] Is a good handle the most important factor in creating for other players, too? Or is it just one of 3 or 4 roughly equal factors in being a creator?
    I won't speak for others obviously, but:

    [1] I think this is an oversimplification. I a large proportion of cases, this is accurate. Having a good handle is the easiest way to be able to create your own shot. But there are certainly ways to create your own shot without having a great handle. Julius Hodge, for example, had very questionable ballhandling skills but could create his own shot by (ironically) being physical. The same was true of Nelson as an upperclassman. Redick learned how to use the pump fake to create space for open jumpers or drives to the basket despite not being a great ballhandler or overly quick. Henderson could simply elevate over everyone to create his own shot, either on a spot up or off the dribble.

    Guys like Curry and Dawkins could learn to emulate Redick (actually Dawkins could also emulate Nelson or Henderson as well) to create their shots without greatly improving as ballhandlers.

    [2] I think court vision is a bigger attribute than handle when it comes to creating for others. Marshall, for example, isn't an exceptional dribbler, nor is he exceptionally quick. But he is as good a passer as the college game has seen in a long time, and it is because he can see the court better than just about anyone else. The same could be said of a guy like Mark Jackson. Conversely, there are guys with great handle that weren't necessarily great passers (like Iverson and John Wall) - guys who could beat their man, but were score-first guys who didn't always see their teammates as well. To some degree, this was true of Jay Williams. But he was such a good ballhandler and so much quicker and stronger than his opponents that he still was able to rack up decent assist numbers.

    Jefferson appears to be an example of the latter case as well (good handle but more as a scorer than a distributor).

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Steamboat Springs, CO
    Quote Originally Posted by gumbomoop View Post
    Here's my question, actually 2, which I intend to ask neutrally and objectively - i.e., actual questions [to CDu and others]: [1] Does "creating for themselves" reduce mostly to handle? [2] Is a good handle the most important factor in creating for other players, too? Or is it just one of 3 or 4 roughly equal factors in being a creator?
    IMHO (where the H is usually silent) "quickness" and "handle" and "moves" aren't the same thing at all. If you ain't quick, a good defender will take the ball from your "excellent handle" before it hits the floor the first time. Austin clearly had "moves," where he could start rocking and moving and then take advantage of another player's tiny misstep. Really, you need all three.

    sage

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by gumbomoop View Post
    I've posted a number of times my view that the single most important physical skill, especially for perimeter guys, and maybe for all but a true back-to-basket center, is dribbling/handle. Not more important than all other skills combined; but the single most important.

    Kidd-Gilchrist has a handle, as do Davis, and Lamb and Miller. Barnes doesn't, much, nor Bullock, nor Hairston [either of them]. Mike Scott and Stoglin, yes. Andre, no. Draymond Green, yes. Those big Temple guards, yes. A couple of the Lehigh guys. Ditto for 3 of the Johnnies [IIRC]. Several Mizzou, Syracuse, and Marquette players.

    Here's my question, actually 2, which I intend to ask neutrally and objectively - i.e., actual questions [to CDu and others]: [1] Does "creating for themselves" reduce mostly to handle? [2] Is a good handle the most important factor in creating for other players, too? Or is it just one of 3 or 4 roughly equal factors in being a creator?

    ETA for thread relevance: Amile has a pretty good handle for a baseline, drive-oriented "big."
    I'd say in addition to being a good ball handler for your position you need to be able to get your shot off and score from multiple areas of the court. Being able to finish at the rim is a big help but being able to hit a floater and/or pull up and hit a J off the dribble can work just as well.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Quote Originally Posted by gumbomoop View Post
    Here's my question, actually 2, which I intend to ask neutrally and objectively - i.e., actual questions [to CDu and others]: [1] Does "creating for themselves" reduce mostly to handle? [2] Is a good handle the most important factor in creating for other players, too? Or is it just one of 3 or 4 roughly equal factors in being a creator?
    I certainly agree with CDu and others that a good "handle" isn't the only ingredient, or even the primary ingredient, in being able to create for yourself or others. Having said that, I think it is a very important aspect for any wing, but especially for the guy creating the offense (i.e. the PG). And one of the major problems we had last year was that Austin was the only starter that really had a great handle. Tyler is okay in this area, but a far cry from elite. Same with Seth. And Dre. Well, enough said. Where the handle really showed up in a negative way for us was in our inability to distribute properly and effectively on pick and rolls. The handle is especially essential if you are a smaller guard that can't see over the defense in front of you. If you have to keep your body between you and the man guarding you for fear of getting your pocket picked (something I thought both Tyler and Seth struggled with late in the season) then you aren't going to be able to deliver anything down low when the big man rolls off the high screen pick. It was sad to me to see Mason pop open in the Leigh game several times off this play, but because of our guards inability to face up on their defender (which is a result of having a secure handle) he rarely got the delivery. Anyone that wants to brave watching that game again can see it for themselves. Instead, because of a lack of handle and the quickness of the Leigh guards, our guys simply couldn't face up and see the open man quick enough. We just ran around the perimeter, trying desperately to not have the ball poked away. This happened on multiple possessions. I'm not trying to be overly critical, but I do think gumbomoop has hit on an aspect of guard play that we simply didn't have a solid command of last season. And that's one of the reasons I'm personally hoping Quinn Cook (who appears to be our best guard with a handle) can win the starting PG spot. He certainly has the tools. I hope it translates to superior play this coming season.

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