Kyle Korver has 20-item checklist for his jump shot
On the surface, taking a jump shot seems simple.
Lift the ball to roughly shoulder height and toss it towards the hoop using whatever mechanics and delivery motion have become second nature.
Certainly, to watch Kyle Korver shoot jumpers is to watch effortless simplicity in motion. Only, it isn't. Not for Korver, not by a long shot.
The late-blooming Atlanta Hawks shooting guard talked about how he's managed to become one of the NBA's all-time great long-range shooters in an interview with Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. The amount of thought that goes into every shot he takes is a reminder of just how much chaos needs to be harmonized in order for him to do it well.
The trick, according to Korver, is repeatability.
"To be a great shooter, to be a consistent shooter, which is what constitutes a great shooter – the goal is to make your shot exactly the same every single time," he said.
In order to do that, Korver keeps a running checklist in his mind. A checklist that contains 20 items:
- Wide stance
- Exaggerated legs
- Drop through heels
- Engage core
- Slight bend at waist
- Up strong
- Elbow straight
- One hand
- Fingers spread
- Slight pause
- Elbow up
- Land forward
- See the top of the rim
- Ball on fingertips
- Strong shot
- Shoulders forward and relaxed
- Ball and arm risen straight
- Hold the follow through
- Keep the release point high
- On turns, square shoulders
There's nothing simple about that list, especially for people who have no idea what exaggerated legs means. But Korver has committed this checklist to memory and works tirelessly to try and tick off all its boxes, which is why his jump shot is about as close to perfect as a jump shot can be.
"I'm not going to check every single one of them every time," Korver admits. "There's a certain point, a certain feel I'm trying to get to every day. Some things, you do more naturally. Some things, I have to think about them. As I'm shooting, I have this list in the back of my head, and I know I'm not doing one or two of them. Once I feel I get all 20 of them clicking, then I'm going to have natural rhythm in my shot."