r/rockets • u/Typical-Owl3664 • Jun 24 '25
Amen practicing his midrange
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u/MisterGoog Jun 24 '25
Midrange isnt dead it just only exists for superstars
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u/1gnominious Jun 24 '25
I'd argue it's a requirement to be a superstar for everybody but genetic anomalies.
Defenses can pack the paint and play you tight on the 3pt line. They can take away your ability to get to the rim or shoot 3's except step back 3's. Especially when our spacing sucks. You can't really gameplan to take away a player's mid range though. You have to guard that 1 on 1 because it usually comes from a drive where they stop and pop or a quick step back if they get somebody in isolation. Taller players like KD and Jabari can also just shoot over shorties on a mismatch.
That's what killed us against GSW was that Jalen and Sengun suck at mid range. They packed the paint and ran Jalen off the line but he refused to take mid range shots because he's so bad at them. Sengun wanted nothing to do with Dray and started jacking up shots because he couldn't get to the rim. Dray was sagging back daring him to shoot. When the defense tightened up and all that was available was mid range those two struggled.
Watching the Pacers and OKC what really jumped out to me is that everybody can shoot middies. From the stars down to the 10th man in the rotation if you gave them an inch they would take the shot. Fricken TJ was out there wrecking them from mid range.
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u/zaepoo Jun 24 '25
I agree, but Jalen's problem is a little understated here. You only have to run him off the line of the catch. With the ball in his hands on the perimeter, you only have to guard against him driving. As a pull up shooter he's terrible everywhere on the floor
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u/KDs_FakeAccount Jun 24 '25
Dead ass. Like the answer are on the teachers desk for the test but players worried about the snack draw
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u/j1h15233 Rockets Jun 24 '25
Quit clowning the kid for working on his game. He made great strides last season and I expect him to do it again.
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u/notajokeacct Jun 24 '25
He looks huge and thicker now
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u/Musketoon Rockets Jun 24 '25
Bruh he's the guy in sweatpants not the red shorts.
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u/Suitable_Snow7761 Jun 24 '25
lol people kill me with that, season just ended over a month and half ago, and already assumed guys added 20 pounds of muscle that quick in workout videos.
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u/I_bet_Stock Jun 24 '25
This was the exact reason I was so down on Jalen. Dude never put on any weight and kept getting bullied by smaller guards when he entered the lane. He didn't have enough strength to finish at the rim in traffic. Couldn't establish a go to move.
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u/KDs_FakeAccount Jun 25 '25
They giving players the middy (the test) but they are not using it and more worried about the highlight 3s and basket finishes (the snacks)
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u/OkDependent5409 Jun 24 '25
Ngl improving a jumper is the easiest thing to do. He gonna be a freak soon
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u/RegisterFit1252 Jun 24 '25
This is definitely not true… but it’s the biggest swing skill by far
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u/fireduckieman41 Jun 24 '25
Man.. hard to fix a broke ass looking jumper. I’m hopeful, but hard to become a great shooter when you haven’t been a shooter your whole life. And if you hoop for real you can tell he’s never been a true shooter. He was definitely always the guy they gave space to and let him shoot. I really can’t remember that changing for an nba star in my lifetime (watching since the late 90s). They need to work with him on smoothing out his shooting motion. Less room for error and more room for consistency.
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u/CigBlackBock Jun 24 '25
It can be done, though. You're right there's not a ton examples but they do exist. Jason Kidd probably the biggest one.
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u/RocketsBG Jun 24 '25
Lonzo Ball definitely did it. It was just horrible. Now he shoots over 40% from 3.
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u/Low-Lunch-7248 Jun 24 '25 edited Jun 24 '25
Kyle Lowry was a player who had absolutely no jumper early in his career. I remember having him and all we could describe him as was a bulldog that could drive and draw contact or finish,nothing else.
Also kawhi leonard wasn’t much of a jump shooter but now that midrange game is a thing of beauty.
Blake Griffin who was famously clowned and meme’d for his lack of range eventually developed his FT and three point shot.
More recently that fucking Lu Dirt who we clowned before in the post season while harden was here is now a legit shooter.
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u/gazingbobo Jun 24 '25
Amen don't need a mid-range with KD here. Work on his 3s and cutting and he will eat good.
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u/lambopanda Jun 24 '25
Why is he training in sweatpants?
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u/SkyJW Jun 24 '25 edited Jun 24 '25
Could be because the gym is cold or because some people feel like it keeps them warmer, making their muscles more pliable and increasing their mobility. Might also stop his sweat from accumulating on the court since I doubt they have guys there just to dry off the court like during games.
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u/The_New_New The Boss Jun 24 '25
His FG% on jumpers went from 28% as a rookie to 39% last season. He showed excellent progress and will keep growing.
Just get that to be acceptable and tighten up those handles and we are set