Why can't this kid learn how to shoot? He's a jump shoot away from going pro after this year or next year. But he has no form and he had all summer to work on it.
I love the kid's and his game and I'm glad he gets so many minutes, so don't misunderstand me. But for the life of me, I can't figure out why he didn't work on his form over the summer. He'll be lucky if he's drafted after his senior year unless he fixes his shot.
A little late to fix this season. Truth be told, I'm just happy he has proven to be an effective driver. More than I thought we'd get out of him this season.
Garrett's shot is coming along. He's about where he needs to be as a sophomore. I really think he could have a monster junior and definitely senior season. We all knew he would be a 4 yr recruit.
4 year guy... !!! music to my ears... (you can be damn sure I will be watching his senior night). I would say working on free throws would pay more immediate dividends. But yes being a better basic shooter would also help over time.
as for going “pro”, Doesnt seem nba material to me. But doesn’t mean he can make a very nice living in other overseas leagues.
Bosthawk said:
4 year guy... !!! music to my ears... (you can be damn sure I will be watching his senior night). I would say working on free throws would pay more immediate dividends. But yes being a better basic shooter would also help over time.
as for going “pro”, Doesnt seem nba material to me. But doesn’t mean he can make a very nice living in other overseas leagues.
He will get those FTs down. It's fun watching him and Dotson develop.
With his current form, I don't see his shooting improving much if any.
But if he DOES fix his form, he'll be unstoppable. Decision-making, defense, passing, driving, shooting...
Here's the sad thing -- Garrett worked hard on his shooting form over this past summer. Does not appear to have worked. Read the article link below. @chriz I'm as puzzled as you are. I heard a coach say once that teaching a kid to shoot is easy, but you can't teach touch. Clearly, Garrett has the fundamentals provided to him to get the ball to the rim accurately and softly. The touch is in question.
I'd like to see him get the ball above his head, get his arms more extended, and shoot with his wrists. When you see a kid that is a disaster, a big change is sometimes best so they can't revert to bad habits (that are easy to revert to with subtle adjustments).
The incredibly positive thing is that Garrett has seized upon a readily available avenue to help this team. He's driving to the bucket with authority. This offense is more than enough to justify his minutes -- it now demands minutes standing alone. Plus, he brings the tool box of excellent defense and intangibles not matched on this team (though Agbaji is a challenger).
My position is that without Garrett scoring, this team, as composed, will struggle greatly with Garrett in the lineup for high minutes. We can't have complete black holes. But it appears Garrett has taken care of that with his attack mode style of play, and getting to the rim. Double digit scoring may make him our second most valuable player (Dedric). Certainly the third (Dedric, Dotson).
One shot Garrett should work on and dedicate great effort to is the tear drop -- shooting a bit on the run, just short of the basket. This would compliment his finishing at the rim and allow him another option on the drive. He's done it a few times, mixed results. But that could be a big focus point.
I would not hold out hope the shot is improving anytime soon.
https://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/big-12/university-of-kansas/article214214824.html ↗
@HighEliteMajor this light switch turning on for Garrett really has been a revelation. So great!
As to the teardrop I agree completely and don't hold out hope this season. Not sure he will ever integrate it because I'm pretty sure this shot falls in the "touch" bucket to a degree as well. He needs to recognize when his shot needs to change, in real time. There was a shot he took about 4 or 5 games ago where he threw the ball down at the basket from about 5 feet out. Like Jamari, it looked like an athlete performing a non basketball move. It would have been the perfect place for the teardrop.
I'm not sure Garrett will ever be a great shooter and it's not gonna change mid season. I think he needs to completely overhaul his shot, it is on rope straight to the rim. He needs more arch and to change up his release point. With that being said I'm very pleased with Garrett this season, he's played great defense and is starting to finish at the rim. We have had several good guards that weren't good shooters, guys like RussRob and Miles didn't shoot it well til he was a senior from 3 point land. I personally think Garrett is a NBA player regardless of his shots, he could be a Rondo type guy in the NBA.
Maybe he's left handed and just doesn't know it.
If Garrett continues his impressive offensive output at the rim, I got no complaints about his game from deep.
Not everybody’s a shooter. (Insert joke here about the rest of our players)
But he for sure needs to clean up his free throws. That goes hand in hand with getting to the rim.
@HighEliteMajor Good post. Plus we might want to consider replacing the coach who worked so hard for so many hours with Dok and MG to improve their shots.
I have to laugh when I think of posters that were so glad Vick left. And laughed harder when his Mom was going to talk to Self about coming back. Not a chance many said. From day one of his possibility of leaving I said to take him back if he wants. How many losses would we have this year without Vick?
On to those that said we will never be any good as long as Garrett starts. Many would acknowledge his defense but said he couldn't score. How many losses if we didn't have Garrett?
I can think of three very obvious things Marcus can do to improve his shooting stats this year without changing his form...
First... he needs confidence! That plays a huge role in bringing up numbers. It only takes the slightest hesitation to kill a shot. Marcus has to realize that just deciding he feels confident will begin improving his shot. If he needs any help with this he should chat with KJ. Man... he's never afraid to take a shot from anywhere!
Second... he should rethink his focus. Is his vision okay? Maybe worth an eye test. He needs to think more about where he is focusing.... back of the rim? An overall vision of the rim? Does he envision a pathway for the ball?
Third... he has to learn to relax on his shot. His arms should feel like spaghetti. Soft stroke. Follow through...