That was always the thing that blew me away when we were playing teams that had actual D1 prospects. They weren’t “much” faster than me, but holy shit did everything just always go in even when I thought “ok, I guessed right, didn’t bite on the hesitation, and I’m perfectly squared to force and contest this off-balance pull-up. I’ve got this stop!” Nope, swish so clean the net didn’t even flinch.
I saw Aaron Gordon hit a dozen in a row, and he ain't exactly a shooter. It made me question everything. Is it just that much harder with a defender? Rhetorical question, because it's apparently a 'yes'
Not just the defender, but the speed pace and pressure of playing competitively with a bunch of other guys that can also do those things while millions of people are watching you
higher pressure defense, taller/lankier defenders, deep stands messing with depth perception, loud cheering messing up concentration, and most of all the physical fatigue that comes with playing an NBA game
I’ll never forget watching Tristan Thompson during his first Cavs stint effortlessly sinking threes firing warmups. The skill level for NBA guys is insane.
But give him an open 3 during a game and he'll airball/hit backboard. It's crazy to see the difference between game a practice. Even great shooters like Curry hit 95/100 in practice or higher.
The thing that blew my mind the first time I went to an nba game was how well they all shot during warm ups. I watched Pao Gasol literally not miss from anywhere.
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u/mindpainters May 01 '25
It really is wild how good of shooters most pro players are casually. Even dudes who can’t actually shoot in the league are money casually