In honor of Klay Thompson’s 60 point outburst last week, below is a list of eight keys to his success playing shooting guard in the NBA. These keys were taken from an interview Klay did with Bleacher Report during Team USA training camp in the summer of 2014:
1) It all starts with the same pregame routine.
Thompson’s pregame routing is the same every single game. It last’s 15-20 minutes:
First, I need to make five shots from five different spots in the mid-range area. Then, I need to make three spot-up three-pointers, three transition three-pointers and one three from five spots around the arc. After that, I do a couple of pin-downs from each side, and then I’ve got to make three in a row from each baseline corner. I start at the top and run to the corner. I’ve got to make six total.
2) The key to moving without the ball and using screens is changing speeds.
I watch guys like Steph Curry, Reggie Miller and Kyle Korver. All of them are really good at lulling their guys to sleep and then sprinting off a pin-down. When you do that, you either lose your defender or he’s trailing you hard and you can throw a pump fake, and he goes around you. I’ve learned to stop, walk my defender into a screen and spin off real quick. It’s a lot about changing speeds, keeping your hands ready and staying active.
3) Sometimes you need to play a little physical with your defender to break free.
I try to get his hands off of me. It might be a foul, but you can always give a defender a little shove just to get one or two feet of space. That’s all you really need. If he’s trailing me and has to run around the screen, he’s not going to be able to get to my shot.
4) To be an elite Shooting Guard you have to be in great shape.
The best shooters are in great shape, whether it’s Steph, Ray Allen or Kyle Korver. Those guys don’t stop moving. In the fourth quarter, especially, the game slows down a lot. You can’t get as many transition looks, so you’ve got to be in amazing shape.
5) Fluid Shooting Motion
My college coach, Tony Bennett, once told me my freshman year that when I shoot, envision water going from my toes to my fingertips in one fluid motion. All the great shooters’ shots are like a reverse waterfall—Steph, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kyle Korver. They’ve all got one fluid motion—no real hitches in their shots.
6) Study Great Players
Growing up, I watched Ray Allen, Rip Hamilton and Allan Houston, but there was always something special about Chris Mullin. He wasn’t athletic, but he knew how to get to his spot, and he never let the defense speed him up. He made the game look so simple.
7) Being off-balance is usually the main reason for missing jumpers.
I can tell right away why I missed. With me, it’s usually my balance, where I’m leaning to one side too much. During the game, I try not to think about a miss, but you try to get an easy one, whether it’s curling to the rim or getting to the free-throw line. As a shooter, once you see that ball go in once, that’s all you need. You feel like you’ve got your rhythm back.
For me, shot selection is crucial, too. If I’m taking good shots, I’m shooting a high percentage. If I’m rushing my shot, taking a contested three or mid-range shot, it’s a low-percentage shot. My shot selection has gotten better each year.
8) The next phase for shooters means diversifying their scoring opportunities.
I realize how hard defenses run at me, so I’ve got to master the pump fake to draw more fouls. Once you get to your spot off the dribble, you can get defenders off-balance with a quick pump fake or you can jump into them. I’ve gotten better at that, especially from the three-point line. Guys know most of the time I’m going to shoot, so I just need to give a good pump fake to get in the lane.
I’ve also been working on my floater. I’m also getting better in the post.
Coming out of college, I felt like I was ready as far as moving without the ball, and catching and shooting. But when I got to the NBA, it was getting in the lane, shooting little jumpers and finding that little pocket pass. That’s what I really had to develop, and still need to, in my career.