Yeah Melo is being overworked for no reason. I know they’re trying to make the playoffs but I don’t think playing Melo 30+ minutes is putting them in position to win games either.
I actually wonder if we’d be better off with Nas starting and Melo coming off the bench. Stotts will never explore that theory though so we’ll never find out.
I'm at the point where I think they should just play Little as many minutes as he can take. I really like what he brings (he does need work). I doubt Carmelo would be willing to come off the bench, but part of me doesn't care since he probably won't be a Blazer next year.
I've never seen a player make this level of improvement in his shooting stroke over the course of a season. Can you get a quick clip from the start of the season? Because the change is definitely noticeable. EDIT: Just realized you already did so!
I've studied jumpshot form religiously and worked on different techniques myself. Here is my interpretation on the evolution of Nassir Little's jumpshot. It shows why it's not the best to have your elbow directly under the ball with complete alignment of the shooting hand, shoulder, and elbow at your set point. The main improvement Little has made to his shooting form is that he's not forcing his elbow in. Early in the year, it seemed like he was trying to force his elbow underneath the ball (because that's what's "textbook"). The problem with this is it created a hitch, messed up his rhythm, and turned his shooting out outward (fingers pointed more away from his body). If you experiment with having your elbow out a bit at your set point compared to all the way in, you'll probably realize what I'm talking about. It's fine if the shooting hand is outward at the set point but the problem with forcing your elbow directly in line with the ball and your shoulder it that everything is too straight. The fingers don't rotated through the ball, they stay on the outside of the ball all the way through follow through. The only way to get your shooting fingers straight behind the ball is to rotate your shooting elbow counter-clockwise on your follow through. However, to rotate your elbow like that upon follow through, you must pop your elbow outwards, eliminating that straight up-and-down alignment. It's actually better to have less alignment with your elbow out a little bit, since it reduces tension and it allows you to rotate your shooting hand through the ball with your elbow coming directly in. Watch Dame shoot, he's a perfect example of this. So what Little was doing: 1.) Bringing the ball upwards towards his set point 2.) Once he got to his set point, he shoved his elbow in and it turned his shooting hand outward 3.) Upon follow through, he popped his elbow back out a bit to allow his hand to try to rotate behind the ball - That was the hitch that Little had to start the year, and it was a big reason why he was struggling to shoot the ball. What Little does now: 1.) Brings the ball upwards towards his set point 2.) DOESN'T force his elbow in, simply brings it straight up into his follow through 3.) Follows through, naturally bringing his elbow in while rotating his fingers through the ball - This is a much more REPEATABLE stroke, and it has much better rhythm to it.
it’s so crazy, but I can’t even tell what the specific difference is. Looks like maybe he tightened up his elbow. Idk I’m not a shooting coach but it definitely looks smoother. He’s a starter in the league if his improvement is real.
Just explained my thoughts on it! I'm curious if this makes sense to people. I tried to explain it well. Might make a short video for my channel explaining my thoughts.
Another way to explain this: Little shooting-elbow path to start the season (if he was facing you): ....E| D....| ....C| B....| A....| Little shooting-elbow path now (if he was facing you): ....E| D....| C....| B....| A....|
Another thing is with that hitch, it looked like it rearranged Little's grip on the ball in an inconsistent way. Now that he's eliminated it, his grip seems much more consistent.
Wonder which coach is mainly responsible for Littles shot. I wanna say Pargo, always see him with the young guys on the roster and he was a good shooter in his career.
One I wish both that Little could play more and that our team could look for him as a 3-point shooter as a policy, like the Pelicans do with their 3-point shooting, it'd be nice to see guys passing like that. Little could get more playing time by taking time from Simons when Simons is playing with McCollum. (assuming Little is healthy).
Good shit here. Talk about his 3 point shot starts at 7 minutes. According to one of the Blazer staff guys he works out with he’s been the most improved player since lockdown started. Dame has also noticed him elevate his game. Could also explain why the team didn’t pursue a wing to replace Ariza. Maybe they’re confident in Nas gobbling up some minutes. I hope so at least.
