Question: If you played with two of the baddest players on the planet, what do you think you should be good at?
Answer: Making open jump shots.
That was the plan when the Heat signed Mike Miller last summer after their coup of LeBron and Bosh to form the new "big 3."
Unfortunately, Miller was injured for the majority of the season. But, we got glimpses of what he, and the rest of the supporting cast, can bring to the table during the playoffs. If Udonis Haslem was the difference maker in game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Bulls, Mike Miller was the Difference maker in game 4, finishing with 12 points and 9 rebounds to push the Heat lead in the series to 3-1.
I actually think Miller can be more of a play maker (he was the number 5 pick in the draft and rookie of the year), but most people think of him strictly as a shooter (46% shooter for his career, 40% from three).
Therefore, it might be a good idea to see how he practices shooting:
What I like about this video is that Miller isn't just practicing spot up shots, he is mostly practicing shooting on the move.
When we think of complimentary shooters, when tend to think of stationary shooters that just wait with their hands ready to receive a pass from a double-teamed star. There is more to shooting than that.
But don't just take it from me. In preparation for his induction into the basketball hall of fame, I watched an old interview with Chris Mullin - who many would put up there as one of the greatest shooters in NBA history. At one point he said "I have never practiced standing still - I always practice shooting on the move."
Look at Miller above.
Check out this mechanics - he always catches the ball in stride and seems to take a little hop step after initially touching the ball. Also, look at how straight his arm is after every shot. Look how he holds his follow through up till the ball goes through the net. Look at how his fingers are pointing down.
Finally, look at how he breezes through this routine.
Think about how much conditioning that takes. Think about the type of shape he must be in.
The numbers:
Left corner to left elbow: 5/5 (100%)
Right corner to right elbow: 5/8 (62.5%)
Left corner to left wing three: 5/8 (62.5%)
Top of key to left wing three: 5/5 (100%)
Top of key to right wing three: 4/7 (57%)
Right corner to right wing three: 5/6 (83.3%)
You can imagine after shooting on the move, spot up shooting would probably be a little easier.
Well......
Right wing three spot up: 20/23! (87%)
I remember I turned the camera off at that point because I thought it was boring.
How much fun is it to see a guy make every shot in warm-ups?......okay, maybe I exaggerated......he only made approximately 80% of his shots.
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