NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 156 Seeking Advice from Top Shooters

Jia Fei agreed with Korver's assessment; his catch-and-shoot three-point ability was indeed average. In fact, in the entire NBA, there aren't many players who can catch the ball quickly and shoot a three-pointer with a decent shooting percentage while on the move. These players are invariably key shooters for their respective teams.

Players like Korver, the Splash Brothers, Redick, and Ray Allen are all established shooters whose release speed, three-point shooting percentage, and production volume are among the best in the league.

Jia Fei didn't expect to reach the level of these people; he just wanted to enrich his arsenal and acquire marksman-like attributes.

It's important to understand that Allen Iverson, the player he integrated his techniques with, was never a shooter. Iverson's three-point shooting percentage was low and inconsistent, which was probably the weakest link in the offensive skills of this shortest scoring champion in history.

Jia Fei had never had the opportunity to be teammates with top marksmen before, nor the chance to learn from them. Now that the opportunity has come, it would be his fault if he didn't take advantage of it.

"If my positioning is fine, what's the most important thing to pay attention to when you catch the ball and shoot a three-pointer while running?" Jia Fei asked.

"Simply put, it's about rhythm, center of gravity, and the stability of the shot," Korver said.

Jia Fei understood what he meant. Shooters certainly need rhythm. He had similar experiences when playing basketball himself. Sometimes, when his shooting rhythm was good, he could have a decent shooting percentage even if he wasn't open. But when he didn't have rhythm, his chances of making an open shot weren't necessarily that high.

The concept of center of gravity is easy to understand. When moving quickly, you need to maintain your center of gravity. The closer you are to a fixed shooting position when you release the ball, the higher your shooting percentage will be.

Regarding the consistency of his shot, he frequently watched videos of sharpshooters and discovered that they all shared a common trait: a consistently stable shooting form. Take Ray Allen as an example; he's a typical two-action shooter, but whether he's shooting from a stationary position or moving, his shooting form remains remarkably consistent.

"So what's the most important thing to achieve all this? Or what should the training direction be?" Jia Fei asked.

Korver explained in detail: "Personally, I think the most important thing is the legs."

"Legs?" Jia Fei was a little confused. Was it fair-skinned, beautiful, and with long legs? The image that came to mind at this moment was not a rich and beautiful woman, but Durant with top-notch long legs wearing long white stockings.

Korver smiled and nodded: "Yes, to be precise, it's leg strength and lower body stability. For shooting while moving, lower body strength isn't necessarily better the stronger it is. If you're not playing inside, having too much lower body strength isn't really necessary. But a certain amount of lower body strength is important, as it helps us maintain balance."

Jia Fei finally understood that sometimes it really is a case of "the layman sees the spectacle, the expert sees the details." If he hadn't consulted with the league's top shooters, he might never have been able to figure out the technical details of the run-and-receive three-pointer.

If you don't master the right methods, even if you do a lot of training, the improvement will still not be very obvious.

"Thank you, Kyle. You really gave me a wake-up call!" Jia Fei was very excited. He felt that he really had a chance to become a player with shooting ability in the future.

"Don't mention it, we're teammates, Ja. I really look forward to you becoming an All-Star player someday. I have high hopes for you; you're different from other young players!" Korver said.

On November 4th, the Hawks visited the Staples Center in Los Angeles to play against the Lakers.

Although Kobe Bryant didn't play in this game, the Lakers' bench dominated the Hawks' bench, ultimately winning by a narrow margin of 2 points.

The Hawks failed to achieve a three-game winning streak and suffered their first loss of the season.

Two days later in Sacramento, the Hawks defeated the Kings, securing their third win of the season.

On November 8, the Hawks narrowly lost to the Nuggets on the road, ending their winning streak.

After a three-game road trip in the West, the Hawks' record improved to 3 wins and 2 losses. Compared to their two-game winning streak at the beginning of the season, they have finally returned to the level that everyone expected them to be at.

Jia Fei's performance in the three-game road trip in the West was decent, but he didn't score more than 20 points in any of the three games.

At the beginning of the season, Jia Fei had a game with 20+ points and a game with a triple-double, leading to hype and being touted as the next Kobe Bryant. But after those three games, he was completely dismissed, with people saying he was just an ordinary role player and completely unreliable.

After training on the second day back in Atlanta, Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer pulled Jia Fei aside and said earnestly, "Jia, we need you to do more."

Jia Fei looked at the head coach with questions, hoping he would explain more clearly.

Coach Buden explained, "We need you to be more proactive in calling for the ball and add some individual offense to your plays. You played too cautiously in the three games in the West."

Jia Fei nodded and said, "Coach, I understand."

Jia Fei wasn't intentionally playing conservatively. He'd just joined the team and didn't want to start shooting recklessly and annoy people. On nights when his shooting touch wasn't great, he would reduce unnecessary shots. But clearly, the team needs him to be more aggressive right now and hopes he'll do more of that.

This is the result he wanted. With the coaching staff's permission, he will play more aggressively in the upcoming games and will no longer be so selfless that even the head coach is dissatisfied.

On November 10th, the Hawks will host the Magic.

Since Dwight Howard left the Magic, the team has automatically entered a rebuilding phase. Last season, the team had the worst record in the league, for which they were awarded the second overall pick in the draft.

They used the second overall pick to select shooting guard Victor Oladipo from Indiana University, marking the first step in their rebuild.

The Hawks' starting lineup remained unchanged from the previous few games.

The Magic's starting lineup for the away game consisted of Vucevic, Maxiell, Afflalo, Harkless, and Nelson.

The Magic have amassed a group of talented young players, but they haven't yet found the kind of player who can truly serve as the cornerstone of a team. Oladipo has potential, but can this second overall pick from a weak draft class really be the one to lead the team to a resurgence? The Magic lack that confidence!

The opponent wasn't strong, so the Hawks were naturally hoping to win at home; they didn't want to suffer their first losing streak of the season.

The Philips Arena remained packed, with fans showing no signs of slowing down.

The jump ball began, and Vucevic won the jump ball against Horford, giving the Magic the first possession.

Nelson dribbles the ball across half-court.

The most poignant aspect of the Magic over the past few seasons is that of the team that reached the NBA Finals, only Nelson remains in the starting lineup.