Reggie Miller is one of the greatest shooters of all time. The Pacers legend was an incredible marksman at a time when shooting was not a huge point of emphasis for the NBA. He went on to make some of the best shots in NBA history, most of them coming when the Pacers needed it the most.
Miller’s success as a shooter also came because of him being surrounded by some of the best shooters ever. Miller played under Larry Bird while he was coach of the Indiana Pacers. In fact, the two even had a funny interaction, with Bird getting the better of Miller who was trying to talk trash to him.
Given his success with it, you would imagine that few would ask Miller to tamper with his shot technique. But that is exactly what his high school coach did. In a recent interview with The Athletic, Miller revealed that his coach suggested changing his shot motion.
But he ultimately refused, after his father gave him some simple, yet sound advice. He also gave some advice to future generations of players, telling them to find a shot motion they are comfortable with, rather than using one from some of the best shooters ever.
“I remember before I got to high school, I had a coach tell me maybe I should bring my elbow in, more textbook, instead of the elbow being out. And I remember my dad saying to the coach, ‘Does it go in?’. ‘Yes, but …’ ‘Does it go in often?’. ‘Yeah, but’… ‘That’s all you need to know’. I tell people follow-throughs are like fingerprints; they’re all different. And that’s what I tell kids all the time. Don’t try to shoot like Steph Curry or Ray Allen or Larry Bird. Everyone has a unique follow-through, a unique release point. Do what works for you.”
Miller makes a solid point about shooting technique. Oftentimes, we see young players wanting to emulate some of the best shooters ever, in an effort to garner the same result that they do. But these players themselves developed a technique that works best for them, rather than imitating someone else’s shot.
While everyone wants to be able to shoot like the greats; Curry, Allen, Bird, Miller, not everyone can. But if you can find a shot motion that works for you, and allows you to make shots on a consistent basis, then that is good enough for you to work with. And you should just focus on improving your consistency with that.
