Little known"Luka Magic": Step into Doncic's freestyle shooting show.
About an hour before a game in late December, Luka Doncic was about to wave his magic wand.
As Slovenian pop songs played in the American Airlines Center, Doncic slowly walked to the halfway line, a long-standing habit of warming up before games. The first shot missed, and the second time it hit. For Doncic, this isn't much of a showmanship. After all, from this distance, Mavericks assistant coach Gad Samgaard said that Doncic can convert almost half of his shots into goals.
Doncic then held out five fingers to Sam Golde and Darrell Armstrong, the longest-serving assistant coach in Dallas, to signal how many push-ups they owed him. It's a traditional pre-game routine for Doncic, who ends it all with a half-court shot.
Doncic wasn't satisfied, though, and found another basketball parked at the halfline. He kicked the ball back into his hands, ready for a bolder attempt. This time, Doncic turned to face another basket. Without looking, he flung the ball backwards with his right hand until it was over his head.
I'm just shooting on my own. Earlier this month, in a rare postgame interview away from the podium, Doncic said in the locker room, "In practice, I'm just trying. ”
With a bang, the ball flew into the nylon net; The fans in the stadium let out a burst of exclamations; Sam Goldh and Armstrong stood up from the floor, surprised. Doncic, on the other hand, finally showed a sly smile.
Luka Doncic is known by many names: a generation of gifted geniuses, ruthless contenders, clever court masters, and one of the NBA's most glamorous superstars. But he's also a performance artist, and this pre-competition recital was the beginning of his performance.
I told him," said Dennis Smith Jr., a former teammate who now plays for the Brooklyn Nets, "I've never seen anyone as good at XJB shooting as [you]." ”
But what sets Doncic apart from other stars, even those who regularly throw similar ridiculous shots, is that he turns shooting skills into a legitimate skill and an eternal challenge. He always, in the true sense of the word, to test himself with more difficult attempts: higher arcs, unnatural mechanics, longer distances, lower probabilities.
It's not just nonsense. "He's not just throwing the ball to the basket, he really wants to put the ball in. ”
For example, his no-frame backward shot wasn't just a simple prayer that the ball would burrow into the net on its own, but a deliberate attempt, and he's done it again and again now.
When he was [facing the back], "two hours before Doncic scored 73 points at Atlanta, Sam Gold said, "he's looking at this rebound" — he points to the rebound across the court, the "victim" that Doncic sniped backwards with his back to him — and measured his shot toward that rebound. ”
When I was exactly ready, the ball went in. Doncic said with a smile.
Doncic doesn't play freestyle shooting in his day-to-day life. He wouldn't throw paper balls into the trash can, or throw ping-pong balls into paper cups in a hotel room, or anything like that. "I don't try it at home," he said, "and that's different." ”
But on the basketball court, as long as he is close to the basket with the ball, his acting skills are completely addictive. Not only warm-up before the game, but also before the game and after the whistle, in an unfamiliar away or home training gym, for a bet or just for a challenge, and sometimes even in a game. Stephen Curry is also one such player, and his shooting skills have turned a pregame show into must-see entertainment. But in the eyes of many peers, Doncic has become the real king of fancy shooting in the NBA.
You can give him this title. Star teammate Kyrie Irving said.
Sam Gold, the legendary Brooklyn dribble master who has worked with countless stars, can only name a ball on the level of Doncic in this regard, a player he has never even seen with his own eyes.
I want to say about him and Larry Bird. There's no one I've seen myself who is more magical than him. ”
These shots may look glamorous. Of course, it's also a testament to the youthful passion of the 25-year-old, who is still as strong as he was in his second decade as a professional. "I like to have fun," Doncic said, "so sometimes, I try something new." 'But he also believes and tries to score every goal.
As his teammates, coaches, and peers will tell you, he usually does it.
—mffl———
On the practice court at the Cleveland Arena, Doncic has swapped out his Jordan signature shoes, put on his standard pair of slippers for shoppers, and found his next shooting challenge. Stand outside the paint zone and start shooting at the basket in the distance. And then it hit.
The Mavericks' staff and players were amazed as they witnessed his recent magical performance. Don Calkestein, the team's director of sports psychology, high-fived him and said, "First attempt!" ”
Kalkstein was kidding, and Doncic had missed several attempts before this attempt was successful. Perhaps that's why Doncic reacted the way he did: clenching his fists in the air and waving them in emphasis.
Doncic has been trying this kind of full-court long-range shooting all his life. In practice, whenever the assembly whistle blows, Doncic usually throws the ball to the basket furthest from his position.
, he's probably throwing all the balls from the rack to the basket before practice starts. Former teammate Dorian Finney-Smith, who is now on the Nets, said, "He grabbed all the balls, probably threw them 90 feet away and tried to score them." ”
Doncic has only hit one shot from beyond the halfcourt in an actual NBA game, and that was a 51-foot shot from the basket against the Nets in his rookie season, even though he has done so 41 times in his career. And Armstrong couldn't believe that was the only thing.
It really surprised me. "Because he shoots like that all the time." ”
Armstrong may remember many of Doncic's shots on the verge of error, or high parabolic goals that don't count toward the official record just over time. Such as his half-court shot in the 2020 NBA rookie game. Or this near-full-court shot, which he deliberately didn't make until after the final whistle because Dallas was ahead. And this shot from more than 70 feet away after the halftime whistle against the Magic this season.
During Doncic's rookie season, teammates quickly learned two things about him. Number one: he never says no.
He made a very stupid bet," Maxey Kleber told The Athletic in 2018, when Doncic was just two months into his rookie season, "and he knew the odds were low, but he accepted it." ”
The second point: don't bet on him.
I've lost a lot of money over the years," Kleber admitted.
Kleber says he's made some money by applying his first (never-no) experience. Especially in the small spaces of the various away practice halls where the team is holding practice, Kleber encouraged Doncic to shoot from behind the rebound, which he said was impossible. "When the ceiling isn't high enough [and] you retreat far enough," he said, "there's no angle at all." ”
But because Doncic never felt that there would be a ball in the world that he would not be able to shoot, he would still agree.
Finney Smith, on the other hand, made a wise decision early on not to bet on his superstar teammates.
I thought,'You know what, I can't afford it right now,'" he said. "I was on a rookie contract, an unguaranteed contract, so I thought, 'To hell with it.'" ”
Finney Smith said Wesley Matthews owed Doncic five figures in just the half-season they played together. Allegedly, Matthews has not repaid the money to this day. (The 37-year-old Hawks guard declined to comment before Doncic's 73-point night.) ）
Yes," Doncic confirmed Finney-Smith's claims. "It's been (about) three years. ”
Doncic said he had settled all the arrears, even J.J. Redick, who jokingly tweeted last year that Doncic owed him $1,700. "He met me [last week]," Doncic said after the team concluded a week-long road trip in New York, where Doncic met with Redick for a podcast interview. "He never asked me for (money) because it wasn't real. ”
However, Doncic certainly hasn't forgotten about the guys who owe him money, and he also named assistant coaches Sam Gold and Armstrong as the two culprits. "I want cash," Doncic said earnestly, "pay me cash." ”
Standing between Doncic and Dragic is Milic).
Sam Gold and Armstrong, along with Slovenian basketball legend Marko Milic (also an assistant coach for the Mavericks), may have witnessed more of Doncic's ridiculous fancy performances than anyone else. They joined Doncic in his pre-game warm-up, taking over the role that current Orlando Magic coach Jamal Mosley took on alone before he left in '21, and they only encouraged him to be bold.
If you're a good coach, you're going to challenge them in a fun way," Sam Gauder said, "and a player like him, needs fun to keep the feeling engaged." ”
For example, Doncic's last dry three-pointer in the pick-and-roll training arc is incredibly high. 'There's always two or three chances to throw the ball high and either bounce back in or hit it hollow. Armstrong explained. Doncic recently hit the exact same shot during the All-Star Weekend.
Leave Levery behind him stunned)
Or Doncic's "jump shot" that he started playing this season, and it seems that the simple floor flow is no longer enough for him, and instead makes a poor imitation of Westbrook's "zombie jump shot".
Interestingly, shortly after a home game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Doncic began throwing this exaggerated jumper. "He did it because that's how a lot of players shoot. "He started out just pitching, but now he's starting to know how to hit." And it all happened before Doncic could move his shot to the halfway line.
Because Doncic's half-court shot was too easy to hit, the coaches added some more rules. "In the beginning, we gambled a little bit of money, like $100 or something," Sam Gauder said, "and then he got in too much, and I said, 'I didn't get in and you did push-ups, I got in and I did push-ups.'" ’”
Doncic will have two normal halfcourt shots, as well as two back-to-basket attempts. And if he made one of those shots, the two assistant coaches would have to fall to the floor and be punished, and Doncic would dance and laugh at them.
Because of him, my figure is getting better and better. ”
Before the game, when Doncic and his teammates returned to the court, they joined him in the fun.
When we were shooting drill, I deliberately threw the ball very high. ""And then he actually tried to hit the ball in with his shoulder. ”
Davis Bertans, another former teammate, said he was most surprised by this freestyle shot. "He does it every time," said Bertans, who now plays for the Charlotte Hornets, "and I think my shoulders are too small, because once I tried it, I thought, 'I might not have even put the ball up and I'm hurting.'" ”
There were more attempts, more shots, so many, if not impossible—as Finney-Smith said, "If he sees someone else make a fancy shot, he'll try to make that freestyle shot before you do" — it's impossible to list them all. But the people around Doncic have their own favorites.
Head coach Jason Kidd said nothing surprised him the most was Doncic's shooting from the courtside seat. "He made it look easy, [but] it's not easy to shoot while sitting on the bench," Kidd said, "and he's too strong." ”
Milic's biggest attraction was Doncic's timer-based goal about 20 feet from the basket. At one point, while the two were chatting under the basket, Doncic started to shoot nonchalantly, but Milic started counting: 5 in a row, then 10, and finally 12 in a row.
hit 11 goals in a row on the timer)
Doncic often looks for the strongest material above the basket — in the team's home practice arena, which is the support beam that runs parallel to the basket directly above the ceiling — to try out the "big basics" of Tim Duncan-style playing. On an ordinary court, because the ceiling is too high, it is impossible to reach it, so you can only rely on the timer to play the board.
However, the low ceilings of the Orlando Disney Bubble Park couldn't be more appropriate for these ungodly smack-playing maniacs. Finney Smith said: "He was throwing a lot of crazy shots. We were just surrounded by basketballs and had nothing to do. Like this:
Doncic said he doesn't have a favorite shot. A few seasons ago, though, he asked the members several times if anyone had recorded what he claimed to be the least likely move at the time: shooting the ball with his feet. No one recorded it. Maybe it's going to be a swan song, but Doncic has at least one witness.
And he did," teammate Josh Green affirmed Doncic's feat, even though he couldn't quite remember the details. "He kicked the ball in. ”
There is no full-court three-pointer, but there is a three-pointer from a standard distance).
Doncic, like many geniuses, can't explain the amazing talent he possesses. When asked why he's so good at throwing these impossible balls, he only said, "I'm just trying. ”
It was also difficult for the people around him to explain this. In Sam Gold's view, that's Doncic's belief that as long as he shoots, these seemingly impossible shots will go in.
The ugliest lore pose ever).
Luca has the element of 'it' (talent) and people don't understand what it means to have the element of 'it' because it's not something that can be practiced or trained," Sam Gauder said, "Your mind needs to be aware that you can do it." "You have to have this idea in your head that these aren't impossible shots, not for Doncic, and he genuinely believes he's going to shoot.
When you're enjoying the game, when you're a kid and there's no one else**, you just play with your friends or family and start experimenting with freestyle shots and half-court shots, which translates into super talent and super talent. Irving, who is also synonymous with fairy ball, said, "He has the confidence and courage to shoot." ”
Seth Curry, Doncic's former teammate and brother of another of the league's greatest freestyle shooting performers, offered a more specific reason: hand-eye coordination.
When you have excellent hand-eye coordination, it's easier to perform these kinds of movements. "There's some passing, passing across the pitch, passing from behind, that's hand-eye coordination, that's skill, that's ball feel. ”
But it's also innate. No matter how vague it sounds, Doncic was born to put basketball in the hoop.
"There are a lot of people who work hard for many hours a day and they can't match him," Bertans said. Each of us has our own strengths and weaknesses. And you know what? Basketball is his forte. ”
That's why witnessing Doncic is always memorable. Whatever his talents, traits or indefinable mysteries that allow him to throw an 80-foot bombshell or a supernatural rainbow parabola, it's what makes him a basketball superstar of a generation, and he's already at the pinnacle of the sport. He's such a person.
I think," Kidd said, "these are just normal shots for him."