Okay, I know a bunch of people are going to jump down my throat about this one, but hear me out first... After seeing the big guy play a bit now, I have to say he's got the sweetest outside shot I've EVER seen on someone over 7' tall. He's already a much better shooter than Rik Smits, the person he's most often compared to, and much better than Ralph. Sarbonis had a good outside shot, but it wasn't as sweet as Yao's. His 15-20 foot turnaround jumper has the potential to be the dagger-in-the-heart that Jabbar's hook was -- who can stop it when he launches it from so high a point? In fact, there are only a handful of guys in the league with as sweet a shot as Yao -- Ray Allen, Allan Houston, and a couple of others, maybe. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Yao in the top 5 in shooting percentage next year, especially with so much other talent on the Rockets that will draw defensive attention. I'm not saying Yao will be an instant star, but if he can just stay out of foul trouble, he's going to open up a lot of space on the inside when he drifts out 20 feet from the basket and pulls Shaq/Duncan/Mutombo/etc. out there with him. And if they get lazy, that sweet jumper goes up. Oh, man, I honestly wish I could go to sleep right now and wake up when the season starts. I haven't looked forward to a Rockets season this much since the Twin Towers first took the floor.
Just because he's a good shooter for a 7-foot guy doesnt mean he's the best pure shooter. Are you telling me you'd rather have Yao take a 3 than Reggie Miller, Steve Kerr or Dell Curry? No way. Yao is an above-average shooter for a man his size, nothing more and nothing less.
Dirk may be better from the three - although he only shoots 3s at a .380, but his overall shoot pct is only .465. That's not that great at his position. Next time you consider Yao's shooting touch, ask yourself this: has any NBA player ever had a perfect game (100% FTs, 100% FG) when they took over 15 shots?
Yeah, Nowitski is such a great shooter that he barely cracked the top 25 in shooting percentage last year. Sure, he's a better *scorer* than Yao may ever be, but a pure shooter? Dream on.
I've only seen Yao take a single shot from 3-point range (which he made without touching the rim), so I can't say I'd prefer him over Miller in that regard. I *can* say that once he's learned a little bit about how they'll defend him in the NBA, I'd rather see Yao take a 15-20 footer than just about anyone else in the league. Who else? Webber has a great 15-20 foot jumper, and Duncan has that sweet 15-footer off the glass, but I can't think of too many guys with that an automatic shot from that range.
It's certainly a better guage than any other statistic, seeing as how the best shooters tend to hit more of their shots. Free-throw percentage, too -- the best pure shooters tend to be the best free-throw shooters. That's why Miller, Houston, Allen tend to be among the leaders every year. Since the league doesn't keep stats on how well players do while playing HORSE, it's all we've got. As long as you weed out the under-the-basket kind of guys like Shaq and Wallace, field goal percentage is VERY indicative of shooting ability.
fg% doesn't tell you whether a guy is a good shooter or not, b/c there are so many other factors affecting fg%. ft% is the pure indicator of a person's shooting ability (to a degree) b/c everyone has to shoot ft from the same distance without the help of his teammates and the opposition of the opponents. The only non-shooting factor in ft shooting is the pressure involved. Some players are better in dealing with pressure than others, even though they may not be better in shooting.
It's too early to tell but from what I've seen in games, clips, highlights he may very well be a top five shooter. There is no proof to say otherwise. I've never seen him miss and open shot except for that dunk at the WC and his jumpshots never even touches the rim. I guess it is alot easier to keep you concentration if you never have to worry about being blocked.
Your kidding me right? That guy couldn't shoot the broad side of a barn last season. More than than likely it's gonna be the same this season. I wish I were wrong, but I really belive his career is over. It wont be long before Nachbar replaces him in the lineup.
while you're at it, factor in his teammates and the type (quality) of shots that he gets. hell, kenny smith was a "pure shooter" on the rockets. would he have been a "pure shooter" on any team that didn't have a dominant center? hell no. HORSE? c'mon man. watch a few games then talk to me about pure shooters.
i guess steve kerr is the greatest pure shooter in nba history, huh? i mean, he does possess the highest overall 3pt FG% ever, right?
I'm not going to argue about who's seen more basketball, but I *will* say that A) I was an avid NBA fan long before Magic and Bird ushered in the current high-profile era; and B) I've seen enough to know that Kenny Smith, of ALL people, would never be considered a pure shooter by anyone other than maybe his own mother. Smith was an average shooter at best -- he was the guy you try to get the ball to *only* when he was on a hot streak, which wasn't all that often. Dude, if you're gonna flame someone, at least try to know what you're talking about.
I still think he has a ways to go. Some of the best Allen Houston Ray Allen Reggie Miller Dirk Nowitski Glen Rice (in his prime - hopefully it will return this year) Steve Smith (kinda the same boat as Rice, just not as bad.) Paul Pierce - can be on the same level when he is hot. Steve Kerr Peja Stoyakivic (sp?) and don't forget Matt Bullard!!!
There isn't that many pure shooters like there were in the old days. When I think of pure shooters, I think of the Jazzhole Hornacek. If you gave and open shot, he would make it period. There wasn't any question about it. He also shot over 90% from the FT line. The only pure shooters in the league right now are Ray Allen Peja Reggie Miller (he is not as good as he used to be) Nitwitz is not a pure shooter. He is a terrific scorer but he is far away from being automatic.
Mark Price was one of the greatest pure shooters of all time. Pity that he had a rather short career. Other than Price, I'd pick Calvin Murphy as the top representative of "pure shooter."
