As the study shows, bank shots are more effective within 12 feet and from the wings. This probably shouldn't come as a surprise. That said, I don't think this means that more players should be attempting to shoot this way. Having a successful jumper is all about repetition, keeping your mechanics and your target consistent. Gotta keep your focus on the basket, imo.
He meant shoot them underhanded in the middle of a game shooting field goals. Barry's free throw is actually fairly complex to master, as you have to bring your hands together and put a soft spin on it. I can see how not everyone can master it. As for the bank shot, I don't think it's a matter of players not thinking it "looks cool." The rim is always a circle on every area of the court, meaning it is a consistent target when you shoot. With bank shots, you have to change the angle depending on where you're shooting it. In the middle of a game with the greatest athletes in the world guarding you, this isn't always a prudent shot to take. This is why even bank shot masters like Tim Duncan have "sweet spots" that they shoot from in which they square up and take their time.
Shooting has so many variables, most in the mind(assuming form: ball heads straight, miss either long or short). The last thing I want, is to think, when I'm shooting. Don't get me wrong, I use the bank. Most of the time it's just instinct when I go bank, or there is tiny airspace in which I have to change the arc/angle to not get blocked. Back to the topic at hand. It's 1 variable, not gonna make or break a shooter/player. It is something to keep in mind when you're shooting around, though.
This study is interesting for sure, but after all that work, could they not have chosen an appropriate color scale for their final graphs?! Red areas indicate either really high percentage... or really low percentage. Sure, you can just look at the adjacent color and figure out which one it is, but this still counts as a color mapping fail. If I presented a chart like this at a conference, I would get crucified.
I am sure he meant that since players shot overhand in game, they didn't have enough practice for underhand shots. Barry shot normal overhand style for his jumpers and was a great shooter. And his underhand FTs were almost automatic, over 90%.
