Aces vs Aces:Kevin Durant vs Kawhi Leonard
It’s interesting to note that Durant and Leonard are two extremes in the application of ball-handling shooting hand movements, as they are the top offensive players in the league.
The whole process of starting and pivoting the ball from a power perspective is the process of releasing the force exerted by the palm of the hand on the basketball from the pisiformis muscle to the pisiformis muscle.
In terms of starting the ball, the more the palm finger distance is stretched out, the greater the angle between the large and small interphalangeal muscles, the greater the stability of holding the ball, the higher the degree of control. On the contrary, for paddling the ball, the palm of the hand should be as close as possible, the smaller the angle formed between the large pisiform muscle and the small pisiform muscle, eventually paddling the ball can be better with the large pisiform muscle end of the force, while the stability of paddling the ball is also higher.
For example, Kobe paddle finger is the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, but there are different scenarios where the index finger and middle finger paddle the ball, or even the index finger alone paddle the ball. This can be interpreted as: the closer the thumb is to the paddle, the more obvious is the tendency to need to use the power to the end of the pisiformis muscle.
This is an interesting set of contradictory opposites, quite a bit of incompatible meaning.
Let’s start with Durant
Durant’s ball handling habits, the angle between the large piriformis muscle and the small piriformis muscle is very small. It can be said that this playing habit builds the basic plate of Durant’s technical completion tendency. The stretching of the ball and the finger power at the end of the pelvic muscle are very fixed, so the application of Durant’s shooting hand type ensures that he can shoot from all angles anytime and anywhere.
Of course, there are drawbacks, because the palm of the hand is not big enough, the control of the ball is relatively weak, so Durant inexplicably catch the ball on the field, the last moment of the ball missed, and even layups not into the play let people see the staggering.
Durant’s butterfingers can’t hold the ball, so people are dumbfounded.
McCollum said this about Durant on social media: “Durant is unstoppable, and if he misses a shot, it’s only because he misses it, not because someone else is guarding him”, which is half true.
For example, Adebayo blocked Durant’s dial-up shots, a defensive tactic that is basically useless against Durant.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s long arms can’t interfere with Durant’s shots.
The ball is quite clear, not very stable on the catch, but once the ball is raised over the head to pivot is to open the unresolved
So CJ’s comment has to be interpreted as follows: When Durant has completed the ball movement and is ready to poke the ball, it is unstoppable. Likewise, Tony Allen, Beverly once in some rounds of the main defense Durant is quite effective, is not delusional. In the starting phase as much as possible cut off or maximum interference to Durant, think has been the optimal solution in the unsolvable.
This also gives some ideas or outlook for Durant’s technical transition. Generally speaking, players in the middle and late stages of their careers must combine physical conditions, athletic performance, and playing style characteristics to make trade-offs in technical movement habits. Jordan added a lot of low-post backward shooting during the post-triple crown period, and King Naughty used his golden chicken to the extreme. Likewise most power forward late weight gain from 2 to 3 or even top to 4 is also common. For Durant, it may be the opposite of a technical trend of playing further and further out.
1. offensive and defensive transition remote direct pull
This kind of take advantage of the defender’s fall position has not yet formed a defensive posture left 45 degrees from the three-point line to cast a cold arrow, down the step non-usual hand dry three is Durant’s specialty.
If it wasn’t for the scoreboard, you might think the writer was using the same set of motion pictures to fool the reader…
2. Reduced low-post matchups and blind bursts
This season, Durant has reduced a lot of low-post holding back against the ball after taking backward shooting end of the technical options, instead of low pivot to observe teammates after dumping weak-side shooters, or back to face the basket directly pull mid-range. Considering the cautious approach after serious injury after all, it can be seen as a positive sign that Durant is trying to try to transition.
Durant encountered this kind of under the thick body of the small misplaced back actually bad play, confrontation under the ball easy to form a turnover
On the other hand, the ball is not really solid, break the center of gravity too high to reduce the head iron blindly into the pile of people burst stabbing mistakes
This kind of mistakes in the high-end game is quite deadly
The active search for confrontation also affects the stability of the ball.
3. naming plays up
Durant’s indiscriminate play is historically ranked, but the so-called indiscriminate play has to be seen in terms of strengths and weaknesses. The Durant ball control strength is relatively weak, should try to avoid the small size, fast, cut the ball hard this category. So play to the key ball, need Durant point list pick, have to look up, looking for more than 3, to the same size to rely on height and arm length to block the opponent’s defensive habits as the best. For example, against Middleton is really comfortable to give and take. And face shot Gobert, thick brow, Capela a long man, the same is Durant career classic play.
Middleton’s type of defender is Durant’s favorite type of matchup
This kind of defense in place to watch Durant’s body in front of the phase, not to make a cut ball attempt is a form of virtual
4. Play more fixed offensive starting style
After Harden joined the Nets, Durant is no longer too much as a low-post pivot point to link the whole team, in fact, the pure finishing point to complete the offensive set is more suitable for Durant’s technical characteristics. The triangle tandem of Durant, Jordan and Harden’s side is also playing well.
Set 1: The bottom corner hangs up the cover and then cut the middle to pull the middle distance directly
Set 2: When you encounter a pinch, you should consider the situation and assist Jordan
To sum up, the core plate of Durant’s technical transition choice is to control the mistakes under the starting technical action, to avoid the risk of being cut under the holding technical action, and to maximize the advantages of the application of his own shot dialing technical level!
And Leonard
Leonard is blessed with a pair of huge palms, which is the opposite of Durant’s ball-handling habits, and the angle between the large and small pisiform muscles of Leonard’s ball-handling hands is very large. So it is very stable in the control of holding the ball. This year’s Clippers against the Warriors, Green a drag to Leonard that foul is impressive, and more amazing is in the loss of balance, Leonard can still hold the ball with a solid snap. Even the sucker’s big hands have performed one-handed grabbing of the board in many scenarios.
Sprinting through the crowd, actively looking for a solid hold on the ball in the confrontation, and not easily cut by the ball.
On the other hand, Leonard’s technical flaws are the stretchiness of the paddle and the power of the paddle with the help of the interphalangeal muscle, which means that the paddle is not fine enough and once the range is far, the finger paddle is not strong enough! For example, Leonard’s three-point shots from the top of the arc usually have a lack of paddle power, resulting in an embarrassing situation where the shot hits the front rim or even misses. There are super gods who have been 7 of 9 from three against Lavin, and there are also super ghosts who are embarrassed to be 1 of 7.
Obviously because of the lack of finger plucking power, resulting in the shot hitting the front basket or even three non-strike.
So some of Leonard’s ideas or outlooks on technical optimization are as follows
- increase the bottom corner 3-point shooting
Leonard has not taken many shots from this position in the past, which is also related to the fact that Leonard does not care about the hot zone and does not make the best shot selection. In fact, Leonard’s three point shooting from the two corners is the highest in his season (57.1% & 62.5%).
2. Adding a lot of left-sided low-post singles
Tyronn Lue expressed the Clippers will use the triangle offense tactics in the new season, determined to use Leonard as Kobe and Jordan in the new season, as well as declared to the media: “I have let Leonard try two or three roles in the triangle offense. Ultimately, I found that the position Kobe and Jordan had been in was the best for him”
Indeed, Leonard is playing the role of Clipper Jordan in the low post. A more intuitive change is that Leonard, who used to be used to the right waist as the axis to hold the ball, has a lot more left waist low-post single play in the new season. The new season, Leonard’s low-post skills are more comprehensive, the usual hand back and forth to turn the back of the mid-range stability is very high, on the other hand, in the low encounter package situation, the usual hand handling conduction ball transfer weak side is also more smooth. Leonard season so far is a career-high 5.7 assists, Leonard’s ball handling ability, progress!
This new season, this left waist habitual hand low back play, cut the middle encounter wrap-up timely dump weak side timing has improved significantly:.
3. naming plays down
Leonard’s undifferentiated singles, the same has to improve the strengths and avoid the weaknesses. The stability of the ball is weak, you should try to seek small size, looking for 3 below, relying on physical advantage, hard bridge chisel to the comfort zone after the best shot.
Leonard horse fast knife sink, against the small size of the wrong position, easy to score
Encounter Ingram such height and arm length can cover, should take the initiative to increase physical confrontation after finding the shot space
4. Optimize the choice of technical movements to form stable finishing skills
Leonard’s finishing technique has no obvious shortcomings, but on the other hand, similar to Durant’s left step, there is a lack of a must-kill technique that ignores the environment, which requires the polishing of technical movements to be more refined and perfect. From the intuitive point of view of the game, the cross-step to the usual middle distance and the usual hand to the back turn are two of Leonard’s more stable technical applications.
Cross-step to customary hand distance.
Usual hand to backward turn and backward tilt.
To sum up, the core plate of Leonard’s technical optimization choice is to seek the maximum efficiency of the projection hot zone for the characteristics of the hand work of the dialed ball is not fine enough. For holding the ball up firmly not easy to be cut ball point, the use of the same position body type advantage to seek the optimal solution of misalignment.
