How
to Finish Plays:
A key to being a great basketball player
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Finishing plays is one of the keys to becoming a great player.
It's one thing to make a great move. But big-time players make great move and finish plays.
If you're going to take your game to another level, you have to develop the skill and concentration to make and finish great player.
This article will give you the insight into what it takes to get the skill, focus, and concentration necessary to make and finish big plays.
There are many factors that come into play in terms of you becoming a better scorer: playing time, shooting ability, athletic ability, confidence, and the skill level of teammates (in terms of setting screen, passing, running plays), etc. That being said, I've broken the topic down into several important aspects that you can focus on to increasing your scoring average.
Get your shot off quickly
No matter how great a shooter you are, or how good you are at driving to the basket, if you are slow at getting your shot off, you'll pay for it come game time. A key element in scoring is having or creating space for yourself to shoot the ball (whether it's a jump shot or off of a drive). Taking too much time to shoot or drive the ball gives the defense time to react and take away the precious space you need to be an effective scorer. So work on getting your shot off more quickly than you already do.
How can you get better at having a quick shot? Work on it in practice (team practice and when you do your own personal workouts). Work on getting your shot off more quickly than you already do. Speed up your shot (and drives to the basket) while maintaining form and effectiveness. Practice it over and over again, and this will carry over to game situations.
Learn to shoot in a variety of ways
Many players excel in shooting the ball in one particular way (for example: coming off of a screen). But really good players excel at shooting the ball in a variety of ways and situations.
Work on shooting the ball off of a dribble, off of a jump stop, coming off of a screen, from a stand-still, leaners in the lane, and off of a drive. Really good players can shoot well from all of these different situations. Average players are typically good in only one or two.
Practice dribbling full speed from half court, coming to a jump stop around 10-15 feet from the basket and exploding up for jump shot. Practice pump-faking, dribbling hard to the basket and putting up a shot with your off hand. Put a folding chair or other item on the court (as if it's a teammate setting a screen), spin the ball to yourself as if you're coming off of a screen and knock down the jumper. Work on all these different ways of taking shots and you'll be that much better in those situations when it's game time.
Take good shots (i.e. shot selection)
Another important aspect of being a good scorer is simply taking good shots. This means taking shots within your range, when you're open (open meaning having the space to get the shot off). Sometimes players get into a bad habit of forcing shots just because they want to make sure to get a certain number of shots in a game, or haven't touched the ball on offense for a long period of time. That's not a good habit to get into.
If your range is 15-17 feet, don't take a 22-footer with a defender hanging all over you. If you're a good face-up jump shooter from the perimeter, don't take a guy off the dribble and throw up a leaner in the lane. Know your range. Know the spots on the floor that you shoot well from. Know the types of shots you excel at, and put yourself in a position to get those shots in practice and game situations and you're shooting percentage will increase.
Of course, game situations change certain things and you may be in a position to take some shots you normally would not to beat the clock, or your coach may set up a play for your team to get a certain shot and you end up shooting something your normally wouldn't. But in general, take high percentage shots that you have a good chance of making, and you'll improve your shooting percentage (and therefore will appear to be a better shooter than someone who throws up anything, from anywhere, at anytime).
Work on your form
It goes without saying, but improving your form will improve your shot and thus your scoring ability. Every great shooter works on getting a feel for the ball, grooving their shot, and working on that muscle-memory that is so key to being a good shooter.
Larry Bird used to go to the arena hours before a game to shoot by himself to get his shot grooved in for the game that night. He'd shoot hundred of jumpers from all over the court to work on his form, get a feel for the ball, and get himself dialed in for the game. So work on improving your form in practice, and in your personal workouts. Emphasize keeping your elbow in, extending your arm, getting good backspin on the ball, and the follow through. Like anything in life, the more you work at it, the better you'll be. Having good form and improving it over time will make your shot that much more consistent, which is a key to being a solid offensive player.
Learn to finish
Great players finish plays. Faking a guy off his feet, dribbling into the lane, throwing up a pretty shot, and clanking it off the rim…it's a great play, but there was no finish. Darting out into the passing lane, stealing a pass, dribbling the length of the court, and blowing a lay-up…it's a great play, but there was no finish. Playing great defense on a guy, forcing him into a bad shot, then forgetting to block out, so he grabs the rebound and scores a lay-up…great defense, but there was no finish.
Of course, not finishing a play doesn't take away the good parts that happened before the blown lay-up or missed block-out. But being a good player means playing well from start to finish, and eliminating lapses in focus and execution. Finishing plays and eliminating lapses will improve your game. A big part of learning to finish plays is just being mindful of keeping your concentration level high.
It takes practice and experience to maintain your focus for longer stretches of time, and for the duration of a play or series of actions. Work on kicking your concentration level up a notch as a play is coming to a head and finish it off strongly. Your job isn't over when you make a good steal, get a defender off-balance with a cross-over dribble of head fake, or stop your opponent's first move…that's the point in time where you maintain your focus, complete the play, then do it all over again. That's where you show your heart as a competitor.