A lot of guys go into the NBA not being able to shoot the ball well, but then they become great shooters.
I made a lot of big threes throughout my career, but it was the 3-point shot that allowed me to maneuver inside the paint, post-up, mid-range game and so forth.
Honestly now, I'm so much more comfortable at the line and I've gotten so many reps up. Now I feel like when I shoot it, I go up so much more confident thinking, 'OK I'm going to make this one.'
It's a miss and make league. As long as you have that confidence to take that last shot, knowing - I'm pretty sure you can't go home and sleep at night knowing you had the opportunity to take that shot and you shied away from it.
When I came into the NBA, coaches wanted you to shoot a midrange shot or two before you shot your 3 - you know, to get an 'easy one' first.
I've always thought I could shoot from the outside.
The rim is looking bigger and bigger every game.
A lot of guys can shoot two, three, four, five, six, seven, 10 feet behind the 3-point line. A lot of people can do it. It's just, when is it going to be considered a good shot? When are coaches going to encourage you to shoot that shot?
All truly great shooters - Dale Ellis, Larry Bird, Craig Hodges, Chris Mullin - we always believed that we were the best shooters in the world.
Even if I do miss a shot, I'm going to be comfortable to get back up there and shoot the same shot again. Make or miss, I'm not going to be frustrated but move on to the next play.
One thing a shooter loves is to make his first shot. He makes his first shot from three; that builds confidence.
I'm working on everything, especially staying balanced when I shoot the ball. That's the biggest thing, as well as taking good shots within the offense.
I feel like I can get any shot I want. That's not to sound cocky or conceited. It's because I've played basketball basically every day of my life. So at some point, I've taken just about every shot there is. I've figured out the angles, almost like a pool shark. I know where to use the glass, which dribble I need and which spot I want to reach.
Every time I shoot a turnaround, I feel like nobody can block it.
Sometimes it happens, especially if you're a shooter. They say that you can't play great defense.
It's been a part of my game for life. It's tougher to finish in the lane so you've got to find different areas to score efficiently and the mid-range contested shot is a shot a lot of teams will live with. And it's a shot I'm willing to live with as well just because I've gotten so many shots at it and I'm comfortable with it.
I need to focus on getting to the free-throw line and knocking them down in practice and getting them in the game.
I've played with a couple good shooters, but I've never been on a team where there's been three, four, five, six good shooters. And I've always thought that nothing gets you open more than being surrounded by good shooters.
I'm just trying to shoot in rhythm. That's the biggest thing for my shot from long range. I don't try to speed it up too much.
People say I don't have a jump shot, so that's what I've been working on.
I found out some of the spots on the floor that I like to shoot - do my little floater shots, my pull-up shots, being able to get all the way to the rim. By me doing that, it's kind of opened up my 3-point shot.
Making the tough shots and leaning in a certain way and a fadeaway and stuff like that, those are tough shots, but those are shots you have to learn to make in this league.
Every player goes through streaks where they're just not making their shots. It may last two games, it may last ten games, and a lot of times, it's something off the court that is bothering you, or coach might cut your minutes for some unknown reason.
I've been a good 3-point shooter, but I've been a better midrange shooter my whole career, so it was definitely frustrating to try to figure out that balance.
My game is kind of built around hitting shots - that's what I take pride in, and it's what separates myself from other guys.
