# Oden and his improving jumpshot per Barrett's Blog



## Darkwebs (May 23, 2006)

Apparently, Greg has been working on his shooting in Inidanapolis. Apparently, he was in town for the Rose Festival.

According to MB's blog http://mikebarrettsblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/taylor-highlights-tuesday.html: 


> Greg worked out at the practice facility over the weekend, and looked phenominal. He's used this time to really improve his outside shot, and has surprised nearly everyone with how consistent he's become.
> 
> 
> Greg's free-throw shooting is very, very solid, and he's developed a deadly jump hook, and can go with either hand.




Wonderful and exciting news! :clap: Man, I can't wait til next season starts. I am so pumped about our 08-09 season! Greg might surprise us with his skills.


----------



## B-Roy (Feb 12, 2008)

Oden has said he's going to have a great jumpshot, because that's all he can work on.


----------



## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

Awesome, + I can't wait to see how Westbrook's workout goes on Thursday


----------



## nikolokolus (Jan 29, 2008)

I love the bit about his foul shooting and the baby hook with either hand ... God I hope he tears it up next year.


----------



## Balian (Apr 11, 2008)

And Rudy Fernandez will be here in Portland VERY soon. I guess he is scouting the town ...perhaps home shopping? He can't sign a contract until July 1 I think.



> Lastly, Rudy Fernandez is reportedly very excited following his recent press conference announcing his plans to join the Trail Blazers. From what I hear, *you may be seeing him around town very, very soon*.


----------



## yuyuza1 (May 24, 2006)

Screw the jumpshot. I like this better.



> In one of his final workouts in Portland, in front of coaches, reportedly, jaws were hitting the floor, as he was repeatedly attempting to *tear the rim off the backboard*. He's developed an impressive touch from the perimeter, and anything in the paint will be a dunk.


:eek8:


----------



## Balian (Apr 11, 2008)

yuyuza1 said:


> Screw the jumpshot. I like this better.
> 
> 
> 
> :eek8:


Dude, everybody on this forum knows he can power dunk. The outside shooting is a pleasant surprise.


----------



## alext42083 (Nov 7, 2003)

Good news, although I don't think Oden will be playing like LaMarcus and shooting 15-footers now.
I hope Oden first establishes that he's going to be a beast on the post ala Shaq in his early years. I love the fact that he can go with either hand on the hook. Now THAT is going to be impressive if he can be a consistent low post scorer.


----------



## yuyuza1 (May 24, 2006)

Balian said:


> Dude, everybody on this forum knows he can power dunk. The outside shooting is a pleasant surprise.


The quote was a bit reassuring (ie., no knee problems).


----------



## Boob-No-More (Apr 24, 2006)

alext42083 said:


> I love the fact that he can go with either hand on the hook. Now THAT is going to be impressive if he can be a consistent low post scorer.


That's something he developed in college when his right wrist was still on the mend. Everyone seems to talk about his left-handed free throw shooting in college, but if you watched him play much in college you would have noticed him going to his left (left handed drop step and left handed jump hook) more than his right early in the season. He started using the right hand more as it healed. While most of his highlight videos on youtube show dunks and blocked shots, if you watch enough you're sure to see some nice left-handed low post moves in there, too. That right wrist injury may turn out to be a blessing in disguise (as long as there are no long term ill effects) as it forced him to learn to use his left hand. Now, he's twice as hard to defend. 

I've been saying it since before we drafted him, this kid is going to be much better offensively than people think. He's so good defensively, it's what most people focus on, but he has a complete arsenal of low post moves and totally awesome footwork for such a big player. He's been well coached and has great fundamentals. Combined with his size, strength and athleticism, he's going to be an absolute monster on the low blocks. His offensive game is MUCH more refined than Shaq's was at the same age (he actually has better low post moves already than Shaq EVER had). I've said it before, by the time the Blazers are contending for championships Greg Oden will be the team's leading scorer. I think he'll average in the high teens as a rookie, and only go up from there. I don't know if he'll ever average in the 30s, but I see see several seasons in the mid to upper 20s in his future.

BNM


----------



## Perfection (May 10, 2004)

I don't think he'll be the leading scorer as a rookie with LMA and Roy around, but you never know. Depends on how good his FT% is. Man I'm getting excited again.


----------



## ucatchtrout (Feb 11, 2004)

Every time Oden does those power slams next year I want Wheels to say "slam bam thank you mam"


----------



## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

ucatchtrout said:


> Every time Oden does those power slams next year I want Wheels to say "slam bam thank you mam"




I don't think so, but I see a lot of Boom Shaka laka's in our future.


----------



## STOMP (Jan 1, 2003)

Perfection said:


> I don't think he'll be the leading scorer as a rookie with LMA and Roy around, but you never know. Depends on how good his FT% is. Man I'm getting excited again.


of course for most of his lone year at Ohio State he shot his FTs left handed because of the wrist injury, but his Sr year in HS he shot them at 80% with his right. There was an article about a month back with Blazer assistant coaches saying that one of his goals was to challenge Yao as the best FT shooting 5 in the league... he put the target goal at around 83%. They also said they expect Greg to be among the league leaders in FT attempts and dunks. 

I'm with Boob-No-More in expecting his offensive production to be well above what most here are projecting.

STOMP


----------



## World B. Free (Mar 28, 2008)

Awesome! We are truly blessed to have Greg.


----------



## GOD (Jun 22, 2003)

Well, this is as good a thread as any to tell you about a story "rumor" I heard. Word to the wise, I have no proof or idea if this is true, just repeating a story told yesterday by someone at PSU while waiting to take an exam. 

The other students family is from Indiana and he is a big hoops fan, and said that one of the draft prospects, a guard known for his shooting, sorry, I don't remember which, was practicing in Indiana at the same facility as Greg recently. The two of them got in a 3pt shooting competition, best of 10. Greg won by knocking down all 10 3pt shots in a row.


----------



## hasoos (Jan 3, 2003)

Balian said:


> Dude, everybody on this forum knows he can power dunk. The outside shooting is a pleasant surprise.


It all comes down to what you want in a center. Do you want Hakeem Olajuan/Patrick Ewing, or do you want Shaq. I would take Hakeem any day, and he could hit from anywhere on the court.


----------



## Webster's Dictionary (Feb 26, 2004)

So can we start comparing Greg Oden to a young Arvydas Sabonis with slightly less walk-the-dog passing skills? I mean, hitting threes in practice is one thing, but hitting 10 out of 10 in practice means he has the range. Now obviously this story has to be taken with a grain of salt, but it actually wouldn't surprise me if he could shoot the three. I recently watched his draft workout video and they showed one of his jumpers and I had forgotten how pretty it is.


----------



## Reep (Jun 4, 2003)

I can't wait to see the end of the game play where Brandon works of an Oden pick, collapses the defense and then kicks out to GO for the three.

Seriously, good shooting touch can't hurt anyone's game. And I don't see a coachable player like Oden falling in love with the outside shot. Not when you can rip it up like he can in the paint.


----------



## Boob-No-More (Apr 24, 2006)

GOD said:


> Well, this is as good a thread as any to tell you about a story "rumor" I heard. Word to the wise, I have no proof or idea if this is true, just repeating a story told yesterday by someone at PSU while waiting to take an exam.
> 
> The other students family is from Indiana and he is a big hoops fan, and said that one of the draft prospects, a guard known for his shooting, sorry, I don't remember which, was practicing in Indiana at the same facility as Greg recently. The two of them got in a 3pt shooting competition, best of 10. Greg won by knocking down all 10 3pt shots in a row.


I don't know if this is the best place to mention it, but I have a friend whose sister's boyfriend's roommate at IUPUI leaked a rumor that said Greg is getting real close to a major breakthrough in cancer research. And my uncle's neighbor's oldest son is an intern at the UN and says they have asked Greg to draft a new Middle-East peace accord.

Is there ANYTHING he can't do? With his rehab, his basketball career and his burgeoning dental practice, I just don't know how he finds the time.

BNM


----------



## hasoos (Jan 3, 2003)

I also noticed on the blog that MB mentions Mario Chalmers has been scheduled for a workout now. That gives me some relief, because I think that dude is going to slide when he should not.


----------



## Paxil (Jan 1, 2003)

In some ways I think we may be underestimating his offensive potential. He isn't someone you dump the ball in to go one on one yet... but if he gets the ball in his hand within 5 feet of the hoop... it will usually end in a dunk. I hope we rework our offense... I hate setup offenses... teams seem to do so much better when they just play.


----------



## wizmentor (Nov 10, 2005)

hasoos said:


> It all comes down to what you want in a center. Do you want Hakeem Olajuan/Patrick Ewing, or do you want Shaq. I would take Hakeem any day, and he could hit from anywhere on the court.


I want a Shaq that can shoot 83% from the line.


----------



## It's_GO_Time (Oct 13, 2005)

Boob-No-More said:


> That right wrist injury may turn out to be a blessing in disguise (as long as there are no long term ill effects) as it forced him to learn to use his left hand.
> 
> 
> BNM


I fully agree
-James J Braddock


----------



## Boob-No-More (Apr 24, 2006)

wizmentor said:


> I want a Shaq that can shoot 83% from the line.


If Shaq was an 83% FT shooter, his career scoring average would be over 3 PPG higher. During his prime, he would have scored over 4 more PPG. As it is, he never averaged over 30 PPG in his career. At an 83% FT clip, he would have topped 30 PPG six times (and come real close a couple more).

Of course, you could argue that if he was a better FT shooter, he wouldn't have gotten fouled as much. To which, I would counter that many of those fouls were intentional to prevent dunks. Guys like Matt Geiger, Rony Seikaly, etc. used to just intentionally wrap Shaq up and/or totally hammer him whenever he got the ball under the basket. Better to send him to the line where he MIGHT make 1-2 than to give up the sure two and get posterized. So, less fouls = more dunks = more points.

You could also make the argument that if Shaq was a better FT shooter he would have had less wear and tear on his body and fewer injuries. Remember when Geiger broke his thumb with a hack in a pre-season game? He would have played more games and been healthier when he did.

If he was a better free throw shooter, he would have also played more minutes in the 4th quarter of close games. And rather than be a liability late in close games, if he was an 83% FT shooter, he would have been THE go to guy in those situations. Phil Jackson used to pull Shaq in the 4th quarter of close games to prevent his poor FT shooting from costing his team the game. As an 83% FT shooter, he would not only be in the game, they would be running plays for him with the game on the line.

So, I think it's absolutely fantastic that Greg Oden takes pride in his FT shooting and has expressed a goal to be the best FT shooting center in the league. With Shaq, opposing teams always had the option to prevent easy baskets by fouling him hard and sending him to the line. If Oden can shoot 83%, or 80% or even in the high 70s, there will be little incentive for other teams to deliuberately foul him as it will only get their bigs in foul trouble and get the Blazers in the penalty sooner. And, Oden, as a physical low post pleyer, will still get fouled plenty. So, the differnce between being a good and a bad FT shooter will mean an extra 2 - 3 PPG for him and his team.

BNM


----------



## Nate4Prez (Jun 3, 2007)

Boob-No-More said:


> I don't know if this is the best place to mention it, but I have a friend whose sister's boyfriend's roommate at IUPUI leaked a rumor that said Greg is getting real close to a major breakthrough in cancer research. And my uncle's neighbor's oldest son is an intern at the UN and says they have asked Greg to draft a new Middle-East peace accord.
> 
> Is there ANYTHING he can't do? With his rehab, his basketball career and his burgeoning dental practice, I just don't know how he finds the time.
> 
> BNM


I heard from a friend who graduated the class above me that his cousin goes to school in Indiana and he heard that all the local auto parts stores are running out of car batteries cause Greg Oden drinks the battery acid as a protein shake.


----------



## Crimson the Cat (Dec 30, 2002)

Interesting the Rodrigue Beaubois is coming back in. I sort of like his length even if he's a little small. Not a bad 2nd rounder to allow development in France for a couple more seasons.


----------



## Crimson the Cat (Dec 30, 2002)

hasoos said:


> I also noticed on the blog that MB mentions Mario Chalmers has been scheduled for a workout now. That gives me some relief, because I think that dude is going to slide when he should not.


Wow. I just read that. That's interesting too. Mario is wanting to go in the first round it sounds like. If he doesn't feel he will he'll head back to college. Portland might target him in a deal? I like him quite a bit and it's not for just the championship winning shot. I love guards that average over 2+ steals in multiple seasons. I think he'll be a perfect point guard for a Playoff team in the future. I don't understand why he hasn't gotten more mention in this draft. I'm really relieved that Portland's bringing him in. I didn't understand why they hadn't.


----------



## B_&_B (Feb 19, 2004)

A big man that can hit FT's is huge during crutch time. Greg is going to be a beast, cant wait for October!! 

I hope all the guys are improving their jump shot this offseason, not just Greg.


----------



## Jayps15 (Jul 21, 2007)

A late game unit with Fernandez, Roy, J.Jones, Aldridge, and Oden would be damn good with FTs, I wonder how many teams would automatically recognize that B.Roy is the guy they should be putting on the line.


----------



## statman (Feb 27, 2004)

Boob-No-More said:


> If Shaq was an 83% FT shooter, his career scoring average would be over 3 PPG higher. During his prime, he would have scored over 4 more PPG.


I once did a statistical analysis of the value of adding +1 to a team's point differential. I plotted all teams point vs WL differential over like 15 years. The plot looked fairly linear so I used a least-squares regression to fit a line to it.

Bottom line, the value of +1 ppg is more than you'd think. I forget the exact number but it was in the neighborhood of +2.4 wins.

So the +3 points that Shag could have added had he been a better FT shooter would have translated into about +7 wins and -7 losses over the course of a season.

Examples:
A team that outscores its opponents by +2 can be expected to win about 41 + 2 x 2.4 = 46 games.
A team that outscores its opponents by +10 can be expected to win about 41 + 10 x 2.4 = 65 games.


----------



## BlazerCaravan (Aug 12, 2004)

B_&_B said:


> A big man that can hit FT's is huge during crutch time.


I personally hope Greg never experiences Crutch Time again. 

As for Greg in the crunch... the kid is already so self-assured that he's going to be ice-water out there. I can't wait for next season. :yay:


----------



## axs31 (Jul 5, 2006)

statman said:


> I once did a statistical analysis of the value of adding +1 to a team's point differential. I plotted all teams point vs WL differential over like 15 years. The plot looked fairly linear so I used a least-squares regression to fit a line to it.
> 
> Bottom line, the value of +1 ppg is more than you'd think. I forget the exact number but it was in the neighborhood of +2.4 wins.
> 
> ...


I have a feeling you are John Hollinger. You don't have to answer that.


----------



## 2k (Dec 30, 2005)

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CnHYshO_qiY&hl=en"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CnHYshO_qiY&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

After hearing that I had to remind myself how good he was.


----------

