# Why Don't More Players Use The Backboard?



## Basel

It amazes how many players don't use the backboard when they're shooting, as I think it can be extremely effective. 

Tim Duncan is the only person that I see that probably CONSISTENTLY uses it on his shots. I also remember when Rick Fox used to play, he used the backboard, and used it well. It seems like those players that do use it have much more of a positive impact for their teams. So why don't more players use it? 

I know D-Wade uses it from time to time, and I've seen Kobe doing it more often in recent years, but it's almost as if it's a forgotten type of shot.

Thoughts?


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## Mr. Hobbes

It doesn't look cool.


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## HB

I see a lot of players using it. TD just happens to be the best at it

Even in college ranks more players are using it


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## Flash is the Future

Chan said:


> It doesn't look cool.


I think fadeaway bankshots look really cool from a guard. :whoknows:

But nothing looks cool when Tim Duncan does it, if that's what you're judging it by.


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## Chan Ho Nam

the bounce into the basket is extremely difficult to pinpoint on the backboard, it's better to just shoot it and let it fall in


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## NewAgeBaller

Yea Wade and Kobe occasionally utilize it, I can't think of anyone that does it consistently outside of Duncan's close-range.


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## Tragedy

It's tough to gauge it from the perimeter. It's far too easy to have it go off the backboard and bounce off the rim. You're shooting with more velocity from further out so there's more of a chance of that happening. If it were easier than just going for the hoop more players would utilize it, especially weaker shooters.


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## BG7

Ben Gordon has started using the glass more, Dwyane Wade style. He hasn't really had any success with it so far. He has it where it catches the inside of the rim off the bank, and rims out. The shot is one of the most difficult in basketball (driving hard and going off glass). Wade is really a special player for his use of the backboard.


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## ballistixxx

when you play bball you're generally thought to aim it at the rim and focus it there. and it stays with you and makes it really hard to deviate


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## hi im new

how many guys can actually consistently hit that damn square where there is a 97 percent chance making it?


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## DuMa

as long as it goes down the hole. it doesnt matter what you do in between.


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## TiMVP2

Chan said:


> It doesn't look cool.



They thought it was cool to burn crosses in your front lawn as they hung you from trees in
Your backyard.
They thought it was cool to leave you thirsty and strand katrina.
He thought it was cool to carry a gun in his classroom and open fire, virginia tech columbine,
Stop the violence.
They thought it was cool to tare down the projects and put up million dollar condos,
Gentrification.
They think its cool to stand on the block hiding products in their socks making quick dime bag
Dollars.
They think its cool to to ride down on you in blue and white unmarked cars, bustin you upside
Yo head.
Freeze....cause the problem is we think its cool too.
Check your ingredients, before you overdose, on the cool.


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## TiMVP2

Chan said:


> It doesn't look cool.



They thought it was cool to burn crosses in your front lawn as they hung you from trees in
Your backyard.
They thought it was cool to leave you thirsty and strand katrina.
He thought it was cool to carry a gun in his classroom and open fire, virginia tech columbine,
Stop the violence.
They thought it was cool to tare down the projects and put up million dollar condos,
Gentrification.
They think its cool to stand on the block hiding products in their socks making quick dime bag
Dollars.
They think its cool to to ride down on you in blue and white unmarked cars, bustin you upside
Yo head.
Freeze....cause the problem is we think its cool too.
Check your ingredients, before you overdose, on the cool.


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## Mr. Hobbes

MDIZZ said:


> They thought it was cool to burn crosses in your front lawn as they hung you from trees in
> Your backyard.
> They thought it was cool to leave you thirsty and strand katrina.
> He thought it was cool to carry a gun in his classroom and open fire, virginia tech columbine,
> Stop the violence.
> They thought it was cool to tare down the projects and put up million dollar condos,
> Gentrification.
> They think its cool to stand on the block hiding products in their socks making quick dime bag
> Dollars.
> They think its cool to to ride down on you in blue and white unmarked cars, bustin you upside
> Yo head.
> Freeze....cause the problem is we think its cool too.
> Check your ingredients, before you overdose, on the cool.


**** you.


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## hi im new

lmao!


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## Scuall

Kwame Brown uses the backboard. He likes to throw the ball as hard as he can at it.


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## Tragedy

Yea, sadly Kwame is aiming for the hoop


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## Hibachi!

I don't mind players not using backboard on jump-shots. But there seems to be this new trend to not use it on layups. Needless to say this has resulted in a lot of missed layups, and made layups that were made more difficult than they needed to be.


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## Ben

Because its a very hard shot to pull off, all sorts of things can happen.


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## NewAgeBaller

Yea it's definately very hard to hit a bankshot from the perimeter (freethrow line extened --> 3 pt line).
Thats why its situational from the perimeter, noone can use it consistently.


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## CaliCool

^

Correct.

The reason why TD is so effective at it is because he catches the ball in one of the sweetest spots to hit the backboard. Perimeter players though don't always have the luxury to get that angle thus them settling for a normal shot.


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## unluckyseventeen

It's not really that it's not effective or whatever.. I'm sure it is. It's just not practical, and most people learn to shoot aiming at the hoop, not the backboard. I'd choose to shoot the ball how I've been shooting for many years over trying to learn how to bank shots from odd spots on the floor.


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## afobisme

Tragedy said:


> Yea, sadly Kwame is aiming for the hoop


someone told kwame that if he can hit that square (ie: the bullseye) he'll get 2 free points.

kwame is so good that he's not even a basketball player. he's a backetball player.


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## JT

more players don't use the backboard because fundamentals aren't taught as fully as they once were.



unluckyseventeen said:


> It's not really that it's not effective or whatever.. I'm sure it is. It's just not practical, and most people learn to shoot aiming at the hoop, not the backboard. I'd choose to shoot the ball how I've been shooting for many years over trying to learn how to bank shots from odd spots on the floor.


how is it not practical? shooting off the glass, from the right angle is easier than everything except a layup. thats why your talk about "odd spots" seems off to me, trying to bank from the three point line was never the answer. its about creating high percentage shots, and banking a shot is most definitely easier to hit than a straight up three-pointer or regular jump-shot. this is why Tim Duncan has reigned supreme for the past few years.


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## Mr. Hobbes

You gotta learn to shoot at the backboard and practice that shot. People are so used to going for the swish that they rather stick to what they know.


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## JNice

sherako said:


> more players don't use the backboard because fundamentals aren't taught as fully as they once were.
> 
> 
> how is it not practical? shooting off the glass, from the right angle is easier than everything except a layup. thats why your talk about "odd spots" seems off to me, trying to bank from the three point line was never the answer. its about creating high percentage shots, and banking a shot is most definitely easier to hit than a straight up three-pointer or regular jump-shot. this is why Tim Duncan has reigned supreme for the past few years.


qft ...

seems most people saying how difficult it is are people who haven't practiced it or suck at bank shots. I've always used the backboard for mid-range shots at an angle and IMO it is no question a more reliable shot. I wouldn't use the board for any shots outside the free throw line though. But I can just flick up a 15 footer from an angle and drop it in and not even really have to worry about shooting form.

It could also depend on the hoop you are playing on. The large rectangle regulation type boards are good but some playground boards, like the smaller semi-circle types, are less conducive to those bank shots.

I always thought it was funny when I'd hit an 18 footer of the board and guys would look at me like I just did a 360 windmill.

And more out of the box ... some of it probably has to do with certain peoples brain functions. Some people might just be able to better quickly calculate the angles needed to make those shots. It has always come naturally to me.


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## Brandname

Also because the spot you have to hit on the backboard changes as you move around the court. When you're trying to bank a shot in, where you aim on the backboard is completely dependent on your location on the floor. It takes more thinking and less reaction. Duncan shoots from the same spot on the floor each time, so it's become very natural for him to aim at the same spot. Same thing with Wade, it tends to make the jumper from just outside the block a little more forgiving.

And that's ultimately what it is. The bank shot is more forgiving than a straight in shot, but it's limited to being useful only for a select few spots on the floor, and becomes pretty useless for shots further than 15 feet out or so. For most perimeter players, their practice time is probably a little better spent on other weaknesses in their games.


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## 4BiddenKnight

sherako said:


> how is it not practical? shooting off the glass, from the right angle is easier than everything except a layup. thats why your talk about "odd spots" seems off to me, trying to bank from the three point line was never the answer. its about creating high percentage shots, and banking a shot is most definitely easier to hit than a straight up three-pointer or regular jump-shot. this is why Tim Duncan has reigned supreme for the past few years.


Really?

Isn't it just aiming it at the rim, without worrying about getting the right angles, easier? There's a reason why most basketball players in general shoots a jump shot straight up rather than bank it. Gauging the angle so that the ball would fall off the backboard the right way takes some physics as you need to figure out which angles you should shoot it at. Then you need to be able to execute it & do it right. Shooting for a swish means aiming your shot at the rim, that's all. One less worry.


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## NewAgeBaller

4BiddenKnight said:


> Really?
> 
> Isn't it just aiming it at the rim, without worrying about getting the right angles, easier? There's a reason why most basketball players in general shoots a jump shot straight up rather than bank it. Gauging the angle so that the ball would fall off the backboard the right way takes some physics as you need to figure out which angles you should shoot it at. Then you need to be able to execute it & do it right. Shooting for a swish means aiming your shot at the rim, that's all. One less worry.


Noones saying perimeter players should use it as their primary shot.. But its a great thing to have as a situational shot/ability, eg. Wade.


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## Zei_Zao_LS

The real question ought to be "Why don't more big men use the backboard?" For perimeter players, the backboard is only useful if you can get to the right spot on the floor. When I play a more perimeter oriented game, the backboard only really comes of use when you can get to that angle you like, but once you're there it really doesn't matter how contested you are, it's a high percentage shot.

Then again, some people just don't like to use the backboard. Can't fault them... but all big guys *definitely* ought to find a couple angles they like, because those fade away bank shots get reaaaaally easy with a little bit of practice.


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## gi0rdun

Most of the NBA's Js are like College 3s. Why don't you try shooting a College 3 with a bankshot? It's impossible. There's only like a small space where using the glass is the most effective.

I think they should shoot lay ups off the backboard though, there was this one Ricky Davis potential gamewinner that probably would've went in if he used the backboard cause he got hacked but got a no-call.


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## gi0rdun

Most of the NBA's Js are like College 3s. Why don't you try shooting a College 3 with a bankshot? It's impossible. There's only like a small space where using the glass is the most effective.

I think they should shoot lay ups off the backboard though, there was this one Ricky Davis potential gamewinner that probably would've went in if he used the backboard cause he got hacked but got a no-call.


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## gi0rdun

Most of the NBA's Js are like College 3s. Why don't you try shooting a College 3 with a bankshot? It's impossible. There's only like a small space where using the glass is the most effective.

I think they should shoot lay ups off the backboard though, there was this one Ricky Davis potential gamewinner that probably would've went in if he used the backboard cause he got hacked but got a no-call.


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## Shaoxia

giordun said:


> Most of the NBA's Js are like College 3s. Why don't you try shooting a College 3 with a bankshot? It's impossible. There's only like a small space where using the glass is the most effective.
> 
> I think they should shoot lay ups off the backboard though, there was this one Ricky Davis potential gamewinner that probably would've went in if he used the backboard cause he got hacked but got a no-call.


Lol, nice triple post.
I personally love bank shots. I mostly use the backboard when I'm within an angle of 25 to 40 degrees. And I hit them consistently up to 17 feet from the basket.
Bankshots are actually easier to hit than normal shots when you're within 15 feet from the basket. That's because if you're standing quite close you really have to get quite an arc on the shot to keep it from rimming out. You also have to be careful not to overpower on the shot which is very difficult for many people. From a short distance you can see most shots either being too long and/or too flat and people not following through on the shooting motion to avoid putting too much force into the shot.
When you use the bankshot, however, you don't have to worry too much about the arc and you can shoot with more strength, thus you can have a real follow-through on your shot without pulling your hand away midway through the motion.
If you practice it for a few weeks, I promise you'll fall in love with it.


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## highlite15

Game is not about fundamentals like that anymore. It's about dunk, 3-pt shots (mid-range game is a lost art) and Sportscenter. Coaches don't peach it enough from certain spots on the court and players care more about how they look then being as effective as possible. 

Quote: Billy Hoyle: A black man wants to look good first, win second. A black man would rather miss than look bad.


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## LamarButler

highlite15 said:


> Quote: Billy Hoyle: A black man wants to look good first, win second. A black man would rather miss than look bad.


I'm sure Duncan's championships are a product of him trying to look good. And I guess Wade, The Big 3 in Boston, Lebron, Kobe, the whole starting lineup of the Pistons, and Chris Paul don't give a **** about winning.


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## highlite15

LamarButler said:


> I'm sure Duncan's championships are a product of him trying to look good. And I guess Wade, The Big 3 in Boston, Lebron, Kobe, the whole starting lineup of the Pistons, and Chris Paul don't give a **** about winning.


For the record I AM BLACK, just in case you were getting any dumb ideas. It just a classic White Men Can't Jump Quote. And the question was Why Don't *More *Players Use The Backboard? Clearly the elite players utilize every conceivable advantage they can including mastering the fundamentals. But most players do not and the newer generation are brought up in culture that rarely highlights the basics. Thus we have so many players with weak mid-range games because they are used to shooting the 3 or taking it all the way to the basket for the spectacular play. Where the short pull up off the glass would clearly be a less contested shot more often than not. But that play doesn't get you on Sportscenter, doesn't get you the big endorsements, and although Tim Duncan is a HOF power forward to everyone, those same ppl would rather watch a more dynamic less boring game including Dwight Howard.


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