Shooting coach Roger Galo discusses how Damian Lillard’s mechanics might need a tune-up
Coach continues on the mechanical problems that he’s noted in Dame’s jumper during this drought:
"He has too many moving parts to his shooting form right now that seem to be all over the place. His feet are not in the right location, his arms are not synchronized on his 3 point attempts. He’s allowing his athleticism and quickness to not only get in the way of his accuracy but also undermine his timing on his release."
Of course, Damian Lillard’s pure shot-making ability has compiled a lengthy list of off-balance jumpers from any and every angle that have torched the nets.
That being said, a tired or injured player making small tweaks to his form to compensate can be detrimental if not corrected in time, opening the door for a habit to build.
In these two nearly identical plays — pull-up jays coming off a screen to his right — the differences are palpable. In the first clip, in a January 2021 bout against the Chicago Bulls, Lillard squares his feet to the basket and fires away with a picturesque jumper we’ve come to know and love — full extension and follow-through, slightly swiveling counterclockwise through the motion.
In last night’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, in a 3-12 showing from 3-point range, Dame comes off a similar screen, but doesn’t take the time to square before firing away. His inertia fades him off to the right as he releases at the peak of his jump, rather than on the upwards motion.
Galo believes that this slump will self-correct, but still believes that tweaks in Dame’s jumper might be beneficial for his long-term career:
"Even when the slump subsides to some degree, he’s predisposed to it re-surfacing throughout not only this season but ensuing ones to follow due to his body becoming fatigued over the years playing at the speed & intensity at which he’s always played."
Coach Galo fully believes that within 24 hours, he can end Lillard’s cold spell and give him an evergreen jumper that will live on even when Dame’s athleticism dissipates over time:
"I would have him streamline his movements and quiet them while coordinating his vast athleticism in a way that would nurture his psyche and restore his confidence. His balance has become as big an issue as I’ve ever seen from him on his long distance jumper. Despite the observations I’ve just made here, I’m confident that within 24 hours of training I could get him back on track while empowering him to avert this kind of “shooting slump” from ever affecting him again to this degree for this long."
Coach’s hypothesis that fatigue could be the number one factor in Dame’s decline in shooting percentage isn’t ludicrous. Lillard only had 33 days off between the Blazers last game and the start of USA Men’s Basketball Olympic training camp. Then, he only had less than eight weeks rest between the Gold Medal game against France and the start of NBA training camp.
Keep in mind that this was coming off of the 2020-2021 NBA season, which debuted after the shortest offseason in league history with only 72 days between the last Finals game and the first regular season game of 2021-2022. The shortest offseason Lillard had experienced before that was over 130 days.
Even though it’s a long-shot, Galo hopes that he gets a chance to work with Dame. Regardless, he knows that Dame Time is inevitable:
"I’ve been a huge fan of his for years… He’s so talented, he enjoys playing, works hard, has a great attitude, and is crafty — a real offensive force to be reckoned with when he’s firing on all cylinders… I’m still rooting for him!"