Let me teach you something about Devin Booker.
Last night, watching Game 6, as the Suns closed out the Clippers to advance to their first NBA Finals since 1993, I was struck by the elevation that Devin Booker was able to get on his jumper.
You’d be forgiven for missing it. These are NBA players, afterall. Bunnies are in abundance in a league that hosts some the most impressive athletic feats known to man.
Basketball players can jump high.
^Not exactly a novel fact.
Not to mention that Chris Paul had 41 points (31 in the second half). So I get it if your attention was devoted to somewhere else.
But I was dumbstruck. And this shot, shown the previous game, really helps put things into perspective:
Look how high Devin Booker got up for this jump shot.
That is… Really fucking high to shoot a jump shot. Even among NBA standards.
Pat Beverley actually managed to get a strip on this play, which is why it looks like Booker is throwing a pass. He’s not. He was rising up for a corner three.
That’s an easy 30+ inch vertical jump.
Now let’s look at other shooters taking corner 3’s.
Watch the feet:
Doesn’t quite look the same does it?
ESPN clocked Booker’s release point at 9 feet 2 inches tall.
This means that, at the height of Booker’s jump, before he releases the ball for a shot, the ball is 9' 2" off the ground.
NBA hoops are 10 feet off the ground.
That is some serious elevation. That’s a hard shot to block.
Kevin Durant is another example of a great shooter with a high release point:
He’s 6' 10" inches tall, with a 7' 5 “wingspan.
Devin Booker, in comparison, is listed as 6' 5" inches tall, with a 6' 8" inch wingspan.
Based on those metrics, it stands to reason that Kevin Durant would have a higher release point on his jumper than Devin Booker.
… Right?
According to ESPN Sports Science, KD’s release point is 9' 2".
Exactly the same height as Devin Booker.
Booker is 5 inches shorter, with a 9 inch shorter reach, and he can get his shot off at the same height as Kevin Durant.
But hold on; it gets crazier.
Look at these photos of Booker shooting catch and shoot 3's:
That lift is nowhere near the height he was getting on that previous shot attempt.
He’s shooting the ball from much closer to the floor.
And then you see him make this shot in the final minute of Game 2:
<- Here he’s shooting from a higher height. Way way way up there.
The shots a little grainy (my bad) and the dimensions of the court make it a little difficult to tell.
Booker took off from what’s called the “elbow” of the key.
It’s the black corner beneath his feet, with the gold outline.
Between that corner and his purple kicks, is nothing but airspace.
Look, just trust me, he got up.
What this means is Devin Booker is able to hit jumpers from multiple heights. The height of his release point changes depending on the shot he takes.
If you’ve never played basketball before, you might not understand how fucking insanely hard it is to do that.
Most human beings, most NBA players, professional basketball players, Olympians, most mere mortals, practice a jump shot from a single level of elevation.
For.
Their.
Entire.
Lives.
The key to any good shooting stroke is consistency. 99.999999999% of all basketball players strive to shoot the ball the same way every single time. When they elevate to shoot their jumper, they shoot from the same height off the ground.
Using the same shooting mechanics.
The same way.
Every single time.
It’s like a golf swing. Or a rowing stroke. Or a sniper going through his firing procedure.
You repeat the exact series of motions that created the result.
At least that’s the idea.
Kevin Durant’s release point doesn’t change. He takes every jumper from, relatively, the same height off the ground.
9 foot 2 inches off the ground.
Way way way way up there ^.
Steph Curry, the greatest shooter of all time, takes his shot from the same height, his release point is almost always at the same level of elevation.
Every single time.
Then, there is Devin Booker.
This guy can change the height of his release point. And he makes it look effortless.
He can elevate well above 30 inches, putting the ball past 9 feet off the ground, and fire a shot at an elevation that is damn near un-blockable.
Or, he can “relax” and shoot a jumper at the height of a regular NBA superstar.
What makes him so spectacular to watch is not the fact that he can do either. It’s the fact that he can do both. At his own liking. How he sees fit.
And that’s insane.
It’s one thing to be able to jump high. It’s another thing to be a great shooter. Generally, the requisite skillsets don’t overlap.
Here, we have a guy who has the athleticism to jump over defenders, and the touch and technique to make the shot.
From different levels of elevation.
At different spots on the floor.
It’s special.
