He started using a special type of basketball.
Believe it or not, Paul George wasn’t a good shooter when he entered the NBA.
As a matter of fact, he wasn’t even a good offensive player. He got drafted into the league because of his defensive skills.
In his first NBA season, he made 45.3 percent of his field goals, which isn’t too shabby.
But he only made 0.7 of the 2.3 3-pointers he took each game, which is terrible for a shooting guard.
The following season, his perimeter shooting improved significantly because he started averaging a little over one per game (1.4 3-pointers per game).
George’s shooting continued to improve season after season from that season on.
In his -arguably- best shooting season (in 2018-19 when he was with the Oklahoma City Thunder), PG averaged 28 points per game on 43.8 percent shooting. He also made 3.8 3-pointers a game.
So, how did George go from being an offensive liability to a scoring machine within a couple of years?
Well, he started practicing with a heavy basketball.
On an episode of Podcast P, guest Chet Holmgren asked George what shooting workouts he did to go from scrub to a confident scorer.
George said he just started doing his shooting workouts with a heavy basketball.
“I was just shooting heavy balls cuz’ I didn’t have the range,” George answered. “I would definitely -I don’t know if you’ve tried this or threw this in your game yet- but shooting with a heavy ball helps.”
George then explained that with this training, shooters will start to understand -and feel- that shooting starts in the legs.
“Start in close, though. Then, what you’ll realize is that it’s more legs than arms,” George continued. “We start in close first, we don’t straight into the 3-point line. We do right outside the block, then take a step back, then step back further and further until we get to the 3-point line. And what you’ll realize is like, ‘Damn, like it’s more legs than anything.’ Then, he’s like, ‘It’s the same shot. Shoot it the same way. Don’t get up here and hold it… One motion.’”
So, if you’ve been playing a lot of basketball recently and can’t seem to get an arc in your shot, try practicing with a heavy basketball (which you can buy here from Amazon [affiliate link]).
But, as George said, start in close.