Learn 4 Shocking Facts on how NBA Kyrie Irving Finishes at the Rim! By Chris Filios

Written by Coach Peterman

I have coached at the NCAA Division 2 (Southwestern Oklahoma State University), NAIA (USAO), and JUCO Levels (Blinn College and Carl Albert State College) as well as high school. I just felt that fellow coaches especially young coaches need to constantly work on their “game”. Just like the basketball players that we coach. We as coaches need to improve ourselves. That is my story and why I do this blog.

June 16, 2017

4 Proven Strategies that will work for your guards like they do for NBA Guard Kyrie Irving!  Learn them before your competition does!
By Chris Filios

NBA Guard Kyrie Irving

On Monday night, the NBA Golden State Warriors won their 2nd NBA Championship in the last three years with an excellent 129-120 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. The finals were filled with fabulous performances from the game’s biggest and brightest stars- Kevin Durant, Lebron James, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kyrie Irving.

NBA Guard Kyrie Irving has always been known as one of the NBA’s elite ball-handlers and perimeter shooters. But what he has highlighted in these finals is that he is a premier finisher around the rim. He has become a “Sportscenter Top 10” highlight machine with his acrobatic, tight finishes. He is considered to be a wizard as the majority of his finishes require him to shoot from tight angles, with both hands, off the wrong foot, make adjustments in the air, and almost always over bigger defenders. For many players, these shots would be considered poor shots, but not for Irving. He makes the difficult look routine.

During the regular season, Irving shot 54% (377-696) on lay-ups and floaters. He elevated those numbers during the playoffs to 57% (67-154). In the biggest five games of the year, Irving damage at the rim shooting 59% (34-58) for 72 points (50% of the points he scored in the finals).

But what makes him such a good finisher at the rim?

1. He beats the primary defender. His ball-handling ability, quickness, and change of pace make him extremely difficult to guard.
2. He has the ability, through practice, to finish a variety of ways. He can shoot with either hand and off either foot.
3. Incredible body control. If you watch, Kyrie is almost never out of control when he leaves the floor to shoot a layup/floater.
4. Incredible focus…his eyes are steadily fixed on his target.

Click on the pdf link to download this article: Learn 4 Shocking Facts on how NBA Kyrie Irving Finishes at the Rim!

Learn 4 Shocking Facts on how NBA Kyrie Irving Finishes at the Rim!

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Kyrie Irving Scoring Drills by Tim Springer

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