NBA summers of mindful development
Successful skills begin with a blueprint
BY DAVID THORPE
This summer, I showed my players video from Game 3 of the 2024 NBA Finals.
The Celtics are in Dallas clinging to a tight lead. A win would give them a 3-0 series lead and all but assure them a title. But even after building a late double-digit lead, the Celtics struggle to pull away. Surging, Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving are forcing the Celtics to imagine a reality where they could return to Boston tied 2-2. In a sense, the title hangs in the balance.
But there’s Jaylen Brown, ISO’d at the top of the key, using a little influence-screen to create separation from Mavs defender Josh Green. The lane is clogged, so Brown is looking for a “settle shot,” meaning he’s settling for a 16-foot jumper from the middle of the floor.
Brown executes an elongated freeze-fake (a move I first coined after studying Dirk Nowitzki). If his defender, Tim Hardaway Jr., stays on his feet, Brown can get a shot off before he can recover. If Hardaway bites and jumps, Brown can possibly draw a foul. Hardaway stays glued. Brown rises, strokes the jumper, and gives the Celtics a four-point lead. With a minute left to play, Brown’s shot puts all the pressure on the Mavericks, essentially nailing the lid onto the coffin. It was the biggest shot of the game.
Every fan knows it’s hard to get the ideal shot in crunch time. That’s why teams with great shotmakers have such a massive advantage.
Watch the clip again; focus on Brown. You can hear the entire arena chanting “Defense!” It’s one man versus five players and a city. Yet, Brown’s stroke says: No one’s even guarding me. He elevates, shoots, and sticks his landing like an Olympic gymnast, holding his follow-through perfectly. It’s a textbook shot in the most nail-biting moment of his career.
It takes a mission to master that shot. Imagine the countless reps with coaches and defenders, all tasked with maintaining the urgency of a do-or-die moment. Consider the deep state of mindfulness Brown had to achieve to dispel the mental pressure—the hours meditating in an empty gym as deliberate dribbles echoed off the walls.
If anyone asks, I can say exactly how many times Jaylen Brown has practiced that same 16-foot jumper. Countless. Let’s go!
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