When San Antonio acquired Kawhi Leonard in 2011, they got a player who was a defensive stalwart, but very limited offensively. Then it occurred to me, maybe Warriors Coach Fraser took credit for a shooting drill actually developed by Coach Engelland? In their defense, the Spurs didn't sign the underachieving Jefferson to this bloated contract. Leonard who averaged a career-high 12.8 points a game during the regular season but had never scored more than 26 points in an NBA preseason, regular-season or playoff game was different from the rest of Engelland's pet projects. Their biggest addition was Bulls backup wing Marco Belinelli, who ended up loggingthe second-most minutes of anybody on the roster, at a significantly higher level of play than he had ever exhibited. Cookie Policy. [2] He was known by Filipino fans as "the Machine Gun" for his superb shooting skills. Texas mom accused of killing her children has history of violence, South Texans want to know who's behind the 'Booty Patrol' truck, 'Naked and Afraid' lets San Antonio mom show off survival skills, Costco to open first $15M store in Central Texas this March, PHOTOS: Massive alligator spooks locals along a South Texas road, Here's what you should know about Round1 in San Antonio, Rooftop bar Cowboys and Cadillacs to grace downtown New Braunfels, The Kawhi Leonard companion: A Chad Forcier Q&A, Police: North Texas mother arrested after stabbing her 5 children, killing 3, Residents curious about 'U.S. That is well below the league average last season and ranked in the 8th percentile among players at his position, per Cleaning the Glass. Spurs Notes: K. Johnson, Primo, Wesley, Branham, Engelland. And I think he did. His high school predecessor noted that since Kerr had a sore knee that was affecting his balance, hed do well to widen his base. Ballard notes that Parker had shot 34.5 percent on his attempts outside the paint during the previous season; in his first year working with Engelland, Parker shot 39.7 percent on those same attempts. Engelland is regarded as one of the best shooting coaches in the league and is credited with Kawhi Leonard and Tony msn back to msn home sports Skip To Navigation Its a grand opportunity to gain one of the most valuable coaching figures in the league. Bill Barnwell is a staff writer for Grantland. Richard Jefferson, $14,200,000, 2009-10. But Engelland planted a seed that sparked Leonard's summer workout plan, and the evolution had officially begun. Thats in college or in high school. Engelland, 61, served as an assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons (1999-2000) and Denver Nuggets (2003-2005) before arriving to San Antonio in 2005. The night after the draft, Leonard rushed to Texasfor his first shooting session with his new coach. Both turned into productive shooters under Engelland after entering the league not known for their shooting capabilities. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. "He has a great feel and understanding of what makes players tick and how to deal with them especially Kawhi," Leonard's agent, Brian Elfus of Impact Sports, said of Engelland. You can see Leonards old shot in the pre-draft workout clips here and a closeup of his new form here. It's easy to forget that Jackson was a damn good player in his day, averaging at least 18 points in five different seasons. So what does this mean for the Minnesota Timberwolves? Soyou send him off with what instructions? Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Meet Chip Engelland, San Antonio Spurs assistant. Engelland has become one of the more underrated faces in the game of basketball during his time with the Spurs. Kawhi Leonard made the old Tony Parker look like a long-lost Korver brother. Parkers struggles led defenses to leave him open in key situations, and the pressure led Popovich to lean on backup Speedy Claxton over his starting point guard late in games during the 2002-03 Finals against the Nets. Barnwell wrote: With Kerr playing reduced minutes in Portland as a 36-year-old during the 2001-02 campaign, he found himself struggling to stay loose for meaningful shooting opportunities. Engelland:We knew when he came back, how much it had stuck with him and he took it to heart. Who, every day, stared up into the stoic eyes of Tim Duncan, my sports hero growing up. Some of the players will take a few shots, just because there are baskets there. One area he doesn't get enough credit for is his willingness to take less, a key factor in the Spurs' ability to keep their championship core together for so many years. Chip Engelland (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images). According to Woj, the coach will work to develop the shooting habits across the young roster of players including Chet Holmgren, Josh Giddey, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. That ranks second in the NBA behind the Golden State Warriors. With that in mind, its no small matter that one of the most coveted skills coaches in the NBA is about to make a departure from his current team. But he still played, and got paid, like one for the majority of his prime. Its very tough. Buford and the San Antonio player personnel department to pursue players, like Leonard, who are undervalued because of their shooting woes, knowing that they have the leagues best shot doctor on staff to improve things. At some point, it becomes his. You dont want to rush and try to get results in one day. Engelland has been with the Spurs since July 2005. Then they come to the pros and have a lot of different options in life. He's helped improve perimeter shooting from many who have worn the Silver and Black uniform such as Tony Parker, Keldon. Hes also become a much better free throw shooter, having hit 69.7 percent of his free throws before Engelland changed his shot and 77.2 percent of his freebies since.4 Altogether, since Engelland came to San Antonio, the only guard who has hit a higher percentage of his 2-point shots than Parker is Steve Nash.5 Chip Engelland might very well be the difference between Tony Parker, very good point guard, and Tony Parker, future Hall of Famer. Many blanched when the Spurs re-signed Splitter for $36 million over four years in 2013 to fend off interest from Portland. A typical shooting coach, Kerr said, would have noted hisstruggles and told him to take 200 shots from a variety of spots to try toregain his physical rhythm. David Robinson, $14,841,000, 1998-99. Who suggested a never-before-tried drill to Kerr? Here it is, in its entirety: What a silly mistake. If he can become a more accurate shooter while working with Engelland, the future looks especially bright for Oklahoma City. Moore, the athletic 6-foot-4 forward, played in Mexico after they left the country at the height of the 1986 EDSA Revolution. C'est lui qui a aid le basketteur franais a amlior sa technique au lancer. Engelland:I think you learn from those things. Leonard more than earned his hefty paycheck after producing well beyond the scope of his rookie contract. The work clearly paid off, as Parker won Finals MVP in 2007, while Leonard won the award in 2014. "I love the players that want to play. SAN ANTONIO - DECEMBER 13: Assistant coach Chip Engelland of the San Antonio Spurs looks on from the sideline during the game against the Los Angeles Clippers on December 13, 2005 at the SBC. It's unclear when. Feb 1, 2019 No basketball. He taught me to spread my hands out a little wider on the ball and use my index fingers more. Kerr saysthat switch made hima more consistent shooter by allowing himmore control over his shot and makingit far less likely that the ball would slip and roll off his pinky fingers. Despite the presence of pro defenses and the extra three feet between the NBAs 3-point line and its college equivalent, Leonard has improved his 3-point shooting in the pros, hitting 37.6 percent of his 465 3-point attempts through three seasons. Thats the sixth-best rate in the league for a player of Belinellis size or smaller. After really exhibiting competency only from the wings last year, Belinelli has become the leagues best shooter from the top of the arc and an efficient contributor from either corner. [2] He got his first job in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the 19992000 season, serving as a shooting consultant for the Detroit Pistons. With Engelland's help at every shot along the way. (Kin Man Hui/staff). I think we did one different thing this summer. Before Duncan there was the Admiral, building on the foundation put down by George Gervin to help secure what had been a tenuous future in San Antonio for the Spurs -- something easy to forget after two decades of championship contention. MANILA, Philippines - San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Chip Engelland, who became a naturalized Filipino in the 1980s, offered some words of advice for Brooklyn Nets big man Andray Blatche, the latest recruit of Gilas Pilipinas. var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; Chip Engelland, a Spurs' assistant coach and shooting guru, has been a huge part of smoothing out and simplifying the shooting motion of Leonard, almost instantly making him a reliable. Shooting coach Chip Engelland has worked with Tony Parker since joining the Spurs in 2005, helping the All-Star guard improve his jumper without sacrificing his tear-drop. Chip changed that. Engelland is known for being the best "shot doctor" in the league. But with the new money pouring into the NBA, it might actually be a bargain for a solid role player on both sides of the ball. 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game and shooting 39.8% from three-point range. To put what hes done in context, consider that Leonard shot an even 25 percent (41-for-164) on his 3-point attempts during his two years at school. The San Antonio roster is full of players whose shots miraculously improved once they were under his care from Tony Parker to Patty Mills to Kawhi Leonard, the Game 3 star who made 10 of 13 shots for 29 points. Hes a throwback in the way that he doesnt need immediate satisfaction. Engelland was the guru who built Shane Battiers 3-point stroke at Duke and refined Grant Hills outside shot during Hills run in Detroit, but hes come to find a home in San Antonio, where he has dramatically affecteda number of players careers as a shot doctor over the past nine years. Sign up for the Layup Lines newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. Or is it a little of both? I somehow confused Fraser/Engelland on the previous Kerr/Portland anecdote, a mistake made worse by the fact that I had already correctly written about it once. He always wants more shots. The Spurs won a title a month before his hire after defeating the Detroit Pistons in a thrilling seven-game series. Watch this clip of his 32-point game against the Knicks this year and you get a good idea of how the Spurs use Belinelli when things are going well for him; virtually everything is catch-and-shoot, and unsurprisingly, considering the opposition, most of the shots are open ones. Engelland didnt remake Kerrs shot he didnt need to but he became a trusted voice for keeping Kerrs fundamentals solid, while making minor changes to Kerrs already-legendary stroke. Manu Ginobili, $14,107,492, 2012-13. Engelland will arrive in Oklahoma. "So I had some pictures of Richard, and I had pictures of Kawhi, and showed them the difference and the similarities. Chris Finch and company should do everything they can to add him to the coaching staff. The following offseason, the Spurs even made a serious run at Nets point guard Jason Kidd in free agency, a move thatlikely would have ended Parkers tenure in San Antonio.3 We all know how that worked out, but by the time Engelland joined the Spurs in 2005, the missing outside shot remained the obvious hole in Parkers game. Parkers more recent shot charts show how effective he can be in the midrange game, as he has been for the Spurs in 2013-14. OKC Dynasty https://t.co/yxiRInFCWb, Ryan Hammer (@ryanhammer09) July 27, 2022, Big time move for OKC and a lot of guys on this young team but especially for Josh Giddey https://t.co/15f2n4EQoI, Keandre (Hoop Intellect) (@HoopIntelllect) July 27, 2022, Josh Giddey with a jump shot https://t.co/qmJqyfcMaJ pic.twitter.com/Y6yrt3d2TO, Jeremy 'Da Dermy' Lambert (@jeremylambert88) July 27, 2022, Josh Giddey's going to be shooting like Curry by the season's end https://t.co/gGmRgVwAOC, Jackson Floyd (@Jacks0nFloyd) July 27, 2022, Josh Giddey under the tutelage of Chip Engelland pic.twitter.com/KC9H6PuAYp, Stan SGA Boomer Sooner (Hunter Harjo) (@hunterharjo7) July 27, 2022, Josh Giddey after a season with Chip Engelland: pic.twitter.com/6RWrwPiTPd, Boomtown Hoops (@BoomtownHoops) July 27, 2022, Josh Giddey really about to be the best player on the planet, Jack Monaco (@jackjmonaco) July 27, 2022, A Josh Giddey hire. In 1993, Engelland started his coaching career, introducing his basketball camps Chip Shots with the aim of helping players of all ages improve their shooting skills; two years later he founded the In-Net Corporation, strengthening his reputation as a clinician and advisor. Engelland insisted that Parker take the 3-point shot out of his game, and he has; after averaging nearly 200 3-pointers per season during his four seasons in the league without Engelland and hitting on just 31.5 percent of them Parker has averaged just over 56 3-point attempts per season since. He bought into it for sure. By now youre most likely familiar with the story of how Kawhi Leonards shot reconstruction. Kerr and Engelland would sit alone on the bench in the Portland practice facility after everybody else had left. What follows is a complete Q&A with Engelland: Tell me about your first dealings with Kawhi Leonard? He was known by Filipino fans as "the Machine Gun" for his superb shooting skills. Back in April 2014, Bill Barnwell wrote a fascinating piece about Spurs coach Chip Engelland: The Shot Doctor.. Thats not a joke. San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker talks with assistant coach Chip Engelland during practice at the AT&T Center, Wednesday, June 4, 2014. So, if Engelland can have this dramatic of an impact upon his charges shooting ability, how much is he worth to the Spurs? My editors are currently discussing what needs to done (on top of the obvious need to write a correction). He had so much to learn, him and Cory Joseph both. Or worse. Engelland:Just how to mix when to drive, when to mix, when to pass, when to shoot again, when to post up. We all talked (as a staff). You get to know your shot better. Six of those players have won an MVP award. Its hard to imagine that tiny shift of weight even being perceptible to an observer, but Kerr noted that Engelland is capable of seeing things in a shooters motion that even Kerr, the leagues most accurate 3-point shooter ever, wouldnt notice. He never did it with the Spurs, but they were more than happy to bring him on in order to dump Jefferson and his ill-fated contract. Not these guys, they were a brute force. Richard made a great adjustment, had some nice shooting years Richard was 29 at the time. Popovich credits Engelland for San Antonio's free-throw accuracy.. Rather than keeping his right hand under the ball, Parker had it slightly higher up. Engelland hit 55.4 percent of the ACC's 17'9" three-point shots in 1983. good to see improvements but Im still a long way from where I want to be., Josh Giddey said that working with Chip Engelland has been a big part of his everyday routine: To have him here is great., Lu Dort confirms hes been working with Chip Engelland and has already gave him advice on his shot, Josh Giddey said Chip Engelland didnt join the staff to restructure his shot and its only been minor adjustments, OKC Blue HC Grant Gibbs will now join Thunder HC Mark Daigneaults staff as an assistant, Spent a lot of time in the gym getting up shots. Unlocking all the things that make a player great and creating an environment where they can thrive is key to establishing a championship culture. (Miss you, Pruiti!). The NBA lockout was coming quickly that year, meaning players and coaches would have to part ways until there was resolution, so Leonard headed straight for San Antonio with Elfus and spent the little time he had left listening to the charismatic coach with the impressive track record. Buford clearly deserve tremendous credit for building a perennial championship contender, but Belinellis success brings another piece of the Popovich-Buford puzzle out of the shadows: Spurs shooting coach Chip Engelland. -Monty Williams Team USA shooting drills (LINK) Join in via the comments below or on Twitter and Facebook!TWITTER: http://bit.ly/BBallTweetsFACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/BBallFBWEBSITE: http://bit.ly/BBallWebABOUT BBALLBREAKDOWNBBallBreakdown is devoted to deep-dive analysis of NBA basketball gameplay. And after finishing 51st out of 86 in the league in 3-point percentage a year ago (among guys with 100 or more attempts) by converting 35.7 percent of his shots from beyond the arc, not only did Belinelli hit a full 43 percent of his 3sthis past year, he won the 3-point shootout duringAll-Star Weekend. Round1 opens in San Antonio this Saturday. The Thunder are hiring renowned shooting guru Chip Engelland as an assistant coach ahead of the 2022-23 season, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The next time youre thrown into those tests, youre better. I evaluate shooters for the draft. What is his psychological makeup like as a shooter? Spurs put on a clinic vs. Heat in Game 3 win. As one of the most recognized and respected developmental coaches in the league, much of the Spurs success with player development over the years can be attributed to him. Belinelli hit 44 percent of his 2-pointers before arriving in San Antonio; this year, he has hit a whopping 52.5 percent of those shots. They have two sons, Press and Path.[1]. After 12 minutes passed, hed dart for the ball, shuttle it to Kerr for another three-pointer.. Josh Giddey's outside shot needs development. So, beginning with training camp in the fall of 2005, Engelland reconstructed Parkers shot, moving his right hand down, his right thumb out to widen his grip, slowing down his motion and even changing his release point. In this case, it might be more remarkable to note the changes Engelland hasnt made; namely, hes resisted the urge to rebuild Belinellis shot and allowed him to retain much of his old motion, with Belinelli often leaning away from the basket like some tiny, abbreviated Dirk Nowitzki impersonation. Engelland, 56, is the teams shooting coach. Mixing is the hardest thing. Part of the reason hes something resembling a secret weapon is that Engelland doesnt seek the spotlight. (Barnwells response is below.) On the contrary, the 1998 team was quite skilled on the court, nastiness aside. -Meet the NBA Shot Doctors (LINK) First they altered Leonards release point, shifting it from a spot over Leonards head to one in front of his face. The fine-tuning continues. Its nice when you get to watch it in person. Jeff McDonald began covering the Spurs for the San Antonio Express-News in September 2007, three months after the team's fourth championship. Buford and coach Gregg Popovich have dispatched Engelland and fellow assistant coach Chad Forcier to spend two weeks training with Leonard in his hometown. Before teaming up with the winningest coach in NBA history, Gregg Popovich, his hoops career was touched by some of the game's most legendary figures. Assistant coach Chip Engelland will leave the San Antonio Spurs after the end of his contract, sources told Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. UPDATE #2: I received an email from Rusty Simmons. After graduating from Duke in 1983, Engelland went on to play professionally for nine years. It wouldnt be a surprise if Engelland was involved at some level in the target identification process, recommending players he might be able to fix. Engelland, the former dead shot swingman of the NCC squad, is now an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA. Just nice, solid incremental improvement.. By the end of the year, Peltons numbers had Belinelli down for 3.6 WARP (wins above replacement player). Its something he works at really hard.. In college, he stayed near the basket, although he was a good ball-handler. Click here to watch Jalen & Jacoby, Grantland Features, and video podcasts. Usually Coach K's teams were known for grit, shooting and perseverance. After ranking 24th or worse six times in Popovichs eight seasons before Engelland arrived, the Spurs have finally turned things around. The Oklahoma City Thunder are hiring Chip Engelland, considered the NBA's preeminent shooting teacher, as an assistant coach, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. The two would chat on the sideline for six minutes and then Fraser would jump up and pass Kerr a ball at the three-point arc. Instead of going to the gym three times a day this summer, I think he only went twice a day. We saw that right away. "Watching him in San Diego, twice a day every day, taking hundreds of jump shots, made me realize that he bought in to it. He did play professionally . Engelland doesnt discuss the particular players hes working with, butits fair to assume that the Spurs evaluated Leonards game closely and felt confident that Engelland could improve his shot before the team traded George Hill to the Pacers for Leonards draft rights. Back in 2011, with the NBA lockout looming on July 1, the Spurs hurriedly signed Kawhi Leonard and ushered him to the gym for four days to work with legendary shooting coach Chip Engelland. 9. He shot pretty far back behind his head, but he had good grip and he had some nice tools.". There were 13 Thunder players in attendance during Olin Simplis Big Guard U NBA runs. Don't try to push it out to the 3-point line at first. Tony Parker was an unknown quantity when the Spurs drafted him out of France with the 28th pick of the 2001 draft; as Charles Barkley famously put it shortly after the selection, I dont know that much about him, but if they got him in the first round, he must be a good player. Parker became an immediate starter in the league during his rookie season at just 19 years old, and he dazzled with his speed and ability to get to the rim, but his game had one huge hole: his outside shot. https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/thunder-chip-engelland-hired-shooting-guru-spurs-josh-giddey, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. His midrange shooting percentage improved from 39.3 percent to 41.6 percent, and by 2008-09, it was all the way up to 45.5 percent. In it, Barnwell describes how Engelland helped Steve Kerr when he was playing in Portland. Neal himself was another Engelland project; after making 35.9 percent of his 3sin college, Neal upped that to 39.8 percent during his three years in San Antonio, including that memorable night with six 3s against the Heat in Game 3 of last years Finals. "(Engelland) ingrained something in (Leonard's) head. -Spurs assistant Engelland explains how he strengthened Leonards outside shot (LINK) We used him as a model that release point and shot. We both grewup in Southern California. "This offseason,. Why do I mention this here, on a San Antonio Spurs fansite? Most skills coaches in the NBA arent household names for obvious reasons, but Engelland is about as close as youre going to get to one. Chris Ballard covered Engellands work with Parker in his excellent bookThe Art of a Beautiful Game: In Parkers case, the first thing Engelland noted was that while his form was exemplary on his one-handed runners and teardrops, Parker held the ball differently on his jump shot. Danny Green, $10,000,000, 2015-16. And then when he came back to San Antonio after the lockout, the coaching staff was really happy with his progress and where he was with his jump shot.". Now heres what Rusty Simmons wrote about Bruce Fraser, who is an assistant coach for the Warriors under Steve Kerr and working with Steph Curry. It was June 25, 2011. While hes now known for his ability to reconstruct a players shot, he actually began by helping an old friend who just happens to be one of the greatest shooters in league history. They have a potential star on their hands with Holmgren, and fans are getting even more excited about Giddeys projected development: I just bought all of the Josh Giddey stock that was left. I remember the first year here, he was just getting comfortable on the wings. They hadnt finished any higher than 14th in free throw accuracy during the Pop era before 2012-13, but they were third in free throw percentage last year and fourth this year.