Credits Raps' new scouting tool for red-hot hand from three-point land
Jan 30, 2007 04:30 AM
Doug Smith
Sports Reporter
The Raptors are learning things about themselves and one of the biggest beneficiaries of the lessons has been Anthony Parker.
It may not be rocket science, but a new scouting tool the team employs allows the staff to chart every shot taken by every player in every game this season. What they've learned about Parker is being put into action lately with excellent results.
The 31-year-old guard has become one of the hottest three-point shooters in the NBA over the last few games because he's taking shots that history says he'll make with regularity.
"We talked Bryan (Colangelo) into spending some money," coach Sam Mitchell joked yesterday. "Not only to help us scout other teams but to scout our players. Now we can pull up their shots from everywhere on the court, every shot they've taken this year. The court is divided up into zones and we can let them know now where they're shooting from.
"We print the information out, and we sit down with all the players and go over it with them so now they know where they're shooting the ball best from."
For Parker, that spot is just outside the three-point line in the corner, the same place that's made Morris Peterson one of the best three-point shooters in franchise history. For Parker, the results have been dramatic; he hit a career-high seven three-pointers in a win over Boston on Friday – all from the corner – and made two more Saturday night in a loss to Indiana.
"Wherever you catch the ball, if the shot's open, I feel comfortable taking it," Parker said yesterday. "But obviously, especially in the screen-and-roll situation where we have that swing-swing (passes) and I'm in the corner, I think I feel most comfortable in that place."
Parker's efficiency has moved him among the top three-pointer shooters in the NBA. Before last night, he was fifth in the league, shooting 44.6 per cent from beyond the arc. Not bad for a guy adjusting to a longer three-point shot after spending six years with the European line, which is about a foot closer to the basket.
http://www.thestar.com/Sports/article/176134
Long shot pays off for Parker
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