Nathan Gottlieb is a published author, boxing writer for HBO, former New York sports beat writer for Newark Star-Ledger and friend of HoopsHabit, who recently had the chance to speak 1-on-1 with legendary coach Doc Scheppler about Jeremy Lin, Kemba Walker and so much more. Follow Nathan on Twitter here.
Doc Scheppler has been Jeremy Lin’s shooting coach since the summer of 2011. He’s a renowned high school girls coach in California. His teams have won over 500 games and six Division V state titles. In addition, he was voted the 2014 Cal-Hi Sports State Coach of the Year. At the outset of my phone interview with him, he made a point to say his opinions were his only and did not come from Lin. Among the things the outspoken coach touched upon was Lin’s lack of confidence right now in his shooting touch, his difficulty adjusting to playing off the ball, and the touchy subject of Lin vs. Kemba Walker as point guards.
“It’s like he has to go stand in the corner of the class.” — Scheppler on Lin’s shooting guard role
At the All-Star Break, Lin is averaging 12.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game in a solid rebound year after escaping coach Byron Scott’s archaic, half court offense in Los Angeles. But Lin’s shooting percentages are not where Scheppler thinks they should be. Lin is hitting a so-so 42 percent from the field, which includes a lot of layups (and one dunk!). But he has struggled from mid-range, and his percentage from behind the arc is just .327, his NBA career-low for a full season.
“When I see Jeremy during the All-Star Break I’m going to try to get him to believe in his shot more,” Scheppler said. “Technically I want to help him get the arc on his shot right, get his balance nice and solid, and check out his ball alignment. Jeremy has had a habit since high school of kicking his feet forward when he shoots instead of letting them flow forward naturally. That’s something I want to correct. I also want work on the efficiency of how he shoots and get his form tight and compact.”
Not all of Lin’s shooting problems are technical, however. “Right now Jeremy doesn’t seem to trust his shot anymore. It’s been a frustrating year for him in terms of his shooting. He’s a rhythm shooter. With some rhythm shooters, if they don’t see the ball going in they lose confidence in it and stop shooting. Although Jeremy is not in the same class as Klay (Thompson), he (Klay) can be like that, too.”
When Lin has played alongside starting point guard, Kemba, in coach Steve Clifford’s system Lin moves to shooting guard. It is not a role he is altogether comfortable with, Scheppler feels. “Jeremy shoots better when he has the ball in his hands more and is moving. He hasn’t been able to do that much at shooting guard. It’s like he has to go stand in the corner of the class.”
I asked Scheppler the difference between Lin and Kemba.
“Kemba is an unbelievable athlete, but he’s not really fun to play with,” Scheppler says. “I know I’m biased for Jeremy, but Kemba is a shoot-first point guard. It’s almost like he’s playing street ball. He doesn’t seem to trust playing with other people. Kemba could be a much better point guard if he trusted players.
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“Jeremy, on the other hand, has never had a shooter’s mindset. That’s something very hard to develop. He’s a pass-first point guard. He’s more interested in setting up his teammates in a position where they can score.
“Another big difference between Kemba and Jeremy is Jeremy makes sure he gives players easy shots. He creates those shots in penetration. Kemba doesn’t work at doing that. If a guy is open, Kemba will throw it to them. But he doesn’t work to get them open. Lin knows if he draws a double team somebody has to be open and he has the vision to find them. A great point guard gives other people advantages when they shoot. Steve Nash was like that. He made everybody around him better.”
Scheppler is at least happy with Lin’s shot selections. “One thing I’m proud of Jeremy for this year is he takes good shots. Kemba doesn’t always do that. He’ll take a bad shot, and if it goes in, he looks great. If it doesn’t go in, well…”
Lin certainly showed what he could do with the ball in his hands when Kemba sat out with a sore knee on Feb. 3. In a stunning upset, the shorthanded Hornets, with Lin at point guard, beat the Cavs, 106-97. Lin scored 24 points to go along with five rebounds and eight assists.
“When they beat the Cavs I was so excited. Jeremy showed in that game what a great player he can be on a consistent basis if he’s given the opportunity. It wasn’t a case of Jeremy getting up because he was facing a great team. It was just Jeremy doing the kind of things he would always do if he has the ball in his hands and can play his game.”
But in the next game, against Miami, Kemba returned, Lin went back to the bench, and only played a lackluster 16 minutes in which he had six points and three assists and shot just 1-6 from the field. “It’s like the Hornets have a pecking order with shots,” Scheppler says. “First it’s Kemba, then Batum, then Kaminsky, then Hawes.”
The one thing Scheppler is unequivocally pleased with this year is Lin’s defense. “Jeremy’s having a great year on defense. He’s so fundamentally sound on defense now. This is the kid they said couldn’t play any D. Clifford trusts Jeremy’s defense because he knows Jeremy will always do the right thing and be in the right spot.”
Although some Lin fans (myself included) have been critical of Clifford for the way the coach has used Lin, Scheppler steered somewhat clear of that. “The Hornets offense is much better than it was last year. I like how they’re taking more three-point shots. It’s not like they’re hard to watch, I just wish they flowed better. I’m hoping they make the playoffs, but you need to have five guys on the floor who have connectivity and are all on the same page as far as having a singular purpose. That’s what makes the Warriors so great.”
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Two players Scheppler seemed to feel do not have that connectivity are shooting guard Jeremy Lamb and rookie forward Frank Kaminsky. “Kaminsky, wow. It’s like he doesn’t know how to play basketball. And he’s from Wisconsin! Lamb is another one. He has no clue how to play basketball. He’s not fun to play with at all.”