Scottie Pippen is a legendary player. His six NBA championships prove he knows the game of basketball. Recently, Pippen gave his two cents about today’s shooting, claiming Americans can’t shoot like their European counterparts.
Related: John Salley reveals rift in Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen’s friendship since 2004
Pippen was recently interviewed by Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, and he discussed the shooting differences between American and European players.
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“A lot of Americans have lost jobs because we haven’t mastered the advantage of shooting the ball like our European counterparts.”
Pippen’s statement is not wrong. When you look at European players like Luka Doncic and especially big men like Nikola Jokic, there is a difference. Jokic, for example, has no problem stepping out and shooting a three.
There’s really no American center who can consistently shoot the long ball. This has hurt the American player in today’s style of play.
Even when looking at the most recent MVP winners, you have to go back to the 2017-18 season to find the last USA-born winner. Which happened to be James Harden.
If Americans want to take back the game of basketball from their foreign counterparts, they will need to focus on developing the fundamentals. This includes getting better at shooting the ball, as Pippen stated.
