|
Reigning dunk champion Fred Jones would like the chance to win the 3-point title one day.
(Bill Baptist/NBAE/Getty Images)
|
By Conrad Brunner | Feb. 14, 2005 No one has ever won both.
Fred Jones would like to become the first, and it's more than an idle wish.
A career .302 shooter from the arc entering this season, Jones has added more than 100 percentage points to that mark and stands at .403, best on the team and 23rd in the NBA.
This from a guy who was considered anything but a prime perimeter prospect when he was drafted No. 14 overall out of Oregon in 2002. His spectacular athleticism and creativity caught the eyes of scouts, not his jumper; he shot just .338 from the college 3-point line, which is four feet closer than the NBA's 23-foot, 9-inch arc (22 feet in the corners).
"It's a little satisfying (to overcome doubts about his shooting ability) but my jumper is not where I want it to be," Jones said. "I want to become a pure shooter. That's going to take a lot more work.
"Maybe I'll be able to go to the All-Star weekend in that other contest."
Jones won the dunk title last year but won't be able to defend that crown because of knee tendinitis, though he will make the trip to Denver this weekend. Having played to his strength last year, Jones would like nothing more than to prove how well he has overcome his perceived weakness.
"He's worked on it a lot," said Coach Rick Carlisle. "As a rookie, he came in and learned a lot about the way the NBA game is played. One of the things he learned is if you're a driver, people will play off you until you show you can shoot the ball."
He's doing just that and, in fact, Jones is continuing to improve. In the last 13 games, he has shot 51 percent from the arc (23-of-45).
Jones' development is all the more remarkable because he had little time to work on his shooting or conditioning after undergoing shoulder surgery in the offseason. But he has worked tirelessly, spending extra time at every opportunity putting up shots. In the process, he's disproving the theory that shooters are born, not made.
"You can definitely make yourself a shooter," Jones said. "It's all repetition and confidence. The more shots you get up, the better shooter you'll become. Hopefully, I'll be a testament to that the rest of this season and next year.
"I'm going to go put up an outrageous number of shots this summer."
Very few players have participated in the both the Slam Dunk and 3-point shooting contests during the NBA All-Star Weekend, including Brent Barry and Ray Allen.
