Indiana Pacers guard Cory Joseph says he worked his ass off this offseason to improve his 3-point shooting. It shows in the best season of his career from beyond the arc.
The Indiana Pacers improved chemistry is a big factor in their success this season and it shows in a winning record. But certain improvements are still a matter of effort and dedication made by individuals. For Cory Joseph, improving his 3-point shooting took hard work over the summer.
“That and I worked my ass off. I’ve been working on it so hard for years, even when I was in Toronto I was working hard,” Joseph said. “It’s been a mentality change this year. I’ve put so much (time) in this summer that just passed. When I’m open, I just let it fly.”
He isn’t just chucking the ball up there, either. Joseph’s shooting a career-high 37% thanks to the time spent in the gym over the summer. That’s coming off a career-high 2.4 attempts a game, a good sign as his percentage isn’t just a matter of picking his spots.
More of his 3-pointers are coming unassisted this season than last year with the Toronto Raptors. He is more accurate on pull-up 3-pointers this season, too. It doesn’t hurt when he does get help, though, as he is taking and making more of his catch and shoot opportunities.
His role with the Pacers differs from the one he had last season with the Toronto Raptors. He still comes off the bench, but he is sharing the court with Lance Stephenson, who serves as a primary ball handler.
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The change in responsibilities meant a change in his approach on the court. His overall production is down slightly compared to a season ago, but the team results make up for that. In one of the Pacers most used blended lineups — CoJo, Stephenson, Victor Oladipo, Thaddeus Young, and Domantas Sabonis — Indiana is +13.7 points per 100 possessions.
Making the team better matters more than his counting stats, and it’s a compliment to Joseph that he found a way to adapt his game to do more while seeing the ball less. In the process, he found what was an unlikely partner in crime a season ago.
Last season, Joseph was throwing the ball at Stephenson’s head, now the two of them are feeding each other assists. Stephenson’s attacking style and Joseph’s shooting compliments the other’s game as outside of Darren Collison, they are each other’s leading assister.
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Cory Joseph is a threat from beyond the arc thanks to working his ass off last summer, and the Indiana Pacers are better for it.