On Oshae Brissett’s second 3-point attempt on Tuesday night, he air-balled. About two minutes later, he passed up a wide-open 3 from the right corner for a contested spinning fadeaway inside, which he missed.

Late in the first half, he caught the ball on the right wing. This time, in a decision that may not have happened last year after the early misses, Brissett let fly again. He drained it.

“Last year when he missed one or two, he would try to fix it,” Syracuse assistant Adrian Autry, Sr. said. “I think he has to trust his shot, shoot the same shot every time.”

So far, through two exhibition games and Syracuse’s season-opening win over Eastern Washington, Brissett has shot 16 3s and made six, for 37.5 percent. After leading the Orange in 3-point percentage last year (33 percent), Brissett said he’s more comfortable and consistent with his shot from outside. It’s a weapon that, when paired with new sharp-shooting additions to the court Elijah Hughes and Buddy Boeheim, makes Syracuse a bigger threat from 3-point range than it ever was last season.

“Lot of guys, they’re gonna be focused on Elijah (Hughes), Tyus (Battle), Buddy (Boeheim), Frank (Howard), which really helps me get open,” Brisset said. “Same thing for me, if they’re gonna focus on me, that helps other guys. It’s good to have different weapons on the court.”

When Brissett arrived at Syracuse before last season, Autry knew the freshman’s jumper would need work. But after watching Brissett shoot for a day or two, Autry realized that less needed changing than he initially thought.

The pair worked before and after practices to spread his hands wider on the basketball and raise Brissett’s release point. They wanted to make him a “two-eyed shooter,” meaning Brissett would have a clear window to see the hoop when he raised the ball. It led to some increased success down the stretch of the season, including a 5-for-7 game from beyond the arc against North Carolina on March 7, but Brissett still shot 34 percent from 3 starting Feb. 14 to the end of the season. During the offseason, his shooting remained a focus.

“Just go until I would get tired or it’d get too late or something like that,” Brissett said. “Or until they kick us out of the gym.”

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When Brissett arrived back on campus prior to this season, Autry saw that the sophomore had maintained the changes they made to his stroke. Now, it was time for the fine-tuning.

Autry wanted Brissett to shoot the same every time, whether off the dribble or stepping back or catching-and-shooting.

“His footwork is imperative,” Autry said. “His balance is imperative. And then it’s the same shot. To be honest, his shot is nothing that needs to be changed. It just needs to be the same, and he needs to have balance.”

When Brissett shoots, Autry said the sophomore will occasionally land a foot or two in front of where he took off from. But the pair wanted Brissett to shoot straight up and down.

Autry adjusted Brisett’s movement by simply staying in his ear. When Brissett shoots before or after practice, Autry stands nearby and reminds the 6-foot-8 Canadian to stay balanced. At halftime of the Le Moyne exhibition, Autry stood next to Brissett as he warmed up for the second half with 3-point attempts from the right wing. Autry didn’t appear to say much, and when asked, he didn’t remember any key points. But with Autry by his side, Brissett constantly landed with his feet where he’d jumped from.

“Right now, the way he’s shot it, when he has balance, I think it’s going in every time he shoots it,” Autry said.

The next step for Brissett is more arc on his shot, Autry said. They’ve had Brissett shoot on the “gun” in practice, which is a shooting machine that fires passes back out to the player. The key to the gun is higher netting that surrounds the actual basketball rim, which is meant to corral rebounds but also functions as a deterrent to line-drive shots.

The work has led to good numbers in practice for Brissett. Autry said the sophomore has shot in the “mid-50s” percentage-wise from 3-point range in practice, adding that’s “right up there with Buddy and Elijah.”

It’s translated in a small sample to the Carrier Dome, and Autry expects it to continue. Brissett knows why he misses now, Autry said, which allows him to solve any issues in the moment.

After a made jumper, Brissett’s preferred celebration is pulling out an imaginary arrow and shooting it with an imaginary bow. He picked it up from fellow Canadian and Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray. Brissett said he “tried to steal it from him.” With the confidence that Brissett and Autry have in his shot right now, what Murray calls the “Blue Arrow” may make more appearances in Orange.

“I have complete confidence in my shot,” Brissett said. “Once the games come, once I let it fly, I have complete confidence that it’s gonna go in.”

Published on November 8, 2018 at 12:52 am

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