WHEN CHARLOTTE HORNETS center Mason Plumlee launched a left-handed, 15-foot, shot-put-like jumper over Brook Lopez on Dec. 3, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks‘ bench reacted as if they had just seen a UFO fly through the Spectrum Center.
The sight of the right-handed Plumlee making a midrange jumper with his left hand was so stunning to Antetokounmpo that he stood with his arms slightly bent and hands ready in anticipation of something incredible, as if Plumlee was about to hit a winning shot.
After the Bucks called timeout, Antetokounmpo, who wasn’t playing that night, was still replaying what he had just seen, putting a finger on his upper lip and then his hand over his mouth like a detective trying to solve a crime.
The Bucks bench reaction after Mason Plumlee’s lefty jumper 😂 pic.twitter.com/NOiTncJWrC
— NBA (@NBA) December 3, 2022
Two nights later against the LA Clippers, Plumlee pulled up from the free throw line and shot left-handed. From the bench, Paul George followed the ball’s flight path like it was a home run, and Robert Covington‘s jaw dropped.
Plumlee is a good sport and laughed when he thought about the reactions to his switch in shooting hand on jumpers and free throws.
“Oh man,” Plumlee told ESPN, laughing when asked about what has been said to him. “To me, it’s probably less what’s said and more just the reactions of the benches.”
Plumlee isn’t the only player this season going viral because of a major shooting form change. San Antonio rookie Jeremy Sochan hasn’t just stood out because of his bright hair color, he has stood out because he switched to shooting free throws one-handed.
Both players have had the courage to make radical changes to their form and routine for better results — even if it leaves social media and opposing benches flabbergasted.
“You know, it’s funny,” Plumlee said. “When you first do it, people are like, ‘Are you really going to keep doing that?’ I was like, ‘Yeah.’
“It’s something I can’t really explain. It felt good changing and then the more I repped it and practiced it, it just kind of shored up my decision.”
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