Why don't more NBA bigs learn how to master the hook shot? Is there a more unstoppable shot in the history of the game? Imagine in a college/high school prospect with length and athleticism already 'mastered' a hook shot... I don't care where the league is heading. There will always be a place for "we need an 'easy' 2"... there is no easier 2 than Jabbar's hook shot.
My guess is that the overall pace of the game has changed, and the lane is mostly left open for more athletic guards to drive in, and centers to roll to an alley. Layups/Dunks, and 3's in regular season, some mid range in playoffs, the same reason why post play is not common anymore, the pace is different and the lanes are best left unclogged.
Jabbar made it look easy but that shot was hard as hell to master. Even in the peak era of post play in the 80s and 90s, no one was using the skyhook the way Jabbar was. First of all, he was extremely tall and long, 7'2 with a 7'5 wingspan. This allowed for the ball to just have to go mostly forward with no upward force when he was going for the hook. He was also extremely agile at that height, way moreso than modern players that size like Porzingis. That size and fluidity combo is still yet unmatched. Lastly, it takes an immense amount of practice to achieve the level of proficiency with that shot that he had. Nowadays with less effort given to post play, a big man just won't put in the hours needed to perfect a move like that. There's a reason that KAJ is, to this day, the leading scorer in NBA history and unfortunately, just practice can't get you to his level.
Sooner or later an agile big, likely with the talent to be a star player, will uncork a sweet, consistent hook shot. He'll make it look easy and average 20 or more points per game, with that hook shot being a major part of his production, although as @lakersuck2 pointed out, it ain't easy. Other talented bigs will see him do it, see him get the attention the media will no doubt heap upon the fellow, and that shot will be copied in one form or another. It'll be similar, in a way, to Harden's step-back. James wasn't the first to do it, but he was the first to popularize that shot by perfecting it, insuring that it was legal, and making it a big part of a star's game. Jabbar is a legendary player, but if he could shoot that beautiful hook shot, someone else will, eventually, and show the league that others can as well. It might not be as awesome as Jabbar's was, just as Dream's poetic moves can be copied, but not matched, but we'll seen it often again. In my opinion, anyway. Might take years, or might be around the corner. Time will tell.
Its hard to expertise to the point its unstopable. If you are average or good at it its still harder to make than a layup with contact
I remember one of the first things Rudy T said when he got Yao Ming was, "I want him to learn the hook shot."
It's not as easy as it looks. You're not only needing body control (when you're that close to the basket your defender can/will try to push your center of gravity off its axis) but also that soft touch that most big men don't have. Dwight Howard in his prime was an athletic freak but lacked the soft touch to make the hook work on a consistent basis. A player like Clint Capela has that soft touch but he doesn't have the footwork and/or body control. Brook Lopez is probably the only/last big man that can hit hook shots on a consistent basis because he came into the league as a traditional post-up big man.
1. It's not as easy as it looks 2. The modern era of the game is drastically different. There might be room say to say get an easy 2 but that just isn't what is the league is looking for nor is it how the majority of the game is played. As a result, kids aren't spending the time developing to become some back to the basket player. Nor should they be wasting their time if there goal is to make it to the league. That's not what the league is anymore and not how you get your foot in the door in the NBA. The league is all about shooting, versatility on the court, and ball skills. If you're a big, you better be able to play pnr and play defense. Or have some kind of jumpshot. That's how you make it as a big in this league. If not, overseas it is. A traditional back to the basket big will not be relevant in the league for a long time, so long as talented guards/wings continue to make these guys unplayable on the court
Just to clarify, by easy I didn't mean easy to do. But, It's a shot that can be mastered and once mastered should be an 'easy' 2
kids aren't going to be spending hours upon hours mastering a hook shot that won't be used at the highest level on a nightly basis. That's wasting their time. They're working on everything else the league is looking for and #1 being shooting none of these trainers for college/pro's are putting this as part of their regime either because they also all know the game doesn't care for this. And to take the time to spend and master this would be useless, when they could be getting better at something else that is actually useful
But what I and some others have said is that the reason not a lot of centers have the hook shot in their repertoire is because it's not easy or, more specifically, "easy" to master. If it were easy to learn/master then all centers would have it in their arsenal. Body control, ball handling, footwork, timing, etc. it takes a lot of skill to get it down.
How many hours of practice did it take for Jabbar to master that hook shot to the point where it was an easy 2? Getting to the point where a shot like that is "easy" isn't so easy. Also, Jabbar was 7'2, which helped. There just aren't that many players with that height and that skill level.
I absolutely adored Yao's underappreciated hooks with either hand. He made 40 points on Shaq look like a cakewalk... If Yao was healthy and played in the 70s/80s/90s, people would be trying to master his jump-hook too.
One thing I adore about Alperen Sengun, and to an extent Sabonis, is that they have sort of combined new age hoops with the past. They can catch on the roll and sort of pivot into a postup situation ala Luis Scola.
