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Rec league started....good god im sore lol!

We won but it wasnt pretty. Down 21 in the first half, 17 at halftime. Ended up winning 112-96. I literally graded myself a 'F'. Sloppy, missing easy jumpers, just rusty as all hell. Got elbowed in the 2nd half about 3 mins in...light bulb lol! Wasnt exactly my best but I'll take it. Didnt push too hard except for 2 plays, a layup with about 2 mins left to stretch a 6 point lead to 8 and when I caught some guys 3 pointer. Literally...may have been my highest jump ever. Guy was definitely a shooter and had hit like 4 3s in a row and I got sucked in on helpside and saw the kickout and all I felt was sheer anger. All i know is this: I jumped so hardy right hamstring 'tweaked' in midair, the whole gym went silent, and the guys in the bench said my knees were at his head....on a jumpshot. I saw his eyes and he changed his release point and after that...he didnt hit another 3.

I think that may be a changing point for me mentally with the knee. After the game I was dunking easy again, 2 hand tomahawks off the dribble, barely missed a huge off glass windmill, easy lobs. Felt good again.

Thats disgusting.

Thanks guys. Always a ton of support in here! Makes pushing forward a little easier knowing you arent the only one struggling sometimes. And, yes, Ive definitely used parts of this whole situation to spur myself forward. Wont mention what but it got pretty nasty for a little bit and we were both sure it was over but cooler heads and hearts seem to be prevailing. My body composition is back to where it needs to be, almost, though and that will only help when i start jumping regularly again (in say 10 hours lol)

THANK YOU TODDDAY! Only because Ive been screaming for years that the average NBA player is quite 'unathletic' vs other sports.

Also agree that as you become faster, stronger and more explosive its VERY possible that your bball skill set suffers. I noticed it slighlty and was lucky enough that i adapted quickly when I started lifting, that may be because im a "genetic outlier" in terms of hand eye coordination or whatever OR that i realized it and dedicated time to matching my skill set to my new explosive abilities. Case in point: my handle, which I had previously never worked on, suffered a tad when I started lifting but I recognized it and did some drill/skill work at game speed and now (when Ive been playing regularly) theyre better than they were in hs or college. Im beginning to think the recognition of imbalances in a players skill set to athletic ability is more of a contributing factor to how good they are than anything else. See it, fix it THEN take the next steps be it skill or athleticism wise. Sacrificing one for the other will laways leave you a worse player.

Curry is FAR from unathletic. Does he have the most hops? The fastest top speed? The strongest? No on all counts but his ability to change dorection and quickness is very much top notch. Combine that with YEARS of honing an insanely quick release and thousands of hours put into game situation drills his skill set is near the top.

That said...shooting is aort of an inate ability like athleticism but Id venture to say that its easier to take someone and create a shooter than it is to create a monster like LeBron. Kobe said it best...his left leg is basically bionic to move 265+lbs into the air like that.

And...I speak froma tad bitnof experience. I was never a shooter. Always a slasher (until high school) that relied on natural handles and athletic ability. It took me 2 short years tho to go from having an extremely shaky jumper with range to about 15 feet to a guy who can launch NBA range 3s off the dribble over defenders accurately (shot 44% from 3 my last 2 years, up from low 20% range freshman/sophomore years.) Was it hard to reinvent my jumper? Absolutely. But it was easier than the work ive put in to get to where I am today with my speed and vert and i am naturally a more athletic person than i was a shooter for sure.

The last steps are always the most important but you HAVE to take at least one. Working exclusively on SVJs will not translate into your plant speed being faster, it will just make you better at SVJs.

The relax thing...its true but difficult to explain to those who dont do it naturally. You want certain groups loose and some tight, the biggest issue for most is getting opposite muscle groups relaxed. Your quads cant fire maximally if your hams are tight for example. Once it happens you know it has.

Deadlifted and such last night at a pathetic 177lbs. Failed at 455. Think its mental. Just cant focus lately at all. Tripled 405 twice and did a 3x8 at 315lbs. PC assistance work.

Did some back work today, rows, lat pull, rear delts. Bunch of core. I will say this...at 177lbs i look absolutely ripped. Would like to get back to 184ish and be this lean. That would be awesome.

Rec league starts Monday. Ive played 3x since I was cleared too. Skills are rusty so it should be fun.

177.8lbs today. If I get some movement efficiency on my RVJ i should be flying lol! Funny...im as strong or stronger than i was pre injury at 184-185. More ripped as well. BF% could easily be around 7-8%!

Did chest/tris today. Very little core and some power cleans/hang cleans.

HC 135lbs 3x3 SS w/box jumps.
PC 135lbs 3x3 and 185 for 3 singles. 185 felt slow. Probably try repping 155 or so next time as 135 is a cinch.