How Anthony Tolliver improved shot; will he stay with Detroit Pistons?

Orion Sang | Detroit Free Press

The hottest shooting streak of Anthony Tolliver’s career began after an encounter at a high school gym in the middle of March.

On a day off, the Detroit Pistons forward — who will become an unrestricted free agent July 1 — met with John Carter, the CEO of a company called Noah Basketball, at Madison Heights Bishop Foley High School.

The pair had been introduced two weeks prior by a mutual friend. The executive had even taken a trip to Detroit to watch Tolliver play, and spoke to him before their meeting.

Still, that day, the two didn’t know each other well. Yet, Carter had advice that changed the course of Tolliver’s season. That change could directly affect what type of deal he’ll receive this offseason — whether it be from the Pistons, a team he has excelled with on and off the court, or another franchise.

Noahlytics

Carter and Noah Basketball pose a simple question: Why did a shot miss?

Using "Noahlytics," the company helps players — from high schoolers to NBA veterans — log their makes and misses. The data system measures a shot’s entry angle, trajectory, dip of the shot, how deep the ball is shot into the basket and how straight the shot is.

“We see those types of anomalies all the time,” Carter said, “and the naked eye can’t pick those things out.”

Carter markets Noah Basketball as a data service, not a product. The system won’t physically correct someone’s shot for them. It’s up to the player to take the system’s evaluation and put it to use.

Carter knew Tolliver was a “really good shooter.” (Entering last season, Tolliver was a 36.2 percent 3-point shooter). Carter says the No. 1 indicator of a great shooter is their left-right consistency — how consistent the player can put the ball on a straight line to the basket. The second indicator, according to Carter, is arc consistency.

He believed Tolliver had “elite” left-right control. But he also believed he’d find Tolliver’s shot was a little flat, with good — but not great — arc control.

What's your angle?

Carter visited Detroit on Feb. 7 to watch the Pistons play the Brooklyn Nets. That night, Tolliver shot four 3-pointers — several of which looked flat to Carter, with entry angles of less than 40 degrees. Ideally, the entry angle of a 3-pointer is around 45 degrees.

After the game, the two met and talked for a bit. They met again for a couple hours Feb. 8. Tolliver listened to Carter, but was reluctant. They made plans to meet at a local gym equipped with a Noah system, which is why Tolliver and Carter found themselves at Bishop Foley.

“(I liked) the instant feedback it gave, the ability for me to be able to adjust and change my shot on the fly,” Tolliver said. “When I’d be shooting in the past, it’d be either I make it or miss it, and that was kind of the only feedback. Whereas with the Noah system I immediately got all this information that I was able to internalize, analyze and change my shot. … I just thought it was immediately something I knew I was going to want to use and use more often.”

And once Tolliver received feedback the results were instantaneous.

“It was just amazing how quickly his body adjusted to that,” Carter said.

Added Tolliver: “I literally used it one time and I could tell the difference in my thought processes as far as what I need to do to make sure I make the next shot.”

For Tolliver, the hardest part of the change was repetition. He needed to get enough shots up to where he would be able to replicate his new shot in an actual game, instead of reverting to his old shot.

Getting results

But it didn’t take long for Tolliver to commit his shot to muscle memory. In the stretch after he met Carter at Bishop Foley, Tolliver shot 52.1 percent on 96 3-point attempts. On April 4 against the 76ers, he scored 25 points and made 7-of-8 3-pointers. Tolliver finished the season with a 3-point shooting percentage of 43.6 percent — the best of his career.

Tolliver doesn’t attribute all of that success to Noah Basketball. But he’s confident it had an impact and wants to continue working with the company. He recently joined Noah’s advisory board, and is installing a system into his offseason home in Dallas.

“After using the system, I had immediate change in the way I thought about shooting,” Tolliver said. “When I did this, it used to be, ‘Oh, I”ll make the next one.’ Just a simple vision, ‘Oh, I’ll just make the next one.’

“I just analyze it a lot differently now. I have even more control over my shot. If I shoot a perfect shot, that means it’s going to go in more times than not. … It was definitely a contributor to my hot streak.”

Staying or going?

Given his track record — he tied for sixth in the league this year in 3-point shooting percentage — and the league’s growing proclivity for players who can shoot from deep, Tolliver may be in heavy demand once free agency begins.

But he wants to remain in Detroit. He has experienced success with the Pistons both on and off the court.

Tolliver works with the United Nations Foundation’s "Nothing But Nets" campaign, which raises awareness and funding to fight malaria. He was introduced to the cause by Golden State's Stephen Curry and has been involved for the past few years.

According to the foundation, Tolliver has personally raised more than $20,000 over the past three years. He has also contributed a significant number of bed nets, which help prevent the spread of malaria through mosquitos, by donating three bed nets for every 3-pointer made.

Playing for the Pistons has also given Tolliver opportunities outside of basketball. He interned with Tom Gores’ private equity firm, Platinum Equity, for a few weeks.

“It’s a great relationship,” Tolliver said. “It’s been great for me, I’ve learned a lot. I’ve been able to be exposed to a lot of different things.”

Tolliver’s on-court performance could take him out of the Pistons' price range. The Pistons, under new stewardship from senior advisorEd Stefanski and Dwane Casey, may want to re-sign him for his shooting.

“Anthony Tolliver fit here with Detroit," Stefanski said Thursday. "Teammates and everybody love the guy. (Tolliver and James Ennis are) both still in play, but it’s all going to depend on what kind of money’s out there and the demand for both of those players. I’d say the ball’s more in their courts than ours.”

More: Pistons' signings show pattern of overpaying for role players

But a 6-foot-8 forward who shoots 43.6 percent from beyond the arc is a fit for most teams around the league. And the Pistons' cap situation is one of the worst in the league, with little room to maneuver in free agency.

Even if both sides choose to part ways in the upcoming days, one thing remains clear: the relationship between Tolliver and the Pistons was fruitful for all involved.

“When you play for an organization and they show you that they care about more than just you as a basketball player, and they show that they care about you as a person and what matters to you matters to them, it makes you like and want to be there,” Tolliver said. “Obviously, this is going to be a new regime coming in. Sounds like they’re kind of clearing house a little bit, which, hey, that’s part of the NBA. ... I hope that if I come back with the Pistons, that they’re the same way.”

Vince Ellis contributed to this story.

Contact Orion Sang: osang@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @orion_sang. Download our Pistons Xtra app on iTunes or Android!