Finishing Like Trae Young
– Think The Game Thursday –

Great Finishers know they need multiple moves in the paint to score on great defenders. Trae Young has mastered reading the defense and the footwork needed to be a great finisher. Adam Turner walks through the 3 dynamic finishes Trae Young uses to score in the paint.

Think Deeper

Floater Finish

The floater is used between five to ten feet from the basket and you can feel that the paint is too crowded.

If you are going to your right, use your Gallup footwork:

1. Gallup your feet (1-2 step) and stay under control
2. To shoot, imagine “high-fiving” an athlete, not a typical follow through

If you are going to your left, instead of the gallup footwork, use your one-foot take-off and shoot the same way; “high-fiving” your teammate.

Veer Finish

When you’re driving in the paint and find your defender on your hip or side, use the Veer footwork to finish.

Use your traditional layup footwork (right, left):
1. With your right step, lean into your defender.
2. With the left step, completely cut your defender off and initiate contact, bouncing off of your defender to finish the layup.

Wrong Foot Power Finish

Similar to the Veer finish, we use the Wrong Foot Power finish when the defender is on our hip or side. Traditionally, the footwork for a right hand layup is right foot, then left foot. Trae Young takes the same 2-step layup approach but uses the opposite footwork to confuse the defense.

On a right hand drive:
1. Take a step with your left foot first
2. Then right foot, initiating contact with the defender to draw a foul or “and one” opportunity.

To become a great Finisher, you have to practice game shots from game spots at game speeds. Incorporate these finishes into your training drills to perfect it before using it in a game.

Next Steps: Now that you’ve watched the film breakdown, let’s get in the gym with a few drills focused on finishing at the rim. READ MORE: 3 WAYS TO FINISH AT THE RIM (DRILL VIDEO)