How Chip Engelland turned Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard into efficient jump shooters
What makes the San Antonio Spurs a great franchise is their ability to develop their players. Gregg Popovich has been the face of the franchise for over two decades and rightfully gets the praise. But there are other people behind the scenes, particularly a guy named Chip Engelland, who was responsible for turning Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard into efficient offensive players.
Tweaking Tony Parker’s shot
The Spurs picked Parker as their 28th pick in the 2001 NBA Draft. Nobody had heard of him and simply trusted the franchise’s instincts that he would turn out to be a decent player. His talent for getting to the ring was apparent. However, Parker needed to add an outside shot to his arsenal to survive in the NBA.
The Spurs hired the services of Chip Engelland in 2005. Their task for the California native was to work on Parker’s jump shot. Engelland noticed that Parker held the ball differently in his tear-drop layups and in his jump shots. Specifically, Parker kept his right hand slightly on the upper side of the ball rather than entirely under. As described by Chris Ballard in his book "The Art of a Beautiful Game" via Grantland, Chip tweaked the way Parker held the ball:
"So, beginning with training camp in the fall of 2005, Engelland reconstructed Parker’s shot, moving his right hand down, his right thumb out to widen his grip, slowing down his motion and even changing his release point."
Engelland also told Parker to remove the 3-point shot from his arsenal. It wasn’t because Popovich was a staunch critic of the shot; Engelland believed focusing on midrange shots would hone Parker’s stroke. The results were immediate. Parker shot just 41.9% from the field in his first year in the NBA. Parker boosted his shooting stats to 54.8% in his first season with Engelland. He shot 49.1% for his entire career, which is pretty high for a point guard.
From defender to two-way superstar
Englland’s next project was Kawhi Leonard, the 15th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers, who was later traded to the Spurs. Engelland’s adjustments were straight to the point. Pre-NBA, Kawhi’s release point was over his head. They lowered it in front of his face to give Leonard more control of the ball.
Leonard shot 44.9% from the field in college. In his first season in the NBA, he shot a decent 49.3%. The Klaw is at a pretty impressive 49.5% clip for his career. Gone are the days when he was exclusively known as a defensive stopper. Over the last few years, Leonard has been regarded as a two-way player, someone who can play offense and defense at a high level.
Much credit goes to Engelland for turning Parker and Leonard into superstars. He left the Spurs in 2022 and has since been with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Note that the Thunder are stacked with young prospects such as Josh Giddey, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams, among others. Given their searing talents and Engelland’s guidance, the Thunder will be an excellent team in the coming years.
