When Shots Drop Below 20%: How My Brother and I Built a Winning Mindset on the Court

The Shot That Changed Everything

It was Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals—our shooter hit 18 points, grabbed 31 rebounds, dished out 10 assists. But when his three-point percentage dipped below 20%, the analysts started whispering. “He’s lost his touch.” I heard it in the locker room. I smiled. Because I knew better.

I’ve spent eight years turning heat maps into stories. Using Tableau, I mapped every missed shot—not as failure, but as feedback. Where others saw risk, my brother and I saw rhythm. We grew up on asphalt courts where your next pass isn’t calculated—it’s felt.

The Algorithm Was Never Just Code

We built our own ‘winning mindset algorithm’—not in Excel sheets, but in midnight pick-up games at Crenshaw Park. When he missed four straight threes? We didn’t blame the shot—we blamed nothing but silence. You can’t quantify heart—but you can feel it.

I ran his heatmap against league averages—his hot zones weren’t broken; they were breathing deeper than anyone expected. His best shots came from chaos we turned into trust.

Trust Isn’t a Stat—I Feel It

Data doesn’t care if you cry after a loss. But my brother? He cried before he shot—and that’s why he made it count. We didn’t need a coach to tell us how to win—we needed each other to remind us why we started playing in the first place.

Every night since then? Same court. Same silence between buckets. Same belief that when numbers fall apart… brothers don’t panic—they adjust.