Steph Curry just signed a 1-year 62.6 million contract all because he mastered shooting and the truth behind his jump shot is not what you'd expect this simulation studies the effect of backspin and the results could make even LeBron James do a double take backspin improves accuracy in two ways bounce mechanics and the knuckle ball effect first the backspin slows the ball down when it hits the rim this gives it a softer bounce so even slightly off Target shots have a better chance of going in that's a part you probably already knew but there's more the study shows that without spin the ball can act like a knuckle ball in baseball where forces make it move unpredictably just imagine balancing a ball on your finger without the spin it would fall off just like your basketball skills After High School Dam with the spin the shots trajectory is more stable and predictable and according to the study that can make shots up to 80% more accurate so if you're ever struggling with your sport just run an engineering simulation and you'll improve in no time