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The NBA Draft goes down this Thursday, which means Jay Hernandez is a busy man. The founder of Pro Hoops has built a reputation for whipping first-round prospects from Kemba Walker to Jeremy Lamb into shape for draft day, and his advice can also help your pick-up game at the rec. So we called Hernandez for tips on how to stroke your jumper, refine your ball handling, and get a cardio workout that’ll soak your old Gus Macker tee.

**SHOOTING

**

Swish 75 times

Hernandez likes to warm up with some simple shooting drills. Start three feet in front of the basket and shoot with your strong hand until you make 25 shots (keep your feet on the ground). Then back up just in front of the free throw line and put your balance hand—"your left hand if you’re a righty," he said—on the ball and make another 25 shots. Back up to the free throw line, and now you can start taking jumpers. Make another 25.

Go downtown

Now it’s time to channel Ray Allen. Begin from the high school three-point line (19’9") and drain 15. Then back up to the NBA three-point line and make 10. "Just in this first series from the basket out to three alone you’re making 100 shots," Hernandez says. "That’s the way we start to get guys technically on the right track."

**DRIBBLING

**

Work on your weakness

The ability to drive with either hand is a surefire way to dominate at the local Y. To strengthen your off-hand, Hernadez recommends what he calls the aptly named Weak Hand Series. Take three hard dribbles with your non-dominant hand and then dribble the ball as low as possible to the ground for 2 seconds. Do this for one minute or, if you don’t have a stopwatch, 10 reps.

Cross it up

You’re never going to be Tim Hardaway, but anybody can hone a killer crossover. For this, Hernandez swears by his Cross Touches drill: do a crossover and then touch the floor immediately with the hand you just crossed with. Keep your eyes straight, like you’re driving the lane. "Basically work on getting low to the ground," Hernandez says. "It gets your shoulder dipped—so when you’re trying to beat people off the dribble, it gets you into those mechanics. It also works your quad muscles."

**CARDIO

**

Relive your high-school wind sprints

Start at the baseline and backpedal to the free throw line—shoot. Repeat until you’ve made five. Go right back to the baseline and backpedal to half court then charge to the charity stripe. Make five. Now to the sidelines. Run from the sideline to the elbow on the free throw line and make five shots. Do this for each side of the court.

Why bother with this? For the same reason all your coaches made you do it: If you’re out of shape and then try to go play hoops, you’re going to be sore for days. "Most people need to get in shape to play basketball at a certain age," Hernandez says. "It’s not the other way around."

Bill Bradley is a columnist at Next City. Follow him on Twitter @billbradley3.

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