The jump stop, step by step
Footwork
How to stop with the ball on two feet at speed, and what it gives you that a stride stop does not.
A jump stop is a way of ending a dribble by landing on both feet at the same instant. Because neither foot landed first, neither is the pivot foot, which means you may pivot on either one afterwards. That is the whole reason it exists.
Here is the sequence. You are dribbling toward the basket. On your last dribble, pick the ball up with both hands while your weight is still moving forward. Hop off the foot you are on, low and short, not a leap. Land with both feet touching the floor simultaneously, shoulder width apart, knees bent, hips low, weight balanced between your heels and the balls of your feet. Your chest stays up and the ball comes into your body, usually held at chest height with elbows out.
The most common error is landing with one foot fractionally first. If that happens it is a stride stop, the first foot to land is your pivot, and if you then pivot on the other foot the whistle goes for travelling. The fix is to hop lower. A high hop separates the feet in the air. Keep it close to the floor and the landing tends to square itself.
The second common error is landing upright with straight legs. You will stop, but you will have no balance and no way to go anywhere afterwards, and a defender leaning on your shoulder will move you. Bend before you land rather than after.
What it buys you is choice. Having both pivot feet available means you can turn either way to face the basket, step through a defender on either side, or pivot backwards away from pressure. In traffic under the rim it lets you land, absorb contact from a help defender, and go up off two feet, which is more stable than a one footed finish and easier to control when somebody is hitting your arm.
There is a restriction worth remembering. After a jump stop you may pivot on either foot, but if you lift the pivot foot you must pass or shoot before it comes back down. You cannot jump again and land with the ball. That rule is what stops players from hopping their way across the court, and it is the one officials are watching for when a driver jump stops and then tries to reposition.