There is no one size fits all approach when it comes to player development. Every player is different, so the way they are developed should be different. These are 4 questions to ask yourself to help determine the best way to develop a player.
Who is the best version of this player?
At 90 Percent Hoops, we believe that players shouldn’t just look at add skills, they should look to become better overall players. Improving in one skill area may allow the player to get more playing time, but the goal should be to make every player better in all phases of the game.
This is especially important at the youth level. A lot of youth basketball coaches will try to force a player into a specific role at a young age. For example, a kid who is taller than his/her peers will likely be forced to play in the post.
This will prevent this player from developing skills such as ball-handling and shooting. But as this player gets older, his/her peers may catch up or even surpass them in height. Now this player is at a disadvantage because they are no longer able to rely on height and they don’t have the skills to play on the perimeter.
Player development is not about just helping a player get a little bit better. It is recognizing the full potential for each and every player and helping them get there. Anything less than that is a disservice to the player.
It can even be detrimental to a player to try and tell them to model their game after a certain player. A good approach is to combine different things from different players. Saying that a player should be just like another player is creating a limitation for that player. Now they are thinking “Well the coaches only see me as this person” and has them thinking that they can only reach a certain level.
A big part of player development is helping players understand who they can become. The best way to help a player become the best version of themselves is by developing their all-around game.
What is the best way to develop this player long-term?
The player has to be directly involved in his/her own development. This may sound obvious, but the players have to feel empowered, and coaches have to be able to trust that the players know what is best for themselves. It must be a collaborative effort, both sides have to be in constant communication. There also has to be commitment and accountability on both sides. The player and coach need to be in agreement on where the player is, where they want to be, and how to get them there.
Ultimately the player and coach need to put a plan together to help the player reach their highest potential. This should be done by taking a systematic approach. Player development is a process. There are certain things that have to happen in order for other things to happen. Give them the necessary tools and actions needed to get to where they want to be.
EXAMPLE: If a player wants to be great in the pick and roll. In order for them to get there, they first have to master the foundational elements like: Decision making, reading defenders, handling against pressure, ability to change speed, setting up the defender, being a shooting threat, being a passing threat, etc.
The whole can never be made without the parts. A player will never be great in the pick and roll if they can’t make tight passes, or if they are no threat of knocking down an outside jump shot. ONCE AGAIN, everything in player development is a process. The vision should remain the same and stay strong, but all the focus and energy needs to be placed in the step-by-step process. Skipping steps or speeding through them could delay or even backtrack a player’s development.
Practice and training should include as many games like scenarios as possible. However, sometimes players need to build the foundation before they can do something at game speed. For example, if a player wants to be able to extend their shooting range, jacking up a bunch of long-distance shots isn’t going to help. It would be done by helping them master their form, balance, shot motion, upper/lower body strength, etc. Adding skills is done from the bottom up.
What is the one thing that will help this player be better right away?
This may seem a little contradictory to the first two, so let me elaborate. It is going to take time for a player to reach their full potential. It may even take time for a player to be just on the path toward their full potential. Player development specifically, is all about getting players to where they need to be.
Basketball, like all other sports, is about winning. You cannot worry too much about 5 years from now when you have games right in front of you. Player development is predicated on getting long-term results, but long-term results cannot happen without short-term wins.
Sometimes in the NBA, certain players have the luxury of not having to play much and can use that time to improve their game. Some players have a very short window. If they do not produce right away, they may not be able to get a second chance. With each player, find something that they can use to make an immediate difference for their team.
Early on, that is where most of the time should be spent. At the highest levels of basketball, minutes are hard to come by and every player wants more of them. Coaches have to find ways for players to come in and help the team right away. For many teams, they don’t need another high volume, ball dominant scorer. They may need a defender, a rebounder, a good decision maker, a floor spacer, etc. Find ways to help them get on the court and help the team first.
Once that player has proven that they can make a difference, then they can start to expand their game and take on a bigger role. For example, when Kawhi Leonard was first drafted in the NBA, he was on a veteran team that was right in their championship window. Playing alongside legends of the game like Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker, there was no chance Leonard was going to come in right away and take all the shots and be the #1 guy on the team. Leonard was able to make an immediate contribution and become a key member of the team through his defense.
His defense is what allowed him to play meaningful minutes right away. He was able to carve out a role as a defensive stopper. Once Leonard became an integral part of the rotation, he was able to develop the other aspects of his game. He was able to step into a bigger role offensively as well. So many players work hard, but they don’t necessarily spend as much time on the things that the team needs.
If Leonard was a terrible defender, he wouldn’t have gotten any minutes early on. He wouldn’t have been able to expand his game the way he did if he didn’t have that one thing that allowed him to step right in and contribute. Players have to prove themselves in one area before they can be trusted in other areas. Every player wants to get more playing time. The best way to give them more playing time is by first developing them in a way that allows them to get right on the court and help the team. This is particularly true for freshman and rookies.
What is the time frame for each phase of the development process?
Patience is an essential quality in player development. Becoming the player you want to be happens through consistent progress day in and day out, month in and month out, year in and year out. To do it right, it should take some time. As coaches though, you don’t want to have too much patience. There has to be some urgency. Progress should be tracked daily. Targets need to be set for every phase of the development process. So, say a player wants to become a better shooter, then they should be able to make a certain number of a certain type of shot in a certain amount of time.
EXAMPLE – Make 30 shots coming off a wide pin down in 4 minutes or less. Players need that specific target, not only to track their progress, but for their own confidence. If they can see their results, it will increase the confidence and belief in themselves and commitment to the development process as a whole.
Setting targets or time specific goals also creates more accountability. It causes the coach and player to be directly in line with the vison at all times. Both the player and coach have to be equally invested in order to reach the predetermined goals. It has to be a shared goal between the player and coach. Saying it is OUR goal not YOUR or MY GOAL. That way both sides have to hold up their end, and neither side will want to let the other down. This creates equilateral accountability.
Every player needs have the mindset of:
- Find a way to get on the court and help the team.
- Once I prove I am worthy of playing time, I need to expand my game so I can take on a bigger role on the team.
- Always looking for ways to do more and be more as a player.
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