The Big O drives around Walt Frazier
of the Knicks as Willis Reed (left)
comes up to help. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
is in the background.
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- Why this book is called The Art of Basketball.
- A plan for self-improvement.
- Life lessons from the playgrounds of Indianapolis.
- Why you have to practice on your own
- Profile of an ideal all-around basketball player.
- Profiles of ideal players at each position.
- Basic rules and basketball terminology.
Ideal Player Profiles
The objective of "The Art of Basketball" is to help you become as complete and fundamentally sound a player as possible.
To give you a model to shoot for, I thought it would be interesting to create Ideal Player Profiles, first of a complete all-around player, and then for each individual position.
The Ideal All-Around Player
Whatever his or her position, this player will have command of the fundamentals of the game, and specifically should be able to:
- dribble with either hand
- shoot layups and tip-ins with either hand
- execute all the basic passes accurately (chest, bounce, overhead)
- execute a crossover dribble
- execute a reverse pivot
- set picks effectively
- execute a pick and roll
- understand the basics of court movement without the ball
- move quickly enough to play effective defense
- get position for rebounds and block out under the boards
- handle the ball against the press.
The major physical and mental attributes I’d look for include:
- Quickness
- Strength
- Endurance
- Peripheral Vision
- Concentration
- Will power
- Intensity
- Self-Control
- Flexibility
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- Common sense
- Commitment
- Confidence
- Awareness
- Courage
- Adaptability
- Pride
- Reliability
- Strong work ethic
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Height and speed are desirable, of course, but preferably in combination with the qualities above.
Ideal Players at Each Position
Centers:
- Good defensively
- Able to tip if in position
- Sets picks
- Great rebounder
- Can shoot the hook shot with either hand
- Helps teammates on defense
- Can pass in tight situations
- Accurate shot from close range up to 15 feet out
- Blocks off the boards
- Best player at the pick and roll
- Has good mobility, is not stationary
- Able to play facing away from the basket
- Good speed, can run the court
- Agile enough to block or deny shots
Forwards:
- Good defensively
- Better rebounder
- Playmaker
- Able to penetrate
- Good speed, can run the court
- Able to shoot coming off screens
- Moves well without the ball
- Able to go left or right
- Able to pass to pivot in all situations
- Sets picks
- Follows his/her shots
- Good judgement in passing and shooting
- Able to shoot moving toward the basket
- Blocks off the boards
Guards:
- Outstanding defensively
- Good dribbler
- Doesn’t dribble excessively
- Always keeps head up, has court in full view
- Accurate shot from 15-18 feet
- Able to pass on the run
- Able to pass off the dribble
- Able to initiate the fast break
- Able to control the game
- Commands the respect of his/her teammates
- Protects against the fast break, doesn’t get caught under the basket
- Aggressive, able to penetrate
- Able to execute the pick and roll
- Willing to go to the basket enough to keep the defense off balance
You can see what you have to do. It isn’t anywhere nearly as overwhelming as it appears. These are all skills the average player can and should develop, and some are just plain common sense.
