Over the past 5 years I have seen a noticeable change in the game of basketball.  This change is due to the increasing lack of love and respect shown by the players for the game.  There are a few fundamental elements that are crucial to the success of an aspiring basketball player.  However, as the love and respect decreases, these elements are becoming extinct in the basketball world.

First is practice, players do not practice as hard or as often as they should during the season and in the off-season.  Remember, practice is vital for the mastery of any skill - players should practice 10 times harder than when they play a game.

Second is knowledge.  Players do not know the game like they should on all levels in order to be a true basketball player.  This indifference towards learning the game inside and out shows a lack of respect for the game.

Lastly, players do not think the game like they should in order to be the best.  Players have forgotten that the mental part of the game is just as important as the physical.  In the NBA all of the best players love the game and work extremely hard at improving there games day in and day out.

Practice is where all winners are built whether it is as an individual or a team.  Players should practice everyday as hard and as smart as possible - this will insure success in game situations.  I believe if you practice hard and smart the game is already won.  In the end, the actual game is only a showcase of all the hard work a player puts into practice.  The game is a time in your basketball journey where you truly get to enjoy applying the skills that all of your practice has produced.  Thus, one can imagine how much all gym rats love the game.

I believe that effort should be a statistical category because this is where the game is truly won.  This is also a great indicator of how much a player loves the game.  When the shot is not going down you can always work even harder at the effort parts of the game like rebounding and defense.  Rebounding is based on effort more than any other part of the game.  When a player is rebounding they just have to outwork their opponent, essentially you have to want the ball more than your opponent and be willing to work harder than them to get it.  The team that wins the rebounding battle normally wins the game.  More players need to excel at this part of the game, but remember you have to love it.

Another great example of effort is defense.  Defense is not as glamorous as offense but is equally as important.  Players today need to realize that somebody has to stop all of these great scorers and the person who does will be greatly desired by any team.  Bruce Bowen of the San Antonio Spurs has made himself a great living by stopping great scorers in the NBA.  Players wanting to play in the NBA must start realizing that these days there are more spots open in the NBA as a stopper than as a scorer.  Players can work on defensive drills however the bottom line for being a successful defensive player is that you just have to want to stop your opponent.  When a player can apply that desire to outwork the offensive player and deny them the opportunities to score they give themselves an asset that is hard to match.  There is no substitute for hard work.  Defense is all about effort.

Thinking the game is something that players today lack the most.  Most of the time players do not read the game they just play the game.  Remember basketball is a thinking man’s game.  An example of not reading the game would be when a offensive player beats a defensive player left 4 times and the defensive player shows no signs of adjusting to cut off the left side.  Why wouldn’t a player at least see that they were being beat left and attempt to force the player to the right?  If as a player you miss short four times something should tell you to make an adjustment.  These are some of the mistakes that I see when I attend or coach game.  I tell players to see the game in slow motion, by doing this they can see plays developing before they actually happen.

Players that love the game focus on the little things first and then move on to more complicated skills of the game.  Remember it is the little things that win games.  Players that love the game do not boast after every play they make.  When you love the game you stay true to it, you do not cheat the game by not respecting it enough to work hard and smart at it.  It is a fact that players make more shots without dribbling than when they dribble.  One can also assume that you make more shots after taking one dribble than taking two and so on.  These are just some facts that players should know who love the game.

The love of the game is slowly disappearing.  Without the love and desire to play any game, one cannot be a true player.  When a player has passion and love for the game instilled in them, it is shown through their play.  No matter what the skill level, having a love for the game will always increase your level of play.  Love of the game will outlast the bad games or rough practices, it will keep you working hard when you do not feel like you have anything left, it will never let you settle and it will push you to be all that you can be.  Unfortunately, players continue to not reach their potential due to this lack of love.  So, I ask, in a basketball world that is quickly losing sight of the true meaning of the game, where is your love???