Reader’s Question

I am a 15-year-old high school player.  I am a 6'2 guard.  I was wondering if you had any tips on the mental part of basketball and developing a good mentality?

Krueger’s Answer 
 
There are several things which I think may be able to help you.  The first thing I try to get the guys I work with to understand is what they do well.  I want them to understand what their strengths are, what they can do, what the coach and the team expects them to do when they are on the floor, and what separates them from other players.  Are you a spot up shooter or a break you down off the dribble player?  Are you a post up player or a perimeter player?  I think guys in our league really understand this.  Dwayne Wade’s greatest strength is his ability to get to the basket.  He can shoot 3’s, but this isn’t his strength.  He understands that attacking the rim is his greatest asset.  Knowing this helps him play to his strengths.  He understands how he is going to score his points every night.  Rarely will you see him shoot 10 3’s in a game.  Rarely will you see him post up 10 times in a game.  Why?  Because he understands who he is and because of this he plays to his strengths.  Just like your coach prepares a game plan to defend the other team, you can have an offensive game plan in your head every night for how you want to be effective at that end.
 
Our coaching staff puts together a personnel report for every opponent.  We know what plays a team is going to run, but it also helps to know specifically about each player’s tendencies as well.  Is a player more of a shooter or a driver?  Does he prefer to drive right or left?  If he is a post up player, which shoulder does he prefer to turn over to score?  I think it can help you understand your own strengths and weaknesses if you put together a personnel report on yourself.  I think it helps you gain an understanding of what you do well, what you don’t do well, and helps you understand how you can be most effective on the court.  A sample report on a shooter may be as follows:
 
Spot up shooter.  Shoots 44 % from “3”.  60 % of his shots are from “3”.  Very good using screens, playing without the ball.  Catch and shoot player.  Likes to shot fake, one dribble left to shoot, but uncomfortable when has to dribble more than twice.
 
I think when you take time to think about your game and put it on paper, it really helps you understand what your most effective plan of attack should be.  Not only that but it helps you see what you need to work on as well.
 
The second thing I do even with the highest level of players is watch tape on high level players.  I put together a tape of some of the best pick and roll players in the league to watch with our young guards.  There is no better way to learn than to see guys like Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, and Dwayne Wade running the pick and roll.  If I am a shooter I would try and watch as many Pistons games as I could.  There is no one better coming off screens than Rip Hamilton.  If I am a post player, I would watch every Spurs game I could find.  There is not a better, more effective low post player than Tim Duncan.  There is a reason these players are some of the best players in the world at their position - they are generally the most fundamental players.
 
The last thing which always helps is where you play and whom you play against.  Always try to play against players who are better than you.  I would always try to find a game against college players or grown men.  Playing against competition at your own level may help you boost your confidence (which is important!) but it doesn’t help you improve any other aspect of your game.
 
I hope some of this has helped and I wish you all the best.  Keep working hard.

Coach Krueger