Highly respected NBA Global Academy assistant coach Matt Blue was one of the on-court clinic presenters at the recent Basketball Australia National Coaches Conference in Canberra.
Having worked at the NCAA level for 10 years and within the NBA development system in China and Australia, Blue is one of the leading player development coaches globally and he shared his philosophy around this important area of the game.
Introduction –
- Always say yes to players when they ask for workouts
- Come with a plan- be ready to adapt that plan (40-60 min)
- Be Early – sometimes the most important part of workouts are the 10min before or after
- Not a skill coach/assistant coach/you are a relationship builder
- Be authentic- DO YOU, you can’t lie to kids/players they see right through BS. Show you truly care about their wellbeing and development and they’ll show up and show out for you.
The Player Development guru from the @nbaacademy Matt Blue ran through some fantastic ideas and programs that the coaches can take straight back to their own teams from Wednesday #BACoachesConference pic.twitter.com/XHOvRPTyMe
— Basketball Australia Coaches (@BBALLAU_Coaches) May 1, 2023
Development non-negotiables
- The smaller the detail the greater the value
- KYP -know your plan, know your personnel, keep your poise
- Big footwork guy (inside foot shooting, post work and pivoting)
- SHOOTERS (me 40% and 80% in games- 75+ open shots in practice green light gang
- Be in stance- where all good athletes live
- Game speed, who are you playing against/who’s guarding you. Quality of reps over quantity of time/shots
- Use drills/skills/shots that the players are using in their offense
- No difference in workouts besides time/reps for guards/bigs (all transferable skills)
- You are who you can guard so stop calling kids positions that they aren’t
- Fun/Competitive drills (keep track of makes, takes, streak) timed shooting drills or for a specific number
- Game shots, game spots, game speed
- I like drills that don’t have you shooting the same shot over and over (unrealistic)
- FT’s and Water breaks are realistic (1-2-3 fts, 30 second or 1:30 water breaks)
- Ask them what they want to work on; do that for 15-20% of workout
- Tailor make workouts for each player/position
- Players not allowed to get upset at missed shots
- If you are changing someone’s shot- you MUST be there for 80% of the times they are working on it (it’s frustrating for them and you have to be there teaching and reinforcing what the change is)
- Enjoy it- respect the game
Teaching points in workouts
- It’s about the players! AKA get over yourself; I’ve never MADE a pro; they were born and choose to come in and do the work, their success is about them. Never made a pro but you can certainly mess one up (not fun, no one trying to turn it over or miss shots- put yourself in their sneakers)
- Footwork with shooting, lay up packages, dribble moves/exchanges etc
- Communication- talk everything out- big voice
- Stance – low person wins
- 1st step/last step in screening actions
- Create and embrace contact
- Exchange points on dribble moves
- Pace/Speed/heights/GET BY- Hip swivels
- Gathers to hoop/pick up points off dribble
- “Chin-Check” centreline in post-see where double is
Thanks to Coach Matt Blue for sharing his thoughts on player development and to the NBA Global Academy for supporting Coach in presenting at the conference.
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