Most people think that basketball is about gaining a physical advantage in competition, but I disagree.
I’d rather have the ability to make smart decisions on the court rather than be physically strong with terrible decision-making skills.
The power of decisions
Every time you step on the basketball court you will have to make decisions. Your performance on the basketball court will be determined by the decisions you make.
Not only do you have to make smart decisions, but you also have to make them quickly, and you can’t stop at a decision once it’s made.
You need to be able to react to the defense and you need to be able to force the offense to turn the ball around.
Smart decision making is the key to winning basketball games. That is why coaches are necessary in organized basketball teams. In most cases, a basketball coach has an extremely high basketball IQ and has the ability to make the right decisions under pressure.
Decision making vs. Athletics
How is it possible that a non-athletic basketball player can outmatch an extremely athletic basketball player?
It all comes down to making decisions.
The best player will always be the one who understands the game of basketball best and knows how to use the talents God has given him to the best of his ability.
It doesn’t matter if you’re 6’6 and have a 50-inch vertical. If you don’t have the ability to make smart decisions on the basketball court, your game will suffer.
Examples of NBA players who excel despite their lack of athleticism include Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Andre Miller, Zach Randolph. These guys are proof that decision making is crucial to high performance in basketball.
How to make better decisions on the basketball court
If you want to make better decisions on the basketball court, you need to play more basketball. Pay attention to the situations where you make poor decisions and address them in your downtime.
If you find yourself flipping the ball every time you drive to the left, you probably need to develop your left-hand dribbling and scoring skills.
Learn from your mistakes (trial and error). Your practice sessions are the best time to try different things and learn what works and what doesn’t. Leave your bad decisions for practice, so that when the time comes for the game you can have confidence in your decision making.
Learn from the pros. If you want to start making better decisions, watch videos of the best players in the world. Take a look at what the pros do on the basketball court and start doing the same.