Just curious to see how you look at the sport if you actually played it. I feel like those who played would be less critical because they understand how difficult it can be on a much smaller level, let alone the pros. But maybe I’m wrong about that so just wanted to see how you guys see it.
I never played competitive ball but I feel like I’m super critical of the Lakers. Then again, when it comes to the Lakers, I feel like everyone is super critical unless they win a title.
Yeah but that’s because, compared to the average fan (particularly ones who haven’t played), I’m more aware of what does and doesn’t work in basketball
So if a Point Guard has a bad game, for example, one fan might blame the Point Guard for not having enough assists, I may say take a look at it and say “Oh, he started shot hunting when his teammates weren’t hitting open jumpers, instead of setting his teammates up for layups instead.”
Is this post for real? Satire? What could be gained from discussing this
I’d say more critical I guess
More. But different stuff - I’m not going to be mad at a playing missing a good look or a good defensive possession where someone hits a tough contested jumper on us
I am going to be mad at forcing bad shots, not moving off the ball, shitty spacing, not closing out defensive possessions, being lazy with screens, etc
Eh I don’t really know, played high school amd in college, play pick up once a week.
Really understand the hot streaks and when shots are cold, but that’s when you gotta adapt your game in game, make that pass, or wait for your shot.
One thing I’m super critical of is boxing out, like we were taught that in grade 8, ball goes up, find a body turn around amd box em out, I can still here my grade 8 coach yelling at us cause of all the rebounds we weren’t getting. Doing drills 2 on 2 fighting for rebounds.
More and less, depending. It’s a lot easier to “see the floor,” so to speak. Too many casual fans only see the result, not the process. A few years ago, I had seats at a game against the Wizards. Thomas Bryant had a randomly good game and hit 3 contested 20 foot jumpers in a row. The guy in front of me is hollering for better defense, while I’m thinking “Thomas Bryant is jacking up 20 footers, that’s a pretty good defensive outcome.”
And it’s getting “worse” if you also coached a team for a few years… I often have a completely different point of view on the game. Also when watching with others, I’m getting excited for a great off ball action no-one else seems to be aware of cares for.
Happens even if you never been close to pro level.
I played D3 basketball at a school where athletics are absolutely NOT a big focus
That is to say that while I would (respectfully) say that I’m a better player than the average dude at the YMCA or local court, I’m still nowhere near the level of serious D2 or D1 players, and I’m a COMPLETE SCRUB compared to even the worst NBA player
But guess what? My teammates and I still trained hard. We played hard. We spent hours coming up with plays. We spend hours going over drills. Even for a couple of nobodies like us, we invested serious time and effort into being the best we could possibly be
So because I lived through that experience, I am MUCH LESS critical of NBA players and teams because I have a very rough idea of what their training life is like. I don’t think a lot of fans understand how hard these guys work, and if they do, they very quickly dismiss it by pointing out how much money they make.
Fair enough, they do make bank obviously, but it still takes an insane amount of work and dedication to play professional ball. And considering how hard I worked to play D3 ball on a no-name team at an academics-focused school, I have all the respect in the world for the players and how hard they work