Things You'll Need:
- Strong Work Ethic
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Step 1
Understand and execute the basic individual concepts of basketball. You must be able have a good foundation in dribbling, shooting, passing, defense and rebounding. You may eventually excel in one of these areas, but you must have a basic level of competence to be considered for playing time.
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Step 2
Understand and execute the team concepts. Know the offensive, defensive and all sets that the team uses. Especially know your role in each of those sets. If one player does not execute properly, the whole system could fail.
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Step 3
Be a good teammate. Be respectful and encouraging to players and coaches. Be a positive influence on the team.
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Step 4
Attend all practices, games and team events. Being an ever-present, active participant allows you to be an integral part of the fabric of the team.
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Step 5
Excel in an area where the teams needs help. Every team has weaknesses. Understand where the weaknesses exist and focus your game to become a specialist in those areas. The following are typical areas that you can develop a specialty that is needed:
One-on-one defense
Rebounding
Outside shooting
Grabbing loose balls
By focusing on one or two areas, you can become the specialist and be the player that the coach looks to when that specialty is needed. Remember, Dennis Rodman had a very successful career by being laser-focused on defense and rebounding. In fact, he was one of the worst shooters to ever play professional basketball. There were plenty of good shooters on his team--but nobody played defense and rebounded like him.
