Coach Smarter, Not Harder: How Coaches Can Develop Players' Basketball IQ to Dominate the Court

Basketball IQ. When you watch games on TV, you often hear announcers talk about it.

Some players just seem to have it. A lot don’t.

Is that nurture or nature? The truth is, it’s probably some of both. However, it is absolutely true that you can help your players develop a higher basketball IQ.

Unfortunately, many coaches unintentionally do things that hinder the process of building basketball smarts.

Let’s look at how you can do the opposite.

5 Ways To Develop Your Players’ Basketball IQ

• Use questions

When your players make a bad decision, there are a couple ways you can respond.

You can tell them what they did wrong and what they should have done.

Or, you can ask them what led to the decision they made and what they might do differently.

Which one is more likely to build a player’s IQ? Clearly the second. In the first scenario, the player doesn’t have to think at all. They are being spoon fed the answer.

Even if they remember what you told them, they are unlikely to know why that’s the right decision.

If you question them, they have to think. This does a couple things. It shows you what they know. It also allows for the possibility that they might have seen something you didn’t.

Many coaches don’t do this because it takes more time on the front end. That’s true. But, if your players grow their understanding through the question and answer process, you will save a bunch of time in the long run.

• Say less & let them coach themselves

Most coaches like to talk. We know a lot and we want to share it. And yet, that limits our players’ ability to learn.

It reminds me of something I learned in education classes. They told us how some teachers view themselves as ‘the sage on the stage.’ They think of themselves as dispensers of knowledge.

Other teachers view themselves as ‘the guide on the side.’ They think of themselves as there to provide support to the student, but not to give them all the answers.

As coaches, we want players who can function independent of us. We don’t want our players looking at the bench on every possession.

Build that by letting them coach themselves during practice (Steve Kerr famously did this during a game years ago). Sit back and observe. You’ll learn who your leaders are. You’ll see what your team actually knows and is confident doing.

One way to do this is during breaks between practice segments. Have teams take a quick ‘timeout’ and huddle to discuss strategy for the next segment. Division III National Championship Coach Matt Lewis does this as part of The Flow Motion Offense With Matt Lewis.

• Teach through concepts, not rules

Conceptual basketball is a hot topic these days. For good reason. It builds smarter players.

You give your players concepts you want to play through. It could be things like:

• Sticking to a spacing template in transition
• Seeking to drive into double and triple gaps
• Looking opposite of where the pass came from

These are different from rules, which might be:

• You must pass and cut
• You have to pass and pick away

Concepts teach players what to look for and give them freedom within a system. Rules remove the IQ component as individual decision-making is minimized. 

Many coaches stick with rules because it’s easier. It also eliminates ‘bad decisions.’ That might be true, at least in the near term. However, good coaches are able to develop players who use conceptual basketball to give them more options and solutions than rules-based coaching ever could.

• Play more 5v5 

The game is played 5v5. If you want your players to build their IQ, they must play with the same format that is presented in the game.

That doesn’t mean drills and small-sided games don’t have a place. They do. But you must play a lot of 5v5.

It’s the only way to replicate the spacing and decisions of real games.

I have coached players who are great at 1v1, but struggle to play 5v5. Why? Because in 1v1, you have more space than in 5v5. You also don’t have to think about whether you should pass.

Those realities come into play when going 5v5. As they say, the game is the best teacher.

• Use constraints

When you do use drills and small-sided games, incorporate constraints that build on the concepts you are trying to teach

Take shot selection as an example. Good shot selection is a sure sign of a team with high basketball IQ.

To start, have a discussion about what are good shots for your team. Get your players ideas and settle on a group consensus.

You might say that you are looking for rim finishes with your shoulders towards the basket (not all layups are good shots) and open jump shots off the catch.

You could then constrain your drill as follows: if a player scores on either of the two types of desired shots listed above, that basket is worth 5 points. All other shots are worth 1.

Your players will quickly learn to seek the high value shots. They will also start to adapt how they play offense to get those shots.

They are likely to realize that trying to break down a teammate off the dribble with zero off-ball movement is unlikely to produce a 5 point shot. Instead, they’ll look to use actions that create advantages through team play.

They might figure that out right away, or they might learn it through trial and error. But the important thing is that they will learn it through their actions and experiences. That’s how basketball IQ grows.

For more on constraints, check out these ideas from these ideas from The Game Based Training System With Nate Sanderson.

Why Coaching To Develop IQ Is Hard

One commonality of the 5 ideas above is that they require you to give up some control. That’s why so many coaches don’t develop smart players.

But remember this - your goal isn’t to exert control over your team. Your goal is to make your team the best it can be. And we all can agree that a smart team is going to have a significant advantage on the court.

Building those smarts takes time and intention. In fact, some of the intention comes from doing less at times. It takes restraint to not rush in to rescue a struggling player.

However, by letting them work through their struggles, you are equipping them with the tools to solve problems for themselves in the future.

And a team of players who can solve problems on their own is a team to be reckoned with!




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