NBA players that kids should mold their game after include Steve Nash, Chris Paul, and John Stockton. Trying to mold your game after players like Lebron James, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant does NOT make a lot of sense — those guys are barely human.
Nash, Paul, and Stockton are all incredible players around 6 foot tall that became great by mastering SKILLS. In my opinion, these are the guys that kids should be emulating…
Watch how they get their shot off against bigger players. Watch how they utilize great dribbling, passing, and decision making skills to excel in a league with bigger players and often faster players.
Who are some other players I’m missing?
In addition to players like Nash and Paul, I always tell my guys to emulate people like Muggsy Bogues and Bruce Bowen–guys who had to earn their place in the NBA through sheer work ethic and effort, specifically on defense.
Josh – Good additions! Muggsy Bogues and Bruce Bowen are great examples of specialists, work ethic, and defenders that over came the odds to play at a high level. Nash, Paul, and Stockton are good to for emulating offensive skills. But maybe not so much defensively.
I’d be interested to hear other opinions and suggestions for players to emulate.
In terms of doing the little things right, you can’t get much better than Shane Battier (even though he went to Duke)…
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1713345-how-to-succeed-in-the-nba-without-world-class-athleticism
You mention a lot of guards, but didn’t mention much in the way of post players. Some post players young athletes may want to model their game after who have a bit more of a finesse and skill based game include Tim Duncan, Pau and Marc Gasol, and Kevin Love.
One other player I feel worth mentioning is Jason Kidd. He was an all around player, and could do just about everything on the floor for his team.
What about Stephen Curry also as an example? He’s changing the perspective of having to be a freak of nature in order to dominate the league into having polished skills in order to succeed. Also what would be your take on this bit of information? “I think you hit the nail right on the head. A very common misconception amongst players is that “shooting at the peak of your jump” means waiting to begin the actual arm-shooting process until your elevation has plateaued. This results in players (as you mentioned) actually not releasing their shot until their elevation has begun to decline.
I believe shooters should aim for one smooth, continuous motion. I do not support attempting to implement any kind of freezing or segmentation. Even when referencing Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, they’re ideally trying to complete their shots in a single motion (and their release process still begins on their way up).”
Totally agree that Steph Curry is a great example for kids to mold their game!
What would be a place to ask you about shooting advice?
https://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=85