"Read the defense!"

You've probably been told this since you started playing and practicing basketball. If you watch basketball, you'll hear it discussed all the time.

Scouts talk about players who can make reads. Coaches laud players with high basketball IQ's who "take what the defense gives them."

On the surface, this is common sense. You want to be a player who is able to process situations.

However, there's a problem with common sense. Common sense is common because many people believe it. But that doesn't make it true...

"If You Want To Read, Go To The Library"

How could reading the defense be wrong? Here are 2 ways:

1. It can promote a passive mentality - rather than dictating the action, you end up reacting to what the defense does.
2. It results in you NOT doing what you do best - when you read the defense, your choice is based on what the defense does. Don't you want to be the player deciding what happens?

If you read the defense, you'll end up relying on your weaknesses a lot. And while you should be developing those areas of your game, they are weaknesses for a reason...

Why Playing to Your Strengths Beats Reading the Defense Every Time

In the video clip, Coach Kelbick says, "It's simple to become a good player. Do what you do well and do it more often than anything else."

You might remember Manu Ginobili. If not, look him up. He's in the Hall of Fame.

Manu was a great player. He was also a lefty. He was one of those players who you knew was going to go left.

Just because the defense knows what's coming, doesn't mean they can stop it. This is a key difference from reading the defense.

In Manu's case, he faced defenders whose stances tried to force him right. If he was reading the defense, he would have gone right, as that's what the defense was attempting to give him.

Instead, he went left. Many coaches would cringe at this. But Manu understood something that you should understand too.

You have to make the defense stop your fastball. In other words, you should do what you do best until the defense proves they can prevent you from doing it.

He knew what he was good at. That's what he did. In other words, he did what he was most capable of (going left) and did it with confidence.

Too many players go to their backup plans because that's what their 'read' tells them to do. When you do that, you've already put yourself at a disadvantage. You're no longer playing to your strengths. You're playing to what the defense wants you to do.

As Coach Kelbick says, "If you can't make your shot, how can you make my shot?"

What to Do When the Defense Shuts Down Your Best Move

As we've covered, you want to do what you do best. However, sometimes the defense will stop it. That's okay - you've made them stop it.

What do you do when that happens? Counter. Have 1-2 counter moves you can go to when the defense stops your primary option.

That's it. You don't need 8-10 moves. You need a first option and a couple of counters.

The counters only come out when the defense stops the first option. And stop it they must. You don't start with the counters as a result of 'reading the defense.' They are the secondary option.

Why You Need to Know Your "Option A"

How does all this apply to you?

First, do you know what your Option A is? If not, determine what you do best. Maybe it's catch and shoot. Maybe it's right-hand drives. Maybe it's posting up. If you're not sure, ask your coach.

Once you determine that, make it your first option, every time. If I'm a shooter, I'm thinking shot on every catch. There's no reading involved.

If the defense stops my shot, I have a counter. That could be a pump fake and sidestep. Or a rip and go.

That's it.

Does this mean you don't work on your weaknesses? Of course not. You want to address those and become a more well-rounded player.

What it does mean is that you should focus on your strengths. Too many players spend too much time on their weaknesses. This is an easy trap to fall into. Remember what gets you on the floor.

Sam Hauser is one of the best 3-point shooters in the NBA. He just signed a $45 million contract. If he couldn't make 3's at an elite clip, he wouldn't be in the NBA. So while it might help him marginally to become a better ball handler, he must maintain his status as a world-class shooter if he wants to continue the upward arc of his career.

I'd be willing to bet that shooting is at the core of Sam Hauser's training.

Keep his example in mind. Work to become a well-rounded player, but don't neglect your best skill.

What do you think? Let us know by leaving your comments, suggestions, and questions...

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