There is a big difference between great dribbling and ball handling.

The first time I ever heard that was over a decade ago from Don Kelbick. So let's dive into what this means exactly...

• Dribblers hold onto the ball, stagnate the offense, and make it easy for the defense to stop them.


• Dribblers are more concerned with their dribbling rather than finding the open guy.


• Dribblers turn the ball over because they dribble more. If you dribble more, the chances of you making a mistake increase. That's simple math.


• Dribblers love the flashy pass that will get a reaction from the crowd. You know... the oooohhhsss and the aaahhhhs. The only problem is that this results in many more unnecessary turnovers that destroy your team's offensive efficiency.


• Dribblers take 27 dribbles before they attack the rim allowing any decent defense to force a turnover or a low percentage shot.


• Dribblers make a great move or cross somebody up, but they're still standing 25 feet from the basket and haven't gotten anywhere. Remember the ooooohhhs and the aaahhhhs.


• Dribblers allow the defense to rest because they're too busy not going anywhere.


• Dribblers put me before the team and do not help their team win.

And guess what...

Dribblers don't play for good high school teams.

Dribblers don't get college scholarships.

Dribblers certainly don't play in the pros.

But maybe the And1 tour will come back?

If you want to win, you need to become a great ball handler!

• You have great handles, but choose not to over-dribble.


• You understand the importance of great footwork. You focus as much on your feet as you do dribbling the ball.


• You rarely turn the ball over based on the amount of time that the ball is in their hands.


• You always keep your head up to survey the floor.


• You make the right pass not the flashy pass.


• You destroy pressure defenses.


• The coach trusts you because you make great decisions with the ball.


• You have the ability to get to the rim in 1 to 2 dribbles from almost anywhere in the half court.


• If you have had a couple of poor offensive possessions, you understand when to set up the offense or play to get a quality offensive possession.


• You are always in control of your pace.


• You always change your pace to keep defenders off balance.


• You have another gear to accelerate past the defense.


• You control the tempo. You know when to run your opponents out of the gym or when to grind out the game with 30 second possessions.


• You make your move quickly, then immediately attack in a straight line to the rim.


• You always keep your composure. Nothing seems to rattle you.


• You don't need to score to dominate a game. You can dominate a game with 3 points, 11 assists, 6 gretzkys (hockey assist), and 2 turnovers.


• You don't care about stats. You only care about winning.


• You also understand that focusing on assists can be selfish as well. That's why you make the right pass which can simply be a ball reversal that creates an assist.


• You can also score if your team needs you to step up.


• You know how to get shooters the ball in the right spot and at the right time. You make your teammates better. You don't put your teammates in bad positions with the ball.


• Your passes are always on target. Shooters love playing with you because of this.


• You can quickly pass out of the dribble with either hand. That way, you can give your teammates more time to score before the defense rotates.


• You study great ball handlers from the past like Magic Johnson, John Stockton, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, and Chris Paul. You study current and up and coming stars like LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Damian Lillard, and Trae Young.

Good ball handlers are the ones who get playing time and make their team better.

Great ball handlers play at the college level.

Elite ball handlers play professionally.

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

Comments Most Likes First   Oldest First   Newest First Don says: 12/12/2019 at 10:57:26 AM Rock solid analysis and advice / mentoring for coaches of all age groups. Thank you! Like     login   register

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