Some great stuff from Coach Phil Beckner of Weber State. Coach Beckner is great to pass on some good stuff are way from time to time and I think this is a fascinating list -- especially for thos that coach on the men's side of the game:I was able to visit w/an NBA scout today who has been attending several of the current NBA pre-draft workouts. I wanted to pick his brain and ask what players are lacking or do not realize while going through these workouts. I wanted to learn more about the difference in making the jump from college to the NBA.
Here are 5 major things he emphasized...
1. They must “Play Harder Longer”!
Most players do not realize how hard you have to play in order to get a job. There have been several players that have struggled to make it through an hour workout because of their conditioning.
2. College players do not understand how hard it is to make the NBA! They do understand that most players in the league are the hardest workers.
The ultimate example of this is Kobe Bryant. He really emphasized how everyone in the NBA knows how hard Kobe works on his game! Most NBA players are extremely hard workers! Another example he gave was a guard from the Big 12 who has showed up to his workouts 20 lbs over weight and out of shape, but still expects to make an NBA roster.
3. Players must be able to play PNR ( pick n roll):
The more experience they have at this, the more valuable they look. This is on both ends of the floor, offensively and defensively (on an average night, an NBA point guard could have to guard over 60 ballscreens)
4. College players must be able to extend their range to NBA 3:
Around the arc the NBA 3-point line is currently 23ft .9in and 22 ft. in the corners. The college 3-point line is 20ft. 9in. This can be up to a 3 foot difference in taking/making the 3 point shot.
5. Be able to find ways to score/have “solutions”:
Perfect floaters, running layups, 3-point shots, fade aways etc. Whether the player is small or oversized for his position he must constantly work on expanding his game and simply finding more ways to score. Steve Nash calls this having “solutions” around the basket.
