Mike Miller, known to some as an “NBA Final’s folk hero,” wasn’t that extraordinary of an NBA player. But he was a master of one thing and this allowed him to play professionally for 17 years.
(Watch this video before continuing…)
When you finished watching that highlight video of Mike Miller, what did you see?
“A white guy playing basketball?” you may be thinking. Yes… yes, you are correct.
But what else?
Perhaps that he’s a really good shooter? Maybe, mastery in the art of shooting?
If you did, give yourself a pat on the back. You, sir (or mam), are correct.
Anywhoo, I’m bringing him up because I came across this video of a retired Miller schooling college players on the hardwood.
“Well, what’s so special about that?” you’re most likely pondering to yourself.
It’s special because he didn’t do anything special. He didn’t even use his professional-NBA athleticism.
Mike Miller’s Mastery of the Fundamentals
He pretty much just shot the ball from the 3-point line (with minimal dribbling, I might add). Some of the shots were contested too.
I’m intrigued by this clip because Miller didn’t have to use his speed or quickness or even his strength to beat a younger player.
He didn’t have to. He was able to lean on his mastery of a fundamental skill.
And this right here is what the Old Man Game is all about –an average player who masters a fundamental basketball skill and uses it, well into their old age, to conquer all of their opponents.
Now, Mike Miller is obviously not average. He was in the NBA for Pete’s sake!
But he also wasn’t a superstar, either. He was a role player his entire career.
However, the reason why he continued to have a career past his prime, up until the day he retired in 2017, was because he understood his role.
He knew what his strengths were and he worked hard to perfect them throughout his career.
Miller, during his playing years, knew he couldn’t handle the ball like Tim Hardaway (senior, not junior).
He knew he couldn’t pass like Magic. And he for sure knew he wasn’t strong and explosive like Shaquille O’Neal.
But you know what he could do? Shoot. And shoot it really, really well (he knew this too, obviously).
And this is what he worked on. Day in and day out. Just shooting in different situations at different spots on the court.
And that’s what the path to mastery looks like. It’s just a lot of repetition done consistently.
So what’s the point of this article? I don’t know. I just needed something to publish. Sorry for wasting your time…
JUST KIDDING!
What You Should Take From Learning About Mike Miller
The main point is to show you that you don’t need a lot. You don’t need to work on and possess a lot of moves to play basketball well.
Though having it would be nice, it’s not necessary.
The other point is to show you that having a firm grip on the core fundamentals is enough to allow you to play good basketball.
The other, other point is that mastery takes a long time.
There will always be something that you can work on. There will always be something that you can tweak.
So, you just have to keep learning and improving.
And the final point is Miller is just good. And that clip of him using his Old Man Game against those young cats put a smile on my face.
That’s all.
Final Thoughts
Oh, and one more thing: all these points (minus the first and last one, and maybe also the second one) can be and should be applied to your daily life.
Okay, now, that’s all.
