Do you want to be able to do more on the court? Well, the best way to do this is to train and become a versatile basketball player. Here are a few things you can do to improve your skills for both ends of the court.
I don’t know what it is about players who can do many tasks (especially power forwards), but I love watching them.
Guys like Boris Diaw and Draymond Green and Nikola Jokic are so entertaining to watch! But that isn’t just the extent of it -I also like their style and try to play like them.
I like how they’re able to defend pretty much every position, score in a variety of ways, and can read the floor to execute plays.
Oh, and they also get rebounds? Come on! Who doesn’t want to play this way?
However, I will add that these guys are not extraordinary at any skill.
What I mean by this is that they’re most likely not going to be the best scorer or playmaker or rebounder on their team (they may be the best defender, though). Matter of fact, they weren’t and aren’t (the two players I mentioned prior).
But these two guys are great at doing whatever is needed of them.
And this skill, I’ve found, is useful for rec league games and pick-up games.
Why Being a Versatile Basketball Player is Beneficial
In rec and pick-up games, the majority of the time, roles and positions are not established. Everyone does everything.
You have to defend, rebound, and assist. You can’t just be a shooter, for instance. You can’t be lazy and not contribute to any other category. This is how you get people to not want to play with you.
Additionally, it’s good to be versatile.
As a player, you should be able to do a lot of things on the court. You shouldn’t want to be a one-dimensional player. You should strive to be multi-dimensional because it’ll make you a better player.
You should try to play more like elite wings and less like score-first guards.
How to be a Versatile Player
So, here’s what you have to do to unlock the inner Diaw or Draymond in you:
- Improve your defence (most important) – Learn how to defend better here
- Become a better rebounder – Learn how to rebound better here
- Get better at reading the court and making plays – Learn how to play-make better here
- Learn to score in a variety of ways (threes, post-up, mid-range, etc.) – Learn how to score better here
Drills to Develop Versatility
The best drills to work on these skills are lay-up race and scrimmaging (or via games).
Lay-Up Race
The lay-up race (I’m pretty confident that’s what it’s called) is a multi-skills drill.
This drill is great for working on all skills required to be a versatile player -you have to defend, rebound, assist, and score.
To start it off, two players (the offence) will stand on one end of the court. On the opposite end, there will be two defenders.
The offence will carry the ball, in fast-break fashion, up the court and try to score as quickly as possible. The defence wants to stop this basket so that they can run a fast-break on the other basket.
If the defence is successful, the two defenders will run a fast-break, while one of the original scorers will defend the two-on-one fast-break. Who runs back on D and who stays will be decided by the two players or the person running the drill.
For instance, you can say that all of the players in the left lineup will run back on defence.
However, if the two original offensive players score, then the two original defenders will rejoin the lineups on the other end of the court (where the offence is).
Scrimmage and Games
The second activity you can do is play games.
This is one of the best ways to become versatile because you have to force yourself to do everything in an actual competitive setting. You have to be aware of your actions (or lack thereof) as you learn on the fly.
A tip I’d give is to be patient and mindful of what you’re trying to accomplish.
Keep in your mind at all times (during the games, obviously) that you’re trying to contribute to every facet of the game.
And to do this (and be good at it), you can’t rush. You have to take your time to learn and experiment and assess.
This is the only way your game will evolve.
Final Thoughts
Being a versatile player will allow you to play basketball on another level.
You’ll be able to do more and, in turn, will be able to contribute more to your team. But it’ll take time.
So, start now and your game will progress over time.
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P.S. If you’re struggling to get better at basketball, you may be doing something wrong.
This is why you need to check out my Old Man Game Activity Guides and Planners. They’re convenient training systems that will help you work on your fundamentals and conditioning.
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