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How do young players develop?

311 views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  BG7 
#1 ·
One thing is true: if a player wants to develop, he can. This is regardless of circumstance, coaching, whatever. All he needs is an opportunity to develop (get at least a little playing time, for instance), and he'll "develop" on his own. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that jumpers improve with repetition, speed and strength improve with conditioning, etc. This is initial drive and desire coming from the player himself is a pre-requisite step.

That being said, though, how much of the "player development" comes from:

1. Coaching. This is usually the jobs of the assistant coaches, as well as the head coach. You often read about guys brought in as assistant coaches to be big man specialists or something like that. How much does good coaching make the difference in developing a young player?

2. Offseason work. Players talk about developing a move on offense in the offseason, working on quickness to improve defense, putting on a few pounds of muscle. What does this look like?

3. Trial by fire. The "let the kids play" mentality gets in valuable experience against NBA competition, replaceable by nothing else.

4. A different role in the system. This sort of falls under coaching, and it classically applies to "combo" or "tweener" players. Guys like Antawn Jamison and Lamar Odom, who saw their best years at power foward (but only Eddie Jordan seems to have figured that out), and guys like Duncan and Nowitzki, who can certainly be two of the most versatile centers in the league but instead play at the 7-foot PF spot for maximum effectiveness, mainly because it allows them to find gritty 7-0 plodders to play next to them rather than gritty 6-9 plodders.

For us, we have Kirk Hinrich (he'll always be a true point guard in my book), Tyson Chandler (he fits into the gritty 7-0 plodder, which means if he's going to be a C he needs a superstar PF next to him), and Andres Nocioni (this guy can do so many things and continues to add to his game).

Another "different role in the system" might mean the introduction of a superstar and taking the heat off of players so that they can truly flourish. I know this is a hated argument on bbb.net in general, but I can't help to think that Wade's ascension to uber-star would have been at least a LITTLE slowed down without the admittedly twilight seasons of the most dominant player so far this millenium. Having developed with that help, Wade can now push out in Kobe-like fashion to cement his own identity.

< On a tangential note, Bill Simmons in his most recent set of burning questions insinuated that Shaq's decline should have Wade wondering if he really needs to be in Miami for that big extension. Hard to argue with Bird money and no state income tax (it's like a 5-9% raise, instantly), but you never know, I suppose. >

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So what is it for the Bulls' young players? Guys like Deng and Chandler had injury and contract issues, and that's understandable but not acceptable. With at least the addition of ONE more young player this draft, if not two, I think we can say that Chicago is a good place for young players to develop but can still be better. Which of these areas could use the most support?

I don't think "trial by fire" can change, as our entire roster is young and they all play a lot. But perhaps everything else could use some serious modification to make an even more conducive environment for player development. And as those changes might be tweaked this offseason, what does that mean for the type of players that we look for in the draft this year?
 
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