Everything we do has an effect on something else. If you smack a baby on the butt, that baby will surely start crying; if you put your hand on a hot stove, you most certainly will be burned. How do these things pertain to basketball? Let’s talk a little bit about defense.
Good hard, solid all around team defense is great for morale – means the play of everybody has been raised to another level, and is full of enthusiasm; it is essential to the success of the team. Let me give you a little perspective – truly, team defense is the effect. When everybody is playing as hard as they can on an individual level that is what binds everyone to create a solid defensive unit. The individuals are the cause of that.
What opportunities does that open up for you on the offensive end of the floor? When you play good solid defense, whether it be on the contest of a shot or stealing the basketball – it positions you to score much easier. When you force the offensive player to makes bad decisions, you or your teammate can make a play on the ball. In contesting every shot, I see opportunity in understanding who it is that has a better chance of rebounding the basketball and releasing down the floor. Being a smart defender presents a whole new world on the offensive end.
You as an individual have to make a decision on what kind of a player you wish to be. Will you choose to be someone who slacks on defense, and gets little opportunity to score the ball; and who doesn’t love to score? Or, will you be the kind of ball player that puts his heart into playing great defense – giving yourself chance after chance to score buckets? The choice is yours but, I hope you are putting the success of your team first and foremost. That starts with you.