'Tis the season for sloppy, bad habit re-enforcing open runs and lethargic summer league games. Here's an idea for the player that is truly dedicated to his or her craft. Use these opportunities (open gym/summer league) as self testing grounds. Use your self awareness to drive your improvement. Ultimately, the outcome of these games have no real consequence. There are no coaches watching. There are no fans watching. Take these chances to make changes in your game. Engage in open gyms and summer league games with a thoughtful purpose.
Here is what you do:
Enter the gym with an intentional development goal already in mind. Don't wait until you enter the gym to make your daily development goal, make it before hand. Don't let the jive talkers stir your competitiveness before you set your goal. Shoot, take it one further and write it down in your car before you go in. Challenge yourself. You know your game better than anyone else. Which also means you know your flaws better than anyone else. Rather than hide those flaws, attack them.
-If you're a big guy that always seems to trail plays because you can make a middle of the floor face up jumper, change it up. Every possession, conscious effort, sprint to the rim. If a backscreen leads to a jumper, so be it.
-If you're a big guy that only scores over left shoulder, go over your right.
-If you're a guard that has issues attacking off dribble with your left hand, make a conscious effort to do it. The awareness here isn't necessarily to 'attack with left' as much as it is 'break habit, get better, stay aggressive, don't attack with right'.
-If you're a rhythm, off-the-bounce shooter, shoot off move and catch.
-If you're an aloof defender, lock in! Guard for full possessions & games.
-If you're a big floating wing that doesn't offensive rebound, don't float and go get some extra possessions.
-If you're a ball-in-hand scorer, basket cut, reverse ball, screen yourself open.
-Etc, etc, etc --- There are hundreds of examples
The cool thing about these summer testing grounds is that they can offer practice opportunities you'll never find anywhere else. There is a freedom in these settings that doesn't exist in formal practices and games. This freedom is actual basketball freedom, rare in the basketball world. You can truly do whatever you want. Basketball freedom, like all freedom can either be used or abused. Use it, and attack a different part of your game at every chance.
Start slow. Challenge yourself to "stay in character" for one game, then two, then three, and so on. It's ok to understand that eventually at every open gym, at least if you're a player with a pulse, competitiveness will take over. Go win some games, go ahead and get some buckets, but feel good knowing you put in conscious work first.
Too many players allow themselves to be open gym chameleons. Don't blend into your surroundings. Step outside, challenge yourself and change your game!
