This excerpt is from more than 3 years ago, before i actually learnt how to play the game of basketball properly:
Yes, indeed, i played brilliantly; but i didn't feel that satisfaction i get from scoring 6 or 7 in a game as compared to yesterday, where i scored 2-3 open jumpers and assisted 6-7 points on avg. But if i am to adapt my play to a more social-friendly style, this will be what i have to become. I have to learn to love to assist instead of score. And its a waste if i don't, because even though i don't practice passing (i only practice scoring moves), i realised i have quite a knack for it. Somehow, when i'm not trying to score, passing comes naturally; i dunno how but i am always aware of where all my teammates are, and i have the handling ability to pass to any of them at any point without much adjustment, if it looks like they are in a good position to score.
I forgot about this, but from the looks of it, even back when i didn't know the game of basketball at all, i could pass. And i seriously didn't know the game at that time:
I won't change my basketball play. Its not that i don't want to. I honestly tried today. I tried so hard i got a headache. But i dont understand any of it. Team play, off the ball movement. When i cut in i don't get the ball. And i know its not just that my team doesn't trust me either. My off the ball movement is absolutely atrocious. So i won't care about it since i can't figure it out.
Some might say for all my technique, i don't know how to play the game at all. In that case, i agree. I don't know how to play the game that way. I don't know how to play it the proper way. I only know how to play it the fun way; the entertaining way.
Its pretty amazing how much i've changed. I completely understand the game of basketball now, how it is meant to be played. Its not surprising i didn't understand it at that time. I learnt basketball on the streets, i grew up playing streetball, not organized team basketball. Its not surprising that all i knew was how to play isolation ball. I had ball handling and scoring skills, but that was it. When i joined a proper team which ran plays, i had no idea what was going on and i hated every moment of it. And being an ace streetball player but having no chance to showcase my skills in that team style, i blamed them for it.
I will always have that in my history though. Isolation ball or not, those were the glory days. Because I made isolation ball beautiful in that time. Isolation ball is usually ugly because they result in low percentage shots.
But i was faster than people bigger than me, and i was taller and stronger than people smaller than me. People my size are larger were too slow to guard me, and people smaller than me were too small to guard me. I was a walking mismatch and i scored at will.
It wasn't sustainable. Look at the injuries i picked up. And of course the mother of them all, the acl.
There is a silver lining that came out of the acl. I'm not saying it was good, because the acl was still the most horrible thing that ever happened to me. I could have been punished in less severe ways than the most serious injury in basketball. But i learnt how to play basketball properly because of that. The style i was playing, i was a ticking time bomb. My legs were, at least. Now, i feel it is sustainable. I'm playing controlled, premeditated basketball. Not high flying, at max speed basketball.
Yes, its cool to be aomine. But even in anime, aomine gets injured.
I feel better as akashi. and i'm a freaking tall akashi.
Anyway back to my old blog post 3 years ago. Even at that time, in my old team who looked down on me because i didn't understand the game at all, i was recognized for my passing instincts. The only praise i ever got from them was for my passing. I'm sad that they stopped playing bball, because i actually understand the game now and i believe i would have alot of fun with them and we wouldn't be so frustrated with each other. But i have moved on from it; i also have a great team now and i am having alot of fun with them.
Some players have tunnel vision. Even if you don't play basketball or any team sport competitively, you will know what i am talking about, because you would have met them before. There are tons of people with tunnel vision. They have no awareness of their surroundings, and when you are open you have to really attract their attention before you see it click in their eyes and they pass to you. I have complete court vision. I have always had it. At any time, i always know where every single one of my teammates are on the court.
I know that this is something you are born with, just like how some people are born with tunnel vision. I've never needed to train my court vision. I just always knew where every single one of my teammates are, from playing with them so much. Every minute just gets stored in my subconscious and tells me their patterns. Also, my field of vision seems wider than most people. It is also why I'm a good driver, my friend once tested me when he didn't believe it, but i could tell him the cars that was at my sides and back and pedestrians at roadsides without looking.
This ability makes passing really easy. When you know where everyone is. I am strongest as a point guard. There's no question in that. Every player has a role, and the role of a point guard is passing. I also have the ball handling skills to dribble the ball.
3 years ago:
And i experienced for the first time today what its like to control a game; and how much difference the playmaker can make. Usually if the defence isn't as intense, i'm perfectly happy to take over by scoring 6-7 in an 11 point game. But i realised that you can get an even more crushing victory if you're willing to trust your teammates. I was playing a fouronfour; we lost the first game 11-9 cos while i was finding my teammates in good positions, they weren't hitting their shots. Normally i wld have gotten impatient and started scoring, but since today i had no desire to risk injury, i continued with my playmaking style. We took the second set 11-2. Played a 3rd and final set and it was 11-3 to us. And i really saw the difference between a team with direction (mine, since i was dictating the play) and a headless team (the other). It was a real moment of revelation indeed. And the best part is since i'm doing such a team-play oriented style, when my team wins everyone is happy. If i'm in scoring mode, my team will win also, but they will just be like wow hes imba. But when i do the team-play style, theres a very strong feel-good feeling in the team. I will go to the States and work on this style; they should allow me to do it since i won't be one of the bigger guys there. Hopefully i can improve enough such that in singapore they will let me play in this style also. that'll be fun.
interesting incident: i was dribbling on my mark when another opponent came over to swarm/doubleteam and try to "kiap" me. I immediately realised who the open guy was on my team and faked a jump shot and bulleted a pass to the open man for an open layup. my mark said to the guy who came: no need help!
and i was gonna get annoyed and start driving, but he saved us both (himself, since i was going to score 3 on his head, and me, cos i might have gotten injured doing that. no matter how low the chance, driving and trying to score at the rim has a chance of injury. playmaking has no chance of injury whatsoever) by adding: no need help! his passing too good alrdy!
interesting incident: i was dribbling on my mark when another opponent came over to swarm/doubleteam and try to "kiap" me. I immediately realised who the open guy was on my team and faked a jump shot and bulleted a pass to the open man for an open layup. my mark said to the guy who came: no need help!
and i was gonna get annoyed and start driving, but he saved us both (himself, since i was going to score 3 on his head, and me, cos i might have gotten injured doing that. no matter how low the chance, driving and trying to score at the rim has a chance of injury. playmaking has no chance of injury whatsoever) by adding: no need help! his passing too good alrdy!
Am i limiting myself by being the post player my team needs?
I don't believe so.
I can still pass from the post position. If anything, its less risky to pass from there, and i believe i will have less turnovers, because i have a tendency to try to pass "through" my opponents, which is very bad basketball.
When my teammates get more in tune with each other, we will have isolation plays also. I can still post up the small players and score on them with ease. I can still get past the big and heavy players who try to guard me with my crossover and hesitation.
I don't have to be the point guard in a team where everyone is a passer. GSW doesn't have a point guard.
They have 5.
(Actually 4, klay thompson is soooo not a point guard)
No comments:
Post a Comment