"It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.” - Audre Lorde
Analogical thinking provides a powerful tool for problem solving. It's up to us to pull the source and target "pieces" together. "I know this problem." 
How do basketball and analogies fit? Got more? Share them.
Global pandemic, an incomplete season. The NBA shut down after several players tested positive for COVID-19. Absent "immunity" the league developed a potential solution, modeled after David Vetter, The Boy in the Bubble. Isolate the patient (the league) from the infection.
The Next "Great Hope." We evaluate a player, searching for comparables - size, athleticism, skill. We might demand lesser or greater fit. Coaches are more likely to look favorably on a player given a successful "comp" than a less successful one. But to maintain credibility, take care in "overpromising."
Reproducing a System. Many coaches look to reproduce the system they played in or learned. The legendary Pete Newell counselled, "they usually get a poor copy of the original." But be cognizant of Picasso's advice, "good artists borrow; great artists steal."
Style of Play. I recently discussed the analogy between warfare and style of play as presented by Malcolm Gladwell in David and Goliath. Conventional warfare parallel with basketball with infantry (power game), cavalry (transition), and artillery (perimeter game).
The Turnaround. Programs bring in the 'next guy' (guy being Auriemman unisex), looking for the next savior. Saviors are few and far between. Bill Parcells improved the Patriots, the Jets, and the Cowboys, but nobody labelled him the savior. Steve Kerr wasn't a turnaround after Mark Jackson as Kerr tweaked what already worked. Nick Saban has gone to multiple programs and turned them into powerhouses as a brilliant recruiter.
Drills. We create or name drills across disciplines.
In "Gauntlet" (a.k.a. 28 Special), two players must navigate the length of the court against four zones of defenders. We limit players to one dribble each touch to emphasize passing and cutting.
Structural analogies. Analogies exist between forces in nature and in nurture, like feedback loops. In global warming, the melting of polar ice caps produces more heat absorption with positive feedback on polar melting. A player performs at a higher level with increased minutes. The improved performance feed back with even more minutes.
Business principles. I've shared Warren Buffett's 25-5 rule. List twenty-five concepts to pursue. Then narrow to five and exploit them relentlessly. The cooking analogy is widespread with a new chef renovating the menu and the chef wanting to "choose the groceries."
Concepts across disciplines. Check out Parcells' MUST, NEED, WANT sheet.
Every season presents different challenges and opportunities.
Analogies have limits imposed by our misconceptions. "The anchoring effect is reinforced by another problem: decision makers’ tendency to seek out information that confirms their beliefs and to ignore contradictory data."
Lagniappe: The "Loop" play isn't new having cycled through multiple coaches including Daly and Popovich. FastModel / Fast Draw shares Loop action via a Chin set.
