We know 'hustle plays' when we see them. They won't always ignite rallies or convey emotion to a club. But they're tangible, measure inputs to winning basketball. Depending on your offensive efficiency, a player generating an additional three to five possessions with hustle plays could be worth four to six more 'team' points.
Add yours.
Possession savers.
- Offensive and defensive rebounds
- Saved ball out-of-bounds
- 50-50 balls won
Possession changers
- Charges taken (also adds to foul totals)
- Steals
- Forced turnovers/forced violations
- Held balls
Disruptors
- Deflections
- Screen assists
- "Dental" screens (teeth rattling, clean screens)
Rick Pitino is a big believer in deflections. "If you got 35 deflections, you're going to win 95 percent of your games," he says.
And the NBA tracks everything:
As an assistant, I tracked hustle play because I thought players who contributed but didn't score a lot needed recognition. Everyone needs to feel valued and heard.
Lagniappe. "Life is difficult."
“Life is difficult. You have to overcome adversity if you’re going to have a chance to be successful in your life. There can be no great victories in your life unless you overcome adversity. You can’t be a great competitor unless you overcome adversity,” Nick Saban pic.twitter.com/53ietjYwSa
— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) November 16, 2023
