No matter how much talent there is in the room, there's one basketball. And most of the time, the talent wants to eat...more touches and more shots earn more recognition.
In The Leadership Playbook, Jamie Bechler shares examples where star players didn't cry like baby birds with open mouths. In 2012, Kentucky stars Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist went 4th and 5th in team shots taken. And in 2016, unsung hero Tristan Thompson went plus 32 in Finals Game 6 against the Warriors with 15 points and 16 boards. LeBron, Kyrie, and Kevin Love were the biggest names, but Thompson got the Cavs to a winning Game 7.
Once before a big state tournament game, I overheard a parent tell their child to make sure that the child got "your shots." I wasn't the coach or in any way essential to the process. There was nothing to say. It didn't go well as the team got outplayed and lost. Did that advice change anything? No. Coaches coach, officials ref, and parents - love your children, but don't coach.
Understand the 'mouths to feed' principle. The best players should get more shots in their preferred spots. And this merits discussion with the team. The point guard should be aware of those dynamics. Remember the saying, "You often get what you deserve; or you may deserve what you get."
Players unhappy with their "diet," can supplement it by cutting better and by offensive rebounding. As for the former, know "the screener is the second cutter" to also set up other chances.
The big dogs gotta eat.
Lagniappe. Coach Dags advises players to create and finish their edge.
KEEP ADVANTAGE ON DRIVES
— Steve Dagostino (@DagsBasketball) July 8, 2025
Nothing drives me crazier than a player that gets their defender on their hip while driving and then pulls back their dribble 😡
Learn to embrace the contact, take an advantageous angle, and score around or over the secondary defender. pic.twitter.com/prXLGRJ3my
Lagniappe 2. "Great offense is multiple actions." Complex screening (staggers, screen-the-screen, Spain, elevators) creates problems for aggressive defenses.
Use screen the screener action against teams that fight through off the ball screens....
— Matt Hackenberg (@CoachHackGO) July 8, 2025
If they don't help enough, you likely get the cut to the rim
If they help too much, you likely get what you see here pic.twitter.com/gBArgIlqLS