Basketball - Points to Ponder - More, Impact, and Cellphone Use

How do we use information? Is AI adding useful information or more? 

Life throws a firehose of information at us daily. Separate "signal" from "noise."

Author Fergus Connolly, a Human Performance Expert, writes an article about the Fallacy of AI. Performance isn't about acquiring the most information, it's about applying what works best for our organization.

Two points stand out for me:

1. Better is better. 

That's not necessarily more or less. It's better. Judge ideas on merit, not the source.

During the 2015 NBA Finals, 28 year-old Warriors video guy Nick U'Ren suggested to Coach Steve Kerr that video showed the Warriors might matchup better with a small lineup, Iguodala over Bogut. Kerr made the change and Golden State rallied to defeat Cleveland. 

2. Does it impact winning? 

Organizations become wedded to "that's the way we do it." If it wins, keep doing it. Brian McCormick wrote a series of Fake Fundamentals books exploring which traditional drills didn't impact winning and advised coaches to ditch them. 

One author suggested that players shouldn't use cellphones on game day because it changed their visual and mental focus. 

Here's the skinny from AI:

There is indeed a growing body of evidence—both experimental and observational—that suggests refraining from smartphone or cellphone use around training sessions or competition (e.g., game day) can help preserve athletes' focus, cognitive function, and even performance. Here's what research highlights:

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Evidence from Controlled Studies

1. Mental Fatigue & Decision-Making

• A controlled study with professional male soccer players found that 30 minutes of smartphone app exposure led to mental fatigue and a significant decline in passing decision-making performance during simulated matches. The Physical Movement+8YSBR+8TIME+8The Guardian+4ResearchGate+4ScienceDirect+4.

• In volleyball, young athletes using social media immediately before training experienced mental fatigue and impaired anticipatory effort. PMC+1.

2. Physical & Technical Performance in Footballers

• Another controlled experiment involving adolescents found reduced physical endurance and worsened technical skills (like passing accuracy) after 30 minutes of smartphone-induced mental fatigue. DMT&E Center+12Efsupit+12ResearchGate+12.

3. Cognitive & Reaction Impairments Across Sports

• A broader review emphasized that across sports—including football, volleyball, swimming, boxing—pre-activity smartphone or social media use leads to mental fatigue, which lowers decision-making accuracy, slows reaction time, and increases errors. YSBR.

4. Training Adaptation and Long-Term Effects

• In volleyball players over four weeks, those engaging in social media before sessions showed no improvement in decision-making metrics, while control groups (e.g., watching neutral content) did. TIME+14YSBR+14PMC+14.

• In swimming, avoiding pre-training social media use correlated with measurable gains in endurance, race times, and cognitive control—results not mirrored by those who used social media. YSBR.

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Mechanisms: Why Phone Use Can Be Detrimental

Cognitive Distraction and Mental Fatigue

• Engaging with social media or apps involves rapid micro-decisions, emotional content, and fragmented attention—depleting cognitive reserves essential for game-time focus. YSBR+2Tuition Rewards+2.

Sleep Disruption

• Evening phone use—especially screens or social media—disrupts melatonin production and sleep quality, which indirectly diminishes recovery and performance readiness. YSBRNature.

Cognitive Bottlenecks

• Media multitasking (e.g., using phones while preparing for play) slows reaction times and impairs attention switching, reducing performance efficacy. Wikipedia.

Presence Alone Can Distract

• Even just having a phone visible, without using it, can diminish performance on complex tasks—suggesting phones may remain mental distractions until out of sight. TIME+1.

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Bottom Line: Does Avoiding Cellphone Use Help?

Yes—there is clear evidence supporting the idea that abstaining from smartphone or social media use before training or competition:

• It helps preserve decision-making accuracy and cognitive focus.

• It potentially ensures better physical and technical performance, especially in skill-dependent sports.

• It supports optimal recovery and sleep quality, indirectly bolstering performance sustainability.

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Practical Takeaways for Athletes and Coaches

1. Implement “phone-free” zones during pre-game preparations and training warm-ups.

2. Encourage downtime before key sessions—replace spontaneous scrolling with relaxation or mental visualization.

3. Discourage evening phone use, especially on social media, to protect sleep and recovery.

4. Remind athletes that even a visible phone can sap focus, so stashing it away matters.

 Lagniappe. Make work cool. 

“Hard work is cool,” Marcus Freeman

Grit builds habits.
Habits build standards.
Standards build winners. pic.twitter.com/tp5UHlWaFb

— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) August 3, 2025

Basketball Advice that Players Will Never Regret

Target your audience. Today it's players. There's a lot to learn and the more you know, the more you realize there's much more to know.

Absorb and process a handful of truths.

1. "Do hard better." Skill development is hard. Conditioning is hard. Studying the game is hard. Make doing hard better a priority.

2. "Learn every day." Find resources to help you improve across a spectrum of sources - books, video, clinics online, leadership articles. 

3. "Find a mentor." Passionate athletes find people who want to help them develop. "Mentoring is the only shortcut to excellence." Ask. 

4. "Chunk" visual information. Chess grandmasters see a board and see relationships among the pieces. Basketball "minds" see 'setups' and read the play. 

Real-time, I saw a 1-4 high set with the wing at the top leaving and the wing at the bottom cutting, knowing this Iverson action would create a great shot. 

5. "Play with purpose." In Jay Bilas's "Toughness" article, he describes "set up your cut" as a tough action. Failure to set up cuts or to cut urgently is a major definition of offensive success or failure. Basketball is "a game of separation." If you don't separate you either won't get the ball or will be crowded on the catch. 

6. "Win in space." Your parents taught you not "to play in the traffic." Don't dribble into traffic or pass into traffic. Both play exactly into what the defense wants. If you "draw two" that opens a teammate. 

7. "The quality of the shot relates to the quality of the pass." - Pete Carril  Passers can lead players into open space or into trouble. Passes to the "shot pocket" allow the shooter better shooting conditions. Crisp passes open shots better than lackadaisical ones. 

8. "Think shot first." - Don Kelbick  If you're always ready to shoot, then you're always a threat. 

9. "Become a possession ender." Possession enders create scores and stops. Rebounds, steals, turnovers, and time end opponent possessions. Sometimes blocks and deflections do. 

10. "What is your primary skill?" Do more of what gets and keeps you in the lineup and less of what doesn't. If you don't know what your primary skill is, then you don't have one. 

Lagniappe. Simplify. What can we eliminate to become more successful? 

“A few extremely well-chosen objectives,” Grove wrote, “impart a clear message about what we say ‘yes’ to and what we say ‘no’ to.” A limit of three to five OKRs per cycle leads companies, teams, and individuals to choose what matters most." - "Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs" by John Doerr

Lagniappe 2. Stay abreast of new developments. This video shares what the author calls, "Three across." 

More Thoughts on Basketball Efficiency

What does 'efficiency' mean for a basketball player? There's the 'eyeball' reading and analytical metrics.

It makes sense that more positive contributions and fewer negative ones result in higher efficiency. I wrote about this first in 2015, although it was not a new concept. 

NBA and WNBA player efficiency calculations differ. ChatGPT explains:

The WNBA Player Efficiency Rating (PER) is a measure of a player's per-minute productivity, similar to the NBA's version created by John Hollinger. The WNBA does not officially publish PER on its website, but basketball analysts and advanced stat sites calculate it using the same core formula.

Here’s how PER is generally calculated (same as in the NBA, with WNBA-specific stats plugged in):

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Formula (Simplified Overview)

The basic structure of PER is:

$$\text{PER}=\frac{\mathrm{1/}}{\text{Minutes}}\times \text{(Positive Contributions - Negative Contributions)}\times \text{League Adjustment)}$$

But in practice, it’s a very complex formula that includes:

Positive Contributions:

• Points

• Assists

• Rebounds (Offensive and Defensive)

• Steals

• Blocks

• Free Throws Made

• Field Goals Made

• Three-Pointers Made

Negative Contributions:

• Turnovers

• Missed Field Goals

• Missed Free Throws

• Personal Fouls

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Complete Calculation (Highly Technical)

Hollinger’s original formula weights each action using statistical constants and adjusts for:

• Team pace

• League averages

• Minutes played

The detailed equation includes terms like:

$$uPER = \frac{1}{MP} \left[ (3P) + \frac{2}{3} (AST) + (2-FGM) + 0.5 (FTM) - VOP \cdot TO - VOP \cdot DRBP \cdot (FGA - FGM) - VOP \cdot 0.44 \cdot (FTA - FTM) + VOP \cdot (1 - DRBP) \cdot (TRB - OREB) + VOP \cdot DRBP \cdot OREB + VOP \cdot STL + VOP \cdot DRBP \cdot BLK - PF \cdot (lgFT / lgPF) \right]$$

Where:

• VOP = Value of Possession

• DRBP = Defensive Rebound %

• lgFT = League FT made

• lgPF = League Personal Fouls

Then the league average is normalized to PER = 15.0.

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Alternative: Efficiency (EFF)

The WNBA does publish a simpler version called Efficiency (EFF), often used by broadcasters and box scores:

$$\text{EFF}=(PTS+REB+AST+STL+BLK)-(FGA-FGM+FTA-FTM+TO)$$

This is not PER, but a rougher and easier-to-calculate metric of total productivity.

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Summary

Metric	Use	Pros	Cons
PER	Advanced stat sites	Adjusted for pace, team, and league	Complex and less transparent
EFF	Broadcast & WNBA.com	Easy to calculate	Doesn’t adjust for pace or context

If you're tracking player impact in the WNBA and need a balance of accuracy and clarity, EFF works for casual analysis, while PER is better for deeper insights when calculated correctly.

If you wanted to apply one to high school or youth play, the latter is much easier.

How can we "be a scientist" not a preacher as a coach? 

"Possession enders" get scores and help get stops (steals, blocks, deflections, defensive rebounds). 

Inefficiencies show up as turnovers and high volume shooting without many points. Neither Hollinger PER or WNBA "Efficiency" show up as defensive rating. 

Here's a link to the most current WNBA stats ranked by Player Efficiency. Napheesa Collier had been the league leader but A'ja Wilson has slipped ahead. Note that Angel Reese is a highly productive fifth.  

Here's a link to current WNBA defensive player ratings, sorted by those playing at least 20 minutes/game. Individual defensive ratings will depend to some extent on team defensive rating. For example, Dallas trails Indiana by 6.3 points per game so comparing individual defensive ratings might take that into account. 

Analytics don't replace the 'eyeball test'. They add to it. 

Lagniappe. Maintaining relationships with coaches and players is a blessing. 

The worst mistake a coach can make isn’t a bad substitution or drawing up the wrong play—it’s ignoring your players as people.
The game ends.
The buzzer sounds.
But the relationships? Those last forever. Invest in your team *now.* That’s the real win.

— Steve Collins (@TeachHoopsBBall) August 19, 2025

Lagniappe 2. Effort, unselfishness, body language, character...and you have to be a player... 

Geno Auriemma was asked: "What do you look for in a recruit?"

He named 4 things. They have everything to do with life - not basketball.

Simple, repeatable, and transformational.

Here's what they are and why they matter:🧵 pic.twitter.com/Gs5BvpItzp

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) August 4, 2025

Stoicism and Basketball*

*Inspired by and modified from "The Daily Stoic" 

Professional sports, teams and individuals, embrace stoicism as a high performance strategy. Stoic philosophy comes from a Greek word ‘stoa’ or porch. Stoics were the “porch guys.” 

As Coach Bob Knight said, "the mental is to the physical four to one," competitive advantage flows from mental edges. 

Two famous Stoic practitioners stood at opposite ends of the spectrum - the Emperor Marcus Aurelius and the former slave Epictetus. 

Stoicism encourages virtue - courage, wisdom, justice, and moderation. 

Basketball: Basketball virtue manifests in different ways including "competitive character." 

“Control what you can control.” Professionals control attitudes, choices, and effort. They don’t control what happens to them, but how they respond.

Basketball: When players enter the league, they commit to career development or sometimes to "The Life." It's hard to excel as a pro while burning the candle at both ends. 

“Aspire to virtue.” Marcus Aurelius had overwhelming responsibilities as emperor. He chose to focus on good character, good intentions, and good actions.” 

Basketball: Virtue shows up in work ethic, humility, and temperance.

“Self-control is a choice.” 

Basketball: In a physical sport, a narrow gap exists between stimulus (contact) and response (retaliation). 

Develop the fortress within. The Stoics called this the "inner citadel." He who is tested has the privilege of learning resilience.

Basketball: The basketball inner citadel is the metaphorical place where a player finds peace. 

“The good of the many matters.” Marcus Aurelius shared the analogy of bees. What is good for the hive is good for the bees. 

Basketball: Stoic philosophy puts the team first. 

Set our standard. “Is this what the person I’d like to be would do?” Every day provides choices.

Basketball: Our choices and our habits define our destiny. 

A personal philosophy helps people with identity and performance, who we are and what we do. 

Lagniappe: (via ChatGPT Plus)

NBA Players & Coaches with Stoic Leanings

CJ McCollum

• Context: The NBA guard CJ McCollum embraced Stoic philosophy after a teammate gifted him Ryan Holiday’s The Obstacle Is the Way.

• Impact: The book helped him find balance between his personal life and professional demands.

Brad Stevens (Coach, formerly Butler & Boston Celtics Executive)

• Approach: Known for his quiet composure on the sideline, Stevens models Stoic presence—he stays calm, focuses on what he can control (“the next play”), avoids emotional outbursts, and reinforces the “do your job” mentality of steady excellence.

Phil Jackson (Coach of Bulls & Lakers)

• Though not explicitly Stoic, Jackson is known as the “Zen Master” for his integration of Eastern philosophy. His calm, meditative approach and psychological insight share substantial overlap with Stoic values of inner control, mental discipline, and composure.

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Broader Professional Sports & Stoicism

NFL Coaches & Executives

• Bill Belichick, Michael Lombardi, and the New England Patriots staff circulated The Obstacle Is the Way during their 2014 Super Bowl run. Similarly, John Schneider and Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks passed the book around their locker room the following season.

Other Sports Figures

• LeBron James and Kobe Bryant have been associated with Stoic practices, such as visualizing outcomes (including negative ones) and focusing on process over results.

• Kawhi Leonard is often described as having a naturally stoic disposition: calm, measured, and unflappable under pressure.

Olympic Gold Medalist Speed Skater: Mark Tuitert

• Tuitert credits Marcus Aurelius’ core Stoic principle—“what stands in the way becomes the way”—for transforming his approach after burnout and multiple crises. He went on to win gold at the 2010 Winter Olympics by focusing on what he could control and letting go of outcomes.

Greg Harden (Peak Performance Coach)

• Though not Stoic in name, Harden’s mantra—“control the controllables”—echoes core Stoic teaching. He coached elite performers like Tom Brady, Michael Phelps, Desmond Howard, and NBA draft pick Nik Stauskas, helping them manage pressure and focus on internal resilience.

Lagniappe 2. Stoic principles include a bias to action. For example, Amelia Earhart became a pilot in an era with fewer opportunities for women. 

Lagniappe 3. A Stoicism infographic prepared by AI 

Basketball - Understand Military and Sports Parallels

"Never give an order that can't be enforced." - Gen. Wesley Clark in "American Military History" (The Great Courses)

Sport has war parallels, but war is deadly serious. Military experience teaches lessons about training, leadership, strategy, and operations. Preparation is paramount. Never ignore the hard-fought lessons from other domains. 

Lessons include impacts from politics, equipment needs, and leadership.

General Clark was West Point valedictorian and Rhodes Scholar earning an Oxford masters. He shared lessons he earned in class, Ranger School, and on Vietnam battlefields.

The first class discussed the rise of George Washington, an inconsistent journey, with experiences before and during the French and Indian War. He understood that North American fighting, a guerilla warfare, differed from European theaters warfare. Clark emphasized collaboration (multinational) and joint operations (land and sea).

What major parallels can coaches exploit? 

Training. An early advocate of proper treatment of his men was Russian General Alexander Suvorov. "The General Who Never Lost." An exception in his time, he treated troops well and taught, "Always forward." 

Individual and team development often define a coach.

Scouting. During General Robert E. Lee's greatest battle at Chancellorsville (VA) in 1863, he leveraged scouting to defeat Union forces despite being severely under-resourced in troops. His cavalry provided critical information about Union troop locations and movement. 

Even at lower levels, coaches can often access game video to anticipate opponent offenses and defenses, allowing strategies against top players. A coach told me that Lowell had a great point guard, the team averaging over 60 points a game in Middle School, winning by over 30 points per game. We used a modified triangle and two with a player covering her and rolling the other guard to that side to double. We lost 42-25 in a moral victory despite our top player out for the season. 

Leadership (Chain of Command and diffused). Many distinguished coaches had military background and experience. Coach Gregg Popovich coached at the Air Force Academy as did Coach Dean Smith. Coach Bob Knight coached at Army including coaching future Coach Mike Krzyzewski. Superior leadership training and experience is a proven edge. 

Basketball coaches can learn from military leaders with readings including "Extreme Ownership" by Jocko Willink. Without followers there is no leader.

Fire discipline (Rules of engagement, direct orders). In his biography, General Clark discussed the importance of fire discipline in Vietnam. Shot selection is always important in basketball. Get "more and better shots" than opponents with more shots for better scorers. 

Spacing. In jungle warfare or open ground, spacing changes with greater spacing in open areas. 

Spacing always matters in basketball. Chuck Daly famously said, "Offense is spacing and spacing is offense." 

Force multipliers. Deepseek provides a wonderful comparison between military and basketball force multipliers. 

The concept of "force multipliers" in the military refers to tools, tactics, or strategies that significantly enhance the effectiveness of a given force without necessarily increasing its size. These can include technology, training, intelligence, or even psychological tactics that allow a smaller or equal-sized force to outperform a larger or more conventionally equipped opponent.

In basketball, the same idea applies—certain strategies, skills, or adjustments can dramatically increase a team's effectiveness without requiring more talent or personnel. Here’s how military force multipliers translate to basketball:

1. Technology & Intelligence (Scouting & Analytics)

• Military: Drones, satellite imagery, and signals intelligence provide real-time battlefield awareness.

• Basketball: Advanced analytics (e.g., tracking player movement, shot selection, lineup efficiency) and film study help teams exploit opponents' weaknesses and optimize their own strategies.

2. Speed & Tempo (Pace & Transition Offense)

• Military: Blitzkrieg tactics or rapid deployment overwhelm enemies before they can react.

• Basketball: Fast-paced offenses (like the "Seven Seconds or Less" Suns or the Warriors’ transition game) force defenses into mismatches and prevent setup.

3. Specialized Roles (Elite Shooters & Defenders)

• Military: Special forces (e.g., Navy SEALs, snipers) execute high-impact missions with precision.

• Basketball: Elite 3-point shooters (e.g., Steph Curry) stretch defenses, while lockdown defenders (e.g., Draymond Green, Kawhi Leonard) disrupt opponents’ best players.

4. Deception & Misdirection (Offensive Schemes)

• Military: Feints, decoys, and misinformation confuse enemies.

• Basketball: Play-action passes, backdoor cuts, and the Princeton offense use misdirection to create open shots.

5. Leadership & Communication (Point Guards & Coaches)

• Military: Strong leadership (officers/NCOs) ensures coordination and adaptability.

• Basketball: Elite point guards (e.g., Chris Paul, Jason Kidd) and coaches (e.g., Gregg Popovich) maximize team execution under pressure.

6. Home-Court Advantage (Morale & Psychological Edge)

• Military: High troop morale and psychological dominance (e.g., shock and awe) can demoralize enemies.

• Basketball: Loud home crowds, momentum swings, and clutch performances (e.g., Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant) break opponents’ spirit.

7. Versatility (Positionless Basketball)

• Military: Modern warfare values adaptable, multi-role soldiers (e.g., Marines trained for air, land, sea).

• Basketball: Teams like the Warriors and Heat thrive with "positionless" players (e.g., LeBron, Giannis) who switch defensively and create mismatches.

Conclusion:

Just as a military force uses intelligence, speed, specialization, and psychology to amplify its effectiveness, basketball teams leverage analytics, pace, shooting, defense, and leadership to outperform opponents—even with less raw talent. The best teams, like the best militaries, don’t just rely on size or strength; they maximize every available advantage.

Lagniappe. Focus on being effective, not cool. 

Avoid the “cool guy” mistakes

•Missing lay ups because your putting something “extra” on it

•Turning it over because you don’t want to throw the simple pass

•Missing open teammates to “get yours”

•Going through the motions in warm ups to look cool in lay up lines

— Anthony Pugh (@Anthony_Pugh2) July 8, 2025

Lagniappe 2. How does time on the shot clock impact percentage?  

The CONTROLLING VARIABLES to how well a team will shoot are:

- Individual development
- Shot location
- Shot timing

Development falls under the technical side and the shot location/timing fall under both technical and tactical.

EVERY coach focuses on development, whether… pic.twitter.com/mdZeeGZUjm

— Chris Steed (@steeder10) June 10, 2025

Basketball - Underrated Emphasis, Use It Today

If it's 'underrated' then we should do more of it. 

Define Core Values

“Underrated” is always subjective. One coach may say, “That’s lower priority for us,” while another insists, “That’s a core value for us.” Both can be right—if it fits their program.

The key is to decide what your core values are and where they belong on your team’s priority list.

Program Approach

• Set daily standards

• Foster teamwork

• Build a positive culture

(Management consultant Dave Kline likens accountability to “calling your shot.”)

On-Court Standards

Offense

• Emphasize player and ball movement

• Take quality shots

• Value possessions (limit turnovers)

Defense

• Pressure and contain the ball

• Contest shots without fouling

• Control the defensive glass

Non-Negotiables

1. Teach players to make the simple play—fall in love with easy.

2. Reaffirm commitment: “That is not how we play.”

3. Eliminate the Deadly S’s—selfishness, sloth, softness.

4. Praise the praiseworthy; “sandwich” criticism inside encouragement.

5. Track shot charts and use film to show good shots.

6. Reduce the most common turnovers—pick the low-hanging fruit.

7. Simplify: trim the playbook whenever possible.

8. Reinforce positive actions with positive video.

9. Recognize unsung contributors who don’t get media “love.”

10. Give and receive feedback to stay aligned as a team.

Bonus Reminder

If you don’t have a steady inbound passer who makes good decisions and safe passes, you’ll lose close games.

Lagniappe. Quote from Austin Kleon in Steal Like an Artist. "If you’re out of ideas, wash the dishes. Take a really long walk. Stare at a spot on the wall for as long as you can. As the artist Maira Kalman says, “Avoiding work is the way to focus my mind.”" Everyone needs ways to reset, to clear the mind. 

Lagniappe 2. "Repetitions make reputations." 

Love this WORK

If you want to be great, you need to get in the gym and REP, REP, REP

(Via @GiavonniMack 🎥)

pic.twitter.com/Quz5bPtuOI

— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) July 3, 2025