Wednesday, October 1, 2025

Basketball - "Figure it Out"

Basketball is problem solving. Gregg Popovich puts it bluntly: “Figure it out.” But writer Anne Lamott cautions, “Figure it out is a bad slogan.”

Both can be true. Experienced players solve problems that younger players cannot. The latter need patience, mentoring, and tools that don’t come naturally.

Coach Dave Smart argues that good teams excel in three areas: transition defense, half-court execution, and pick-and-roll offense and defense. None come naturally; all require deliberate teaching and relentless repetition.

That’s why players need a framework—this is how we do it—and the practice time to transform knowledge into competence. When execution falters, the cause could be players, coaching, scheme, or some combination. As Bill Parcells put it, “You are what your record says you are.”

Perspective complicates the picture. Former England cricket selector Ed Smith reconciled the inside view of those closest to the action and the outside view of observers with distance. Both perspectives hold value, but both are vulnerable to self-serving bias.

So, like “figure it out,” perspective depends on viewpoint. The Houston Rockets’ gamble on Kevin Durant adds an Old Hand for a short-term push while Phoenix’s side of the trade signals commitment to a full rebuild. Each decision makes sense—depending on the lens you use.

Lagniappe. Are you taking the temperature of the room or setting it? 

Lagniappe 2. Hard conversations are a skill. 

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