Basketball - "W's" That Can Elevate Our Performance

Coaches often get better not by finding better answers, but by asking better questions.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help our self-reflection. AI can be conversational, critical, or complementary. It often gives us what we ask for. The quality of the answers depends on the quality of the questions. Here are some "W's." 

Worth

Where's the added value?

• Which drills, meetings, traditions, or routines would players miss if they disappeared tomorrow?
• What are we doing because it creates results versus what are we doing because "that's how we've always done it?"
• Which 20% of our practice plan produces 80% of our improvement?
• Are we spending our limited time on activities that transfer to games?

Example: Our players enjoyed end of practice "specials," three possession games that began with ATOs, BOB, SLOB, or free throws. That created material edge in close games. 

Wonder

What's new, different, and possible?

• What would our program look like if we were building it from scratch today?
• What is one idea from another sport that could improve our team?
• If we had no budget, what could we do? If we had unlimited resources, what would we do differently?
• What assumptions about player development deserve to be challenged?

Example: Team reading and discussion illuminates the principles great coaches apply. Anson Dorrance's "Vision of a Champion" is one such example. His "competitive cauldron" with daily performance scoring is too much for young players. 

Weaknesses

Everyone has blind spots. What are ours?

• Are we overcoaching strengths while neglecting weaknesses?
• What do opposing coaches see that we don't?
• Which recurring mistake keeps showing up in games despite our practices?
• Where does our culture say one thing but our behavior say another?

Example: Basketball is widely overcoached. When coaching creates too much structure, creativity can suffer. I see some teams that literally never use hard-to-defend actions like pick-and-roll, complex screening (e.g. Iverson action, screen-the-screener, Spain PnR). 

Be hard to play against and easy to play with.

Wrong

Where am I mistaken, ill-informed, or just wrong?

• Which strongly held belief would hurt us if it turned out to be false?
• What evidence would cause us to change our minds?
• Have we confused tradition with truth?
• Are we evaluating decisions by outcomes rather than by the quality of the decision itself?

Example: Some coaches don't play young players, even in 'garbage time' when games are out of reach. Then they complain about player development. 

Worry

What should we worry about? Are there pitfalls or obstacles that we haven't seen?

• What problem is small today but could become significant if ignored?
• Where are we vulnerable to injury, complacency, or entitlement?
• Are we preparing players for adversity or merely hoping adversity doesn't arrive?
• What could derail our season that is currently outside our attention?

Example: Assess the 'competitive health' of our teams. Are we working them too hard or not hard enough? A day off might be in order. Do we have to worry about player behavior off the court? 

Wisdom

What truths endure?

• What lesson from great coaches still works today?
• Which principles remain true regardless of talent, trends, or technology?
• What would Coach Dean Smith, John Wooden, or Gregg Popovich recognize immediately about our program?

That final "W" counterbalances "Wonder." Wonder searches for what is new; Wisdom preserves the timeless. 

Example: Coach Ellis Lane drilled "the ball is gold" into us. Turnovers kill dreams. Taking care of the basketball is a skill. 

Lagniappe. Investment guru Howard Marks marveled that AI could have a sense of humor. When he asked Claude.ai for 'critical' feedback, it started by asking "critical or hypocritical." 

Mike Neighbors shares critical wisdom. 

Want to learn how to dominate the court with a lightning-fast offense? Watch Coach Mike Neighbors break down his revolutionary "Functionally Fast" transition offense.

0:00 What it means to play Functionally Fast
0:52 Player Positions for Functionally Fast
1:30 Position: Locks… pic.twitter.com/NRUlwFYctg

— Coach Tony Miller (@tonywmiller) June 8, 2026