How To Be A Good Basketball Team Player

Last Updated on June 12, 2021 by

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If your teammate with whom you’re competing for a spot in your basketball team achieves something great, do you cheer for him? Are you happy for him or jealous? Are you frustrated? When did the last time you congratulate him after finishing a match? What is the feeling you have inside for him right now at this moment? And lastly, how to be a good basketball team player?

Well, let me remind you one thing. If you have a team with an unselfish group of players who support each other, you will usually perform better than a group of individuals that hardly plays as a team. Irrespective of the sport you play, the best teams are made up of those who collaborate and are happy to make sacrifices. You will only get more out of your life when you become selfless and put others before your own needs.

This is strongly believed in basketball that you need to promote teamwork to win games. This is why, in addition to working on developing individual skills you must be able to work with your teammates and learn how to play as a team. This is easier said than done. Both you and your teammates need to cooperate and do a lot of things if you want to win games.

If you’re looking for ways to be a good basketball team player then here are a few tips for you that you can apply. These tips will help you to shift into a mindset that might be needed to develop your character. It’s not that difficult to become a better person for guys around you. All you just require is to try these simple ways to be a better teammate and stick to them.

#1. Get Introduced

The first thing to be done to form a team is to gather everyone and introduce yourself to all and then let the rest of the team introduce themselves.

You can start by telling them about your experience in basketball, for how many years you have been playing, in which teams you have played earlier, your hometown etc. this will help you to find similarities among each other and make friends quickly.

#2. Team First Attitude

A self-obsessed player calculates only how many points he scores or the number of times he blocks the opponent’s offense. He is only concerned with the aspects of the game that affect his gameplay. He seldom cares about the team whereas a good team player understands his role.

A perfect team man puts his team first. Irrespective of the individual role he plays on the court, he helps everyone regarding their game. He does everything to help the team to be successful. Yeah, this is not certainly easy to do, but a great teammate must find a way to put the team success above his own supremacy.

If you’re not sure about what type of player you really are, ask yourself this question: What if my team loses even after performing brilliantly? Would I be a happier person? Hope, you got your answer.

#3. Work Hard & Be Purposeful

A great teammate gives relentless effort behind his game. Your coach doesn’t need to force or give you instructions here. This has to come from your inside.

There will be certain things happening on the basketball court that you can’t control. But you can certainly control how well you prepare yourself before the game. You can only get better by giving an extra effort than yesterday. This not only just bodes well with your game but also pushes your teammates to give their best.

So, when you go to gym, try to take a teammate or two with you.

#4. Thrive for Excellency and Encourage Other

A good player never stops learning new tricks which can improve his game. They keep on working to enhance their skills and never feel tired. Not everyone on your team will be inclined to toil hard, and some of them may just need a little bit of encouragement to improve their game. So, your dedication should encourage teammates to spend more time developing their skills.

Just see when you’re practicing how many teammates start to join you. By working together a special bond will be created within the team.

#5. Sacrifice for Your Team

It does not really matter what sport you play, you may require to make some sacrifices to help your team to win in a certain situation of the game. It may be little things that can go unnoticed. They don’t demand any medal or reward for that. They are just happy to contribute.

Remember not everyone can be the hero all the time. You can’t score everytime. Make room for your teammates to score. You should have players on the team who are ready to make sacrifices for the team. For e.g make a block to help your teammate to score.

#6. Honesty

All great relationships are built on honesty. You should stay true to your words and promises that you have given to your coach and teammates. Because they also need to know that they can trust you during the highs and lows of a season.

#7. Be Humble Always

Stay humble and keep your feet on the ground. You may be the superstar of your team, a key player, but the team comes first. So keep your individual achievements aside because your team is the first priority. Praise your teammates. Teams do succeed only when none cares about who gets the appreciation.

#8. Make Everyone Efficient

Set high standards both for yourself and your teammates. If your teammate isn’t giving his 100% or not fulfilling his duties properly, then talk to him. Find out where his problem is and get them back on track.

You can’t be afraid of confrontation. Work out a strategy that may help him to get back to the rhythm. Be the player who reaches out to help everyone in the team. Keep in mind that you can’t accept a negative reaction from your teammates.

#9. Be Optimistic

Even if the team is not doing well, don’t just complain blindly. You should find out what has gone wrong. At the same time, look for the positives in those hard times.

#10. Have Mutual Respect

Be polite and respect your coaches, teammates—no matter whatever their background is never say a rude word to them. Encourage and cheer on your teammates. Create a healthy team culture.

#11. A True Leader

“I am not the best player in the team. So, how can I be the leader?” well, if you’re thinking that way, then let me tell you that you don’t have to be the best one on your team to be the leader. You don’t even need to be a vocal leader.

Turn up into the practice early, challenge teammates, bring some energy, talk about different techniques and aspects of your game etc.

#12. Buoyant

If your team loses a game, don’t lose your heart. Use this loss as an opportunity to achieve greater things in future. Think about what is the solution and how you all can go through this tougher period.

Mental toughness is so crucial here. Your ability bounce to back quickly can influence the whole team. You can see how much difference a positive mindset of a player can do. Be the resilient one.

#13. Your Family

So much up and down can happen in a season. Support your teammates and build up a close relationship with them. While you’re with them try to enjoy every moment of it. It can make a huge difference between success and suffering.

#14. Take Responsibility

You are the representative of your team. So, you should take responsibility for your actions and behaviour all the time.

#15. Applaud Your Teammates

Supporting each other and promoting teamwork is key factor to success.

#16. Sideline Support

Even if you’re on the bench, you should support and cheer for your teammates who are playing on the court. As a result, they will feel encourage and push themselves a bit more. It can have a huge impact if the current match situation is not in your favour. It keeps the moral of the team high and shows a strong bond among the players.

#17. Cheer For Your Teammates

If they make a good play, cheer for them. Even if they are not playing well, show a positive attitude and encourage them to play better. Thus it will create a supportive, positive team culture. Create your own cheer or ask for support from cheerleaders or fans.

#18. Rotating Captains

This is for your coach. If you want to promote good teamwork among players, what is the point of having one captain throughout the season. Keep at least 3 to 4 captains and rotate them depending on the opposition.

#19. Parents and Support

Tell your players to convince their parents to come and watch them play. If they know their parents are watching them, they will be extra motivated and try their best to play as a team.

Pro Tips:

1. If there is a challenge before you, feel grateful that you’re having an opportunity to test your techniques and skills. Show up in practices everyday. Feel grateful that you are part of the team. Keep good relationships with your coach, teammates and everybody else around your team.

2. Keep in mind that action speaks louder than words. So, focus on efforts to become a better basketball player instead of passing the time in gossips. Chances of creating good impression- gone.

3. You should be able to communicate with each other and therefore must have a growth mindset. Your primary goal is to get better and better. If you have any wrong technique in your game, talk to your coach and teammates.

Accept the criticism and show them you are not insecure about your position. Display the hunger to learn from your mistakes and encourage teammates to do the same.

4. You can’t make excuses for poor play. Sometimes you play well, sometimes you don’t. it can happen time to time and coach understands it. But you can’t complain saying that you were tired etc etc. You can’t make it a habit all the time. It can send a wrong message to the rest of the team. Instead work hard to set yourself up for the bigger prize.

5. Never talk bad about teammates or coaches outside the team environment. I repeat never say never.

6. Last but not the least rule to become a good teammate is you can’t point the finger towards anyone. Many things can go wrong in a season but don’t blame one another. Win and loss are the part and parcel of a game. Mistakes are inevitable and after all we all are human. It is important to learn to stick together through tough times and pick each other up.

A good team player always stays positive and this might be just enough to infect the encouragement among the rest of the team.

Basketball Teamwork- How much important is it?

Teamwork allows a team to function together. What does come to your mind when you talk about teamwork? A group works together to achieve a common goal. You may have individuals with some extraordinary skills. But they think of themselves as superstars and dismiss the thought of working together as a team. They think that it won’t come to any good in their game.

But there are individuals who are not that great compared to their counterparts but functions really well as a team. They are destined to achieve greatness in the long run.

So, superstar players who don’t like the idea of playing together shall end up loosing to much inferior teams that play together to cover each other’s shortcomings. Now imagine some great individuals are working together. If that doesn’t make that core group of players world beaters, then what will?

The basketball game is a team sport. This is not a one man show. So, team work plays a major role here. If a player of high quality instead of passing the ball to his open teammate chooses to go all by alone then he certainly doesn’t fill the first criteria to become a good basketball team player. These selfish type of play can bring some wins for the team here and there but will never be able to bring a title for the home crowd.

You need to confuse your opponents whether it is in defense or offense doesn’t matter. If the defense knows from where your shots are coming into and which player takes the shot, that’s a pure disadvantage for your team. Then they will just concentrate to stop the scorer.

A good teammate often attracts defenders towards him and the pass the ball to an open teammate. If he is selfish, he won’t pass the ball. As a result, your team may lose possession number of times.

In terms of defense, a good basketball team player doesn’t just stick to his own position. He steps out to lay a helping hand to his teammates. Often he runs after the offense to block their shot. Selfish players won’t step out to provide a second line of defense to their team. As a result, it can cost your team the match.

If players have practiced well enough, they should know inside and outside of each other’s game. They must be in tune with each other and should be able to move selflessly on the floor. They don’t need to tell each other what to do and when. They simply look at the situation of the game, then make a decision and move to cover each other.

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