How To Become An ELITE 3 and D Player (The Most Valuable Player In Basketball)

Being an elite 3 and D player is one of the most valuable roles in the game of basketball. A lot of times when we think about great teams, we think about these star players who are scoring 30 points per game and do everything on the court. But generally the best teams also have Multiple high level 3 and D players. The reason for that is because basketball is not just highlights. In fact, most of it is very simple and repeatable. If you can make perimeter shots and get stops on defense, you're going to be inherently valuable to a team that's trying to win. And players who positively affect winning get more playing time, get more opportunities, and ultimately get paid. In this video, we'll go through exactly how you can become an elite 3 and D player so that you can become that player that helps your team win. Let's get into it. So let's talk about the first part of being an elite 3 and E player that's being able to shoot the ball. Obviously being able to make shots is a very important part of the game of basketball, but it's a little bit deeper than that. As a 3D player, your main job on offense is to space the floor for your teammates. And if you're a great shooter, you require gravity, meaning defenders are drawn towards you and away from your teammates, which is going to open up more for them. That might free up opportunities inside for the bigs on your team or could open up more drive opportunities for your teammates because there's going to be less help and there's going to be help that's more likely to be out of position more often. So obviously the actual ability to make those outside shots is important for scoring points for your team, but it's also about the defense having respect for you and having to worry about you, which is going to make it easier for the rest of your team teammates to score as well. Right now I'm going to show you an example of just how powerful this gravity can be and why being a great shooter can make life so much easier for your teammates. So this is my younger brother who plays the University of Scranton and is one of the best 3 and D players in the country at the Division 3 level. As a sophomore, he shot 45 from 3 on the best 3 point shooting team in the country. And this year through six conference games, he's shooting over 48 from three. They use him in a lot of ball screens because of his ability to pick and pop. And we can see in these clips right here that he'll hit these shots if he's open and when you hit those enough, teams start to adjust to it. So this team decided that they weren't going to leave him at all in any ball swing situations, which meant that there was no hedgehelp and the ball handler was able to get themselves one on one to the rim. Here we see a similar concept where that hedge defender doesn't even step out to try and hedge as he stays with him, which allows a straight line drive for that ball handler foreign. So those two clips show us truly just how powerful gravity as a shooter can be and why being a great 3 and D player will make your teammates better. So now let's talk about what it actually takes to become an elite level shooter. The number one requirement to be a great shooter is having the ability to make shots regardless of the situation. Anybody can stand in an empty gym and make the same shot over and over and over again, but when you get to a game and each shot is going to be different, the passing angle is different, the direction that you're going is different, your momentum is different, the action you're shooting out of is different. And on top of that, if you're a great shooter, the other team is probably game planning to take away those shots from you. And you need to be able to make it regardless if you want to be considered a great shooter. So becoming a great shot maker means training to make the next shot, regardless of whether that shot comes off of backpedal or a slide or a bad pass or there's a contest or you don't catch the ball cleanly or your footwork's a little bit off. By adding these things into our training, we develop the ability to make the next shot. And ultimately, being a great shooter means being able to make the next shot regardless of what could be off or what difficulties could arise. At the end of the day, great shooters get the job done. So you got to prepare yourself to be able to do that. I'll link a shooting workout above that you're going to want to check out if you want to develop this ability. But it's super important that this is what our focus is when it comes to becoming a great shooter. Probably the most important type of three that you need to be able to hit is off of a driving kick. So your teammate drives, draws in help you. Being able to space the floor by making the defense pay for helping in is one of the most vital things that a 3 and D player can do. And really we could make it a little broader by saying inside out threes. So if that ball Gets to a big and they collapse on that big. Them being able to kick the ball out to you and you being able to knock down that three. Another super important shot to be able to hit is the extra pass 3 or in general, just a pass coming from more of a side angle. Now, these type of shots happen a lot and they're different from a driving kick because there's an added level of turning that you have to do to get into your shot. But a lot of players don't really work on this and so they struggle to hit them in game. So it's important that you work on these if you're trying to become a great in game shooter. The other category of shots we'll talk about are shots coming off of different actions. So right here we see Cam Johnson hitting shots coming off of pin downs or down screens. And this is an action that every great shooter should be able to hit out of. And then right here we see Derrick White hitting shots coming off of this flare action. So now momentum is a little bit different and there's more of a slide or a backpedal involved. It's a little bit different and it's why it's important that you train out of this action as well. Now let's talk the defensive side of things. There's four things that really go into being an elite defender. The first thing is your understanding and knowledge of the game plan and the matchups in the game. We can watch Royce o' Neal defending James Harden as an example here. He's really sitting on that left hand because he knows that James Harden loves to drive to his left and he actually gets beat early on here to the left. And Harden's able to throw the lob for the finish. Right here we can see the adjustment. He really sits to try and force James Harden to his right, which he's able to do. Obviously, when you're playing against great scorers, sometimes they're going to score regardless of how you play them. But he makes it much more difficult and takes away that first option. Right here we see it again. He's able to sit, take away that left hand drive and force a drive to the right. Now Harden gets himself an open step back here, but again we're taking away the first option, forcing him to go to the secondary option, which is usually going to lead to better success as a defender. And then in this last clip here, we really see it all culminate into exactly what we want, which is to turnover. He's again able to sit on that left hand Drive, cut him off and force him back towards that right. And because he's got help in the paint and that defense is loaded up, they're able to get the turnover. Another huge part of being a great defender is having great instincts and anticipation. This a lot of times presents itself as just having a knack for getting a hand on the basketball or getting steals in general. But it can also present itself as the ability to take charges and just be in the right spot, be able to cut off the offensive player because you're able to anticipate and you have good instincts about what's going to happen. And the best way to develop this ability is by playing more and getting those mental reps as much as possible and, and also going back to that first point, understanding the game plan in the matchup and the tendencies of the players that you're going against. The third aspect of being a great defender is being a great communicator. Great defenders are constantly talking and constantly communicating with their teammates. And this isn't just to talk. It's because when you're able to see some of your teammate may not see like a screen coming or you being in their help, you're able to make them better. And like we talked about, when it comes to the offensive side of the floor, great 3 and D players are out there to make their teammates better. And communication does that on defense. And the fourth part of being a great defender, and probably the most important part is just your want to. The best defenders are great because nothing matters more to them than getting that stop. The only thing that they care about in the moment is doing their job and winning that possession. If you aren't willing to do whatever it takes and give as much effort as possible to win that possession defensively, then you're never going to be a great 3 and D player. So you have to make a choice every time that you're on defense, that you're going to win that possession by any means necessary and nothing can matter more to you than that. So diving after loose balls or sprinting back on defense to protect the rim, those are things that come down to how bad you want to be great on defense. And the players who truly want it are the players who end up being great on that end of the floor. Make sure you click the top link in my description below to get my free elite perimeter scorer program that'll help you take your game to the next level. I appreciate you for watching. Drop a like and subscribe. If you're new, I'll talk to you soon peace.