Moving Off the Ball

"Red [Auerbach] taught me to watch players off the ball, to observe what they do when they’re not getting the credit and the glory."

          - Legend John Thompson, former Georgetown men’s basketball coach, in his autobiography I Came As A Shadow (p.120).

Moving without the ball.

John Thompson was talking about basketball: coaching his current players and deciding who to recruit for next year.

You really want to know who a player is, and how much they will help your team? Watch what they do when they’re away from the ball.  Everyone puts their best foot forward when they’re near the ball.  All the attention is on them.  They want to hit a big shot or make a steal.  But how do they behave when the ball is on the other side of the court?   Do they take it easy and catch their breath?  Do they go through the motions, waiting for excitement to come back around?  Or do they work just as hard, doing the essential but less glamorous job that needs to be done?  On defense, this means doggedly marking their player and being ready to switch if needed.  When their own team has the ball, it means moving relentlessly to get open for a pass, or setting a pick to free up a teammate.

The same dynamic is at work in the rest of life:

Of course you try hard when it’s time to give the presentation. How do you work when the deadline is weeks away or the boss is out of town?

When you visit a customer or client, do you treat all employees with respect and dignity, or just the decision maker?

As a parent do you cultivate a deep curiosity in your child’s interests, or just show up when it’s time for the performance or big game?

This isn’t a moral argument.  It’s a team argument.  Teams, families and communities do better when their members give their best both on and off the ball.  

What kind of player do you want to be?  If you were picking a team, would you pick yourself?