How Difficult is it to Become a Great Player?

I get lots of people asking me the following types of questions: "What's the easiest way for me to increase my scoring average?", or "How can I quickly improve my game and get into the starting lineup?"

Here's the reality check: nothing is easy, and rarely does success happen quickly.

I'm sure you already know that, but it can't help to be reminded of the hard work and dedication it takes to really become a great basketball player.

But that's OK, right? Because if you love the game, you don't mind putting in hour after hour of practice to improve as a player.

I've heard that during the off-season, Kobe Bryant sometimes works out 6 or 8 hours a day. Now that's extreme (and I don't recommend anyone spend that much time working out), but it shows the dedication and hard work he puts into staying at the top of his game.

A lot of people see Kobe scoring 30 or 35 points a game and say, "Well, of course he scores a lot of points, he's Kobe Bryant." But the reason he scores a lot of points isn't because he has the name "Bryant" on the back of his jersey, it's because he works hard to be a good player. If he didn't work hard to be a great player, and if he didn't have the drive he does, Kobe Bryant wouldn't be the star he is today, he'd be just another NBA player averaging 10 or 12 points a game. The same goes for Lebron, D. Wade, and everyone else in the NBA.

During the off-seasons when I was playing college and pro ball, I would do strength training in the morning for an hour or two, work on my jump shot, offensive moves, and ball handling for another hour or two in the afternoon, and then do agility training in the evenings.

Of course, you can't do all of these things every day of the week (you have to give your body time to recover after strength training and agility work), but you get the idea. It takes dedication, hard work, and a fire to improve as a player to really get to the top of your game.

Work hard every day to get a little bit better, and in time, you'll become a better player. But you have to be willing to put in the "work" and the "time" to make it happen.

In addition to working hard, you have to learn the right moves, techniques, and all the tricks that veteran players know from years of playing the game.

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