Dynamic Coaching Tools is a company that focuses on serving coaches, in a way that empowers them to better serve their athletes. We take great pride in helping coaches improve, develop, and thrive in today’s competitive coaching landscape.
“A good coach can change a game. A great coach can change a life.”
– John Wooden
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Control the Controllables | Draymond Green
There is no doubt that Draymond Green has played a critical role in the Golden State Warriors’ NBA Championships. He is a versatile player, who provides a level of toughness that compliments the Warriors’ explosive offensive attack. The one constant criticism of Draymond Green has been his emotional instability. A lot of people think of scenes like the one below, when they think of Draymond Green.
Draymond got a technical after disagreeing with this foul call: pic.twitter.com/MYxukvrAoQ
— ESPN (@espn) April 28, 2019
In Game 5, of the second round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs, the Warriors seemed to be in serious trouble. Kevin Durant hurt his calf, and was expected to miss some serious time. Despite this set back, the Warriors responded by winning back-to-back games to eliminate the Houston Rockets, and took a commanding 3-0 lead over the Portland Trailblazers. During these games, Draymond Green has played some of his best basketball.
This is the Draymond from the 25-game winning streak 3 years ago… just incredible. Didn’t think he could get to this level anymore.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) May 19, 2019
One of the obvious adjustments that Draymond Green has made, other than increasing his aggressiveness offensively, has been his mental approach. After winning Game 3, Draymond talked about it.
Draymond’s playing with a different energy.
“I had got to the point where I was doing more crying than playing.” pic.twitter.com/4pOTg85bmk
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 19, 2019
Draymond Green has clearly taken a “control the controllables” approach to his game. Instead of majoring in the minor, he is choosing to focus his energy on helping his team win. This was most clear when he put his leadership on display, following a Jordan Bell missed dunk.
With Draymond Green’s focus being on winning 🏀 games, it allows him to provide mental stability and confidence to his teammates.
This is great leadership! #Leadership#GrowTheGame🏀 pic.twitter.com/x2w1c35bNt— Doug Brotherton (@CoachBrotherton) May 19, 2019
In the post game, Draymond Green also displayed the importance of allowing other people to strengthen the influence of a leader. In this case, it was a message from the Warriors’ video coordinator. As the tweet below states, every person around a team has an impact on the group’s culture. The best cultures are “exclusively inclusive.” What that phrase means, is that each person must demonstrate the standards that are required to be a part of the team. Once they do that, then they deserve to have their voice respected, which allows the group to perform at their best.
Great Leaders 👀 what is going on around them, and 👂 what others have to 🗣. They encourage other voices, to strengthen their influence!
Every person around a team has an impact on a culture. The best cultures are “exclusively inclusive.”#CultureWins#GrowTheGame🏀 pic.twitter.com/rAoBtobi4I
— Doug Brotherton (@CoachBrotherton) May 19, 2019
With Draymond Green demonstrating his ability to block out the distractions, and “control the controllables,” the Warriors are going to be tough to beat. This is a lesson that can be used with any team, as there is no escaping the threat of outside noise. Look for Draymond Green to continue to play at an elite level, as long as he can maintain this focused mentality.
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TELLING vs TEACHING | Being a Great Teammate
We all want our players to be great teammates. We are constantly telling our players to put the team first, but are we intentional about teaching players how to do it? If you are teaching players how to be a great teammate, then it should be explained, players should learn how it sounds, as well as what it looks like to put the team first. Below are five steps to create great teammates in your program.
EXPLAIN WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A GOOD TEAMMATE
If this is important to your program, then it needs to be outlined within your core values. For example, two of our core values connect to being a great teammate. The first is RELATIONSHIPS. We talk about what it means to develop relationships and how it connects everyone within our program. The second is SERVANT LEADERSHIP. The purpose is to seek ways to serve others, which includes our teammates. By connecting being a great teammate to two of our core values, it empowers the fact that being a great teammate is more than an expectation. It is who we are and what we do.
TEACH PLAYERS WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE TO BE A GREAT TEAMMATE
One of our favorite activities to do is the “Rock, Paper, Scissors Challenge.” In this activity, players do a best of three series of the game Rock, Paper, Scissors. The winner finds another teammate to play against. The loser becomes a “HYPE GUY” for the winner. You continue this until you have two players remaining in the Championship. At that point, they have a team of “HYPE GUYS” behind them. It creates a fun environment. At the conclusion of the Championship, we let our players know that we expect our bench to be full of “HYPE GUYS.” Now that we have taught our players what it sounds like to be a great teammate, it can be an expectation for the players.
Is your bench quiet/lacks enthusiasm? Stop complaing & TEACH THEM!
Great Exercise: You lose = cheer for teammate who beat you.#CultureWins pic.twitter.com/M0GBsQJaWE
— Doug Brotherton (@CoachBrotherton) June 10, 2017
TEACH PLAYERS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE TO BE A GREAT TEAMMATE
Similar to teaching players what it sounds like to be a great teammate, this lesson allows us to hold players accountable. The best tool for teaching players what it looks like to be a great teammate is film. We will use clips from other teams at the beginning of the season. As the season continues, we will use clips of our own team. It could be all four players sprinting to help up a teammate who has gotten on the floor. It might be our bench celebrating a positive play. It could be a teammate giving positive reinforcement to a frustrated teammate. Too many coaches want to point out the negative behavior on the bench. While this is a form of accountability, it is also highlighting the behavior that we do not want. It can be much more powerful to show positive examples, and then find a way to reward that behavior. Another way to teach players what it looks like to be a great teammate is to meet them on their level. In this case, we are talking about social media. A tweet or instagram post that promotes being a good teammate will reach some of your players better than a lecture. A social media post is a great way to utilize messaging that players want to absorb.
A senior captain giving an hour of her free time to tutor/help a teammate! #Leadership #Proud #LadyVikingsHoops pic.twitter.com/080zXPk6j3
— Doug Brotherton (@CoachBrotherton) November 18, 2014
SHARPEN THE SWORD
Like a fundamental skill, being a great teammate requires repetition. If you want your players to be great teammates, you must continue to “sharpen the sword,” to avoid the message becoming dull. Like any fundamental skill that we teach, you should be constantly looking for positive examples to reinforce your expectations.
ACCOUNTABILITY
After you have taken the steps to teach and reinforce the expectations of being a great teammate, it is time to hold your players accountable. One common mistake is that coaches hold their bench players more accountable for this behavior. While all players must be held accountable, your best players must be held to the highest standard. This will resonate with your players and it highlights the importance of being a great teammate.
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New Year: Is your team ready to win?
As the calendar turns over, basketball coaches begin conference play, and hope to have the answer to how their team can win. Through the experiences gained from October to December, most teams have had an opportunity to be challenged, learn from adversity, and establish an identity. Below are three questions that you had better know the answer to, if you want a chance to win your league:
✔ What does your team do better than anyone else in your league?
✔ What is your team’s biggest weakness, and how can you help your team overcome it?
✔ Do your players know and accept their roles?
These three questions are guiding thoughts, which will give your team a chance to play their best basketball. We hope this helps your coaching staff evaluate where your team is at, as you prepare for the most important stretch of the season.
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