Which basketball skill is hardest to acquire?

[Just2C]

shooting (free-throw or jumpshot) either you can shoot or you cant. if you cant shoot by time you go pro your in trouble.

playmaking is just instict and natural talent/ decision making

 

[R.D.]

Play making is not really a skill.

You cant just tell a player to stay in the gym late and practice his play making

 

[NothingButTheTruth]

The jumpshot IMO. Simply because technique isn't the only thing that can affect your shot. Fatigue, defense, range, and shot selection all are factors that you have to figure out in order to be a good shooter.

shooting (free-throw or jumpshot) either you can shoot or you cant. if you cant shoot by time you go pro your in trouble.

playmaking is just instict and natural talent/ decision making

Solid posts. You can tell a lot of these dudes didn't hoop at a competitive level saying shit like handle. You don't even need handle to play basketball unless you're the PG. Handle at a high level is about how you leverage your body so you get by your opponent. That's it. Everything else is some extra street ball shit.

What you need to make it to the next level is a solid jump shot. Shooting off the dribble with a hand in your face, Shooting over tall defenders, Being able to shoot set shots, Shooting off of screens, Shooting 3's (NBA 3's), free throws etc

 

[jek]

Yeah but I know a lot more people that had bad jumpers that got their j' s much more consistent and better than I knew people with no passing playmaking skills all of a sudden become Deron Williams with dime dropping on the blacktop or ymca. My shot got better just Playin wit people bigger than me that wouldn't let me get in the paint. I had to learn how to nail my J's where I was from. Maybe that's why I don't feel like learning how to shoot is that hard if you around the right personell and practice vigorously. There are not even that many play making drills you can do on your own to practice getting your passing and playmaking accurate

 

[one_manshow]

Interesting responses and discussion.....

 

[ShawnCoonery]

Solid posts. You can tell a lot of these dudes didn't hoop at a competitive level saying shit like handle. You don't even need handle to play basketball unless you're the PG. Handle at a high level is about how you leverage your body so you get by your opponent. That's it. Everything else is some extra street ball shit.

What you need to make it to the next level is a solid jump shot. Shooting off the dribble with a hand in your face, Shooting over tall defenders, Being able to shoot set shots, Shooting off of screens, Shooting 3's (NBA 3's), free throws etc

never played ball past rec league post…ball handling and passing are two of the most important skills in ball bruh…technically speaking u don't need to be able to shoot from the outside to win games

 

[jay83]

If you can acquire the skill to have this guy in your corner you will be very successful in the NBA. lol

 

[Breezy_Kilroy]

you can't really teach play making but you can teach someone to be a better PG, its usually about instinct, position, willingness, and keeping the tempo of the game. an untimely pass can mess up everything.

I would say the hardest skill to develop is dribbling and shooting form. off hand dribbling and developing range takes a quite of bit of time but it can be done. its also hard to teach technique because nobody really shoots the same. there are different mechanics but form is hard to teach if you are basing it off of a certain form.

ive always been a great shooter even when i had a horrible form, it just takes time and effort just like anything else.

been playing ball since 6th grade and as you go higher in comp passing and ball handling become more and more important.

 

[jek]

being clutch, hitting clutch shots, late game steals/blocks. clutch gene.

That's exactly what I came back to this thread to say and you beat me to it. That's definitely some have it or don't shit. It shoulda definately been a topic. I knew guys who could actually do the other stuff and could not hit a game winner to save they life. Then I played with people that sucked at like 3 or 4 of the other things but had ice water in the veins when the game is tied.

 

[playmaker88]

Shooting form is irrelevant i mean if you make shots shooting it off the back of your hand it goes in it goes in..

Clutch is intangible that leads to tangible results.. its not a skill

The most important thing to have in your arsenal is a mid range.. i dont have handle like that but i can get by.. my left isnt strong but i do certain things to where its not a hinderance..

 

[NothingButTheTruth]

Yeah but I know a lot more people that had bad jumpers that got their j' s much more consistent and better than I knew people with no passing playmaking skills all of a sudden become Deron Williams with dime dropping on the blacktop or ymca. My shot got better just Playin wit people bigger than me that wouldn't let me get in the paint. I had to learn how to nail my J's where I was from. Maybe that's why I don't feel like learning how to shoot is that hard if you around the right personell and practice vigorously. There are not even that many play making drills you can do on your own to practice getting your passing and playmaking accurate

The OP said elite level. That to me means at least D1 college basketball (not necessarily the teams you see on tv). Y'all talking from recreation leagues and shit where EVERYONE sucks. I'm talking playing against dudes who will knock down damn near every shot if you leave them open, and games where the center and power forwards are actually 6'8 and taller.

Try shooting against one of those fast dudes who's in your shirt the whole game, or one of the tall niggas who's just as fast as you. Shooting against an aggressive zone, or an elite 1v1 defender takes by far the most skill.

There's a reason why dudes with jumpers are by far the hardest people to guard. People with the street ball handle y'all talking almost ALWAYS lack a jump shot, and the playmaker needs talent around him to be effective.

never played ball past rec league post…ball handling and passing are two of the most important skills in ball bruh…technically speaking u don't need to be able to shoot from the outside to win games

Other way around. In organized leagues you don't need handle. If you're good at scoring, the coach will set up a play where you roll of a screen or step back off of a flare screen.

If someone is playing you tight, you curl off the screen, if they playing you loose you pull-up or step back with a flare screen. At the end of the day, handle isn't important UNLESS you're the point guard. Just turn your back to the opponent if they try to take the ball from you, all that hotsauce shit is not necessary.

I can see right now, you one of those dude who think crossing dudes over gets you points. Or the guys who wants to challenge everyone in a head-to-head battle. That shit will get you tore up if you play anyone with any real skill. Crossing dudes over face up only works on bums and dudes you're faster than. The higher up you go, the faster they get.

 

[ghost!]

Ball handling..

Thats probably my weakest

Defense is more of a want to and a desire.. its really not hard to do.. .. to be great at yeah.But giving an effort is easy..

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[ShawnCoonery]

The OP said elite level. That to me means at least D1 college basketball (not necessarily the teams you see on tv). Y'all talking from recreation leagues and shit where EVERYONE sucks. I'm talking playing against dudes who will knock down damn near every shot if you leave them open, and games where the center and power forwards are actually 6'8 and taller.

Try shooting against one of those fast dudes who's in your shirt the whole game, or one of the tall niggas who's just as fast as you. Shooting against an aggressive zone, or an elite 1v1 defender takes by far the most skill.

There's a reason why dudes with jumpers are by far the hardest people to guard. People with the street ball handle y'all talking almost ALWAYS lack a jump shot, and the playmaker needs talent around him to be effective.

Other way around. In organized leagues you don't need handle. If you're good at scoring, the coach will set up a play where you roll of a screen or step back off of a flare screen.

If someone is playing you tight, you curl off the screen, if they playing you loose you pull-up or step back with a flare screen. At the end of the day, handle isn't important UNLESS you're the point guard. Just turn your back to the opponent if they try to take the ball from you, all that hotsauce shit is not necessary.

I can see right now, you one of those dude who think crossing dudes over gets you points. Or the guys who wants to challenge everyone in a head-to-head battle. That shit will get you tore up if you play anyone with any real skill. Crossing dudes over face up only works on bums and dudes you're faster than. The higher up you go, the faster they get.

Bruh…u not about to win this debate…I played juco,D-1 and in some small euro and american leagues…so what u talking is nonsense cuz i can tell you've never hooped at a high level…u not about to tell me you don't need handle…again you can win a game without even shooting a single J…you tryna tell me u can win a game without being able to dribble…hell look at all the teams without shooters that win vs the team with shooters that do…I mean look at all the elite shooters with that got limited burn or got exposed because they couldn't do anything else…I'm talking bout guys that could shoot the lights out…now think of all the ones that were elite shooters and scorers in their time…they weren't elite just because they could come off the screen and shoot…which is a hard skill to learn…not because they could knock down open shots…were talking elite players D-1 and up the majority even bigs can consistently knock down open shots from range…they were great because they could create their own shots…there are way more guys that can just shoot than guys that can shoot and dribble…how many runs you've seen in your hood or open gym with guys that can't do anything but shoot…can't play D,board,handle nothing…how often did that guy unless he was a lights out shooter get skipped over for a guy with an ok J with good handles…a shooter only brings one element to a game ala JJ reddick who was a lights out guy at Duke but was exposed in the NBA for being as one dimensional as you can be he's gotten better now…but a decent ball handler can get to the rack,create pressure on the D,often pass, create serious mismatches,draw fouls,manage the game,

as for your analysis of my game you are completely wrong: in fact I'm a combo guard with an ridiculously effective mid range game…I have NBA style handle which means I don't believe in taking unnecessary dribbles…I believe that if you have the ball in your hands and you don't have a play on the D with in 3-5 dribbles then u need to give it up…I am also very good at moving without the ball coming off curls and screens in any area and knocking down the mid range J…I get to the line a lot too…I used to play above the rim a lot more but I had a complete tear of my left knee(cal,mcl,and pcl)…twice!!! still I had enough game and athleticism to land me on teams in lil bs pro leagues in the States,Mexico and various spots in Europe…I still rock the rim but Im very wary of going up in a crowded paint like I used to because of my past injuries…Im also a very good perimeter defender and I get a lot of boards for my size and position…again I hooped at a JUCO,then a mid major D-1 school and in various pro leagues…

 

[Kame]

ballhandling... always wanted to be nice at it.. shouldve worked at it more as a kid

 

[MR.CJ]

Clutch Gene

 

[justforkicks]

Defense is the hardest skill to acquire. Aint nobody in the pro's came into the league with perfect defensive skill or even close to it. You see shooters, ball handlers, and big men post up dudes but you hardly see someone enter the pros with a defensive background. Which leads me to think that defense would be the hardest skill to acquire.

 

[NothingButTheTruth]

u not about to tell me you don't need handle…again you can win a game without even shooting a single J…you tryna tell me u can win a game without being able to dribble…hell look at all the teams without shooters that win vs the team with shooters that do…I mean look at all the elite shooters with that got limited burn or got exposed because they couldn't do anything else…I'm talking bout guys that could shoot the lights out…now think of all the ones that were elite shooters and scorers in their time…they weren't elite just because they could come off the screen and shoot…which is a hard skill to learn…not because they could knock down open shots…were talking elite players D-1 and up the majority even bigs can consistently knock down open shots from range…they were great because they could create their own shots…there are way more guys that can just shoot than guys that can shoot and dribble…how many runs you've seen in your hood or open gym with guys that can't do anything but shoot…can't play D,board,handle nothing…how often did that guy unless he was a lights out shooter get skipped over for a guy with an ok J with good handles…a shooter only brings one element to a game ala JJ reddick who was a lights out guy at Duke but was exposed in the NBA for being as one dimensional as you can be he's gotten better now…but a decent ball handler can get to the rack,create pressure on the D,often pass, create serious mismatches,draw fouls,manage the game,

as for your analysis of my game you are completely wrong: in fact I'm a combo guard with an ridiculously effective mid range game…I have NBA style handle which means I don't believe in taking unnecessary dribbles…I believe that if you have the ball in your hands and you don't have a play on the D with in 3-5 dribbles then u need to give it up…I am also very good at moving without the ball coming off curls and screens in any area and knocking down the mid range J…I get to the line a lot too…I used to play above the rim a lot more but I had a complete tear of my left knee(cal,mcl,and pcl)…twice!!! still I had enough game and athleticism to land me on teams in lil bs pro leagues in the States,Mexico and various spots in Europe…I still rock the rim but Im very wary of going up in a crowded paint like I used to because of my past injuries…Im also a very good perimeter defender and I get a lot of boards for my size and position…again I hooped at a JUCO,then a mid major D-1 school and in various pro leagues…

All you're doing is taking everything to the extreme. Just because someone has a jumper doesn't mean they lack handle, defense etc.

Fact is developing a pure jump shot is the hardest skill. I'm from NY, and I can't tell you how many dudes have elite handle, great play making skills, but no jumper. Actually, yes I can. ALL OF THEM! I've only met a few dudes who had real jumpers and they're in the league right now.

Look at all the wack dudes in the league who are there just because they have jumpers via Jason Kapono, Daniel Gibson, JJ Reddick, Adam Morrison etc. That shows you that a jumper is the most important and hardest skill to learn. Nobody picks you on an NBA team because you have elite handle and passing ability. If that was the case, half of the dudes on AND1 would be in the league

Regarding your style of play, I guarantee you if you had a lights out jumper, you would have made the league.

ballhandling... always wanted to be nice at it.. shouldve worked at it more as a kid

If you want handle just dribble around the block with your head up, and practice a couple of go-to-moves. Shit is not hard at all.

 

[ShawnCoonery]

All you're doing is taking everything to the extreme. Just because someone has a jumper doesn't mean they lack handle, defense etc.

Fact is developing a pure jump shot is the hardest skill. I'm from NY, and I can't tell you how many dudes have elite handle, great play making skills, but no jumper. Actually, yes I can. ALL OF THEM! I've only met a few dudes who had real jumpers and they're in the league right now.

Look at all the wack dudes in the league who are there just because they have jumpers via Jason Kapono, Daniel Gibson, JJ Reddick, Adam Morrison etc. That shows you that a jumper is the most important and hardest skill to learn. Nobody picks you on an NBA team because you have elite handle and passing ability. If that was the case, half of the dudes on AND1 would be in the league

Regarding your style of play, I guarantee you if you had a lights out jumper, you would have made the league.

If you want handle just dribble around the block with your head up, and practice a couple of go-to-moves. Shit is not hard at all.

The fact that u said the bolded and think that AND1 cats have elite handles makes your entire argument null and void…lol@ that self ether

lmao niggas don't make the league because of handles and passing…word to Mugsy Bouges,Terrell Brandon and Mark Jackson to name a few

regarding my game…u missed the fact that I said I was damaged goods and the fact that I have actually played in various pro leagues making decent money for a 29yr old undersized sg/pg with bad knees...I actually turned down an offer this yr to play in Europe for a lil over 12k a month plus living stipend…FOH keep commenting on other niggaz u thought had game cuz they fried u but really didn't…ole this nigga from the hood got game ass niggaz lol

 

[playmaker88]

Co-sign like a motherfucker on that all you need is 3-5 dribbles otherwise you are doing to much and making it easy on the defense.. because please believe at least two niggas are gonna be standing around lookin at you like give me the fuckin ball.. word to one of those niggas being me

 

[ShawnCoonery]

Co-sign like a motherfucker on that all you need is 3-5 dribbles otherwise you are doing to much and making it easy on the defense.. because please believe at least two niggas are gonna be standing around lookin at you like give me the fuckin ball.. word to one of those niggas being me

and I'm going to be the other one