Are Basketball Players Smart?

It is true that you will find many basketball players both amateur and pro who are known for excelling in academics. However, a player will need to have unparalleled basketball IQ if he can be called a smart player. So, to answer the question – are basketball players smart, we would like to mention that, yes a basketball player will be measured as smart if he is a capable basketball player. There are many basketball players who are considered smart and they often tend to go the extra mile to win big for their team. Next, we will go over the components of building a high basketball IQ which will shade more light onto the question. So, read on to know more.

Educational achievments

When we focus on NBA players` educational achievements, we can find players on both ends of the scale. Some hardly finished school while others managed to get some very nice degrees out of their academic years. Here is a nice video featuring some of the more successful players in terms of their studies.

Technical skills for executing

Basketball is a fast-paced game. A player needs to read a situation and make decisions in a blink of an eye. A qualified basketball player will be 2 or 3 moves ahead. This decision-making process is quite difficult for the gameplay as the player will often be guarded closely or even trapped. To perfectly execute in these situations, a basketball player needs to have technical skills like shooting, ball handling, passing, footwork, and so on.

A basketball player needs to work on his game speed repetition skills, overload skills, and micro-skills to become a smart basketball player. Technical skills will allow the player to provide ball security. He will be able to survey the court and read the situation better to outsmart his defender. He will be able to perform the moves better resulting in the desired end result.

Awareness for focus

Basketball players’ smart level can be determined by determining how aware the player is about his surroundings on the court. A basketball player equipped with technical skills and the ability to rely on muscle memory will be able to focus on cues of the game better. Here the cues are in the zone weak spots, defensive mismatches, understanding teammates’ weaknesses and strengths. It also comprises of knowing the time and score and working effectively to improve the gameplay, dribbling, ball screening, kicking, penetration, etc.

If the basketball player is capable of focusing on the cues of the game, then he will be deemed as a smart player as she/he will be able to perform his gameplay much more effectively. A smart player will be aware of every aspect of the gameplay. He needs to be aware of focusing on his teammates and challengers as well.

Preparation for confidence

A smart basketball play will be confident in his ability. Preparation breeds confidence, especially on a basketball court. If the player has technical skills and is focused on the game and the end result, then he can become confident which will increase his basketball IQ as a result.

A basketball player who lacks confidence needs to prepare himself better. He needs to be comfortable with the gameplay. So, he needs to prepare himself to become more comfortable in the court. Preparing for all variety of outcomes that can happen in gameplay will provide the player with the confidence to take on any adversary on the court. Thus, a basketball player’s smartness level depends also on his coach and training sessions.

Experience for showing ability

Like most situations in life, a basketball player can improve his smartness level by gaining experience. Gaining experience is a must if a player wants to increase his basketball IQ. An experienced player is capable of understanding the gameplay better. He will be able to handle any kind of situation in the court by the insight he gained by playing for a long time with different opponents.

It is suggested that all basketball players keep on working on themselves and push the envelope to gain the experience which will allow them to showcase their ability. It is the job of a basketball player to experience a variety of situations. Different situations will help him to exhibit their ability. This will help to internalize the feel of the game. To gain experience one needs to analyze his weaknesses also.

There you have it; now you know how to determine if basketball players are smart or not. You can see that even if a player is not gifted in education, he still might be dubbed as smart in this game if he has the right level of basketball IQ. Need to know if a particular basketball player is smart or not? Then, do your research to find out about his basic IQ along with his basketball IQ to get a definite answer.