By Bill Herenda (originally appeared on BillHerenda.com)
LOS ANGELES — As Summer League is upon (behind) us, what does it take for players from college or other professional leagues around the globe to make it onto an NBA roster?
“What did you find that you had to adjust to in the NBA,?” Hubie Brown asked Oscar Robertson back in the day on CBS.
“The toughest thing is to know when to pass and when to shoot,” Robertson replied.
Brown recalled this story at the 10:00 minute mark of the Super 70’s Sports podcast and elaborated that volume shooters disrupt teams at all levels.
A very fundamental and often overlooked part of the game — when to pass and when to shoot.
Of course, there are many other adjustments in today’s modern game.
“Playing hard in the NBA is a skill,” is a familiar mantra repeated at the TPG Pro Scout School last summer by Jack Sikma, a seven-time NBA All-Star and Hall of Famer, who now works with the world champion Toronto Raptors front court players.
The former Supersonics and Bucks center reiterated these factors for players looking to stick on an NBA roster:
- speed of the game
- playing in more space
- playing versus men
- immense talent in the league
- brutal competition in the league
- fit with team
Sikma reiterated that the basketball IQ has to evolve in this environment and for those that don’t step up, the next man up will.
If forced to break it down to one sentence, it would be this — the NBA adjustment paradox:
The paradox for players making the transition to the NBA — “Can your decision making match the speed of the league while your game simultaneously slows down?”
Each step along the way is scrutinized and evaluated. While Summer League provides the opportunity to tangle against similar players looking to get to the league, training camp and exhibition games provides a glimpse of how players stack up against NBA players. And of course, as free agency rolls on, NBA rosters — and the limited openings — are crystallizing.
“There are about 25 stars in the league and the rest are role players — albeit well payed role players,” ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla has frequently stated.
“Know your role, stay in your role and star in your role,” is the quote attributed to Doug Collins.
That may be the best advice for aspiring players to adhere to at each step of the way from Summer League to training camp, to the G-League or anywhere in between on the path to the NBA.
