Your role is really your superpower.
In 2011 I was riding in the car with my dad past the American Airlines Center — the home of the soon to be NBA champion Dallas Mavericks. As I stared at the arena, I remember hoping one day I would get a chance to play there. But I first had to pass the test of Division-1 basketball. I signed my letter of intent to Texas A&M University just a few weeks before.
Later that week I was working out with other soon-to-be incoming freshmen in the hottest gym in Dallas. Mid-workout I happened to look over at my dad which is something I usually did for affirmation or motivation. I could tell immediately something was a little off. After the workout, I stopped for water and I rushed over to ask my dad if everything was alright. In his response, I got my first lesson about playing basketball at a high level.
My soon-to-be college coach had just called my dad to inform him that he was leaving A&M for another school. This was significant to my family because he had promised to be there if I were to commit and sign there. My dad looked me right in the eyes and simply said, “basketball is a business son.” I would be lying if I told you I fully understood what my dad was saying at that moment. I played for the love of the game, and I thought everyone else did too. Not for money or status or something else. The lesson I learned that day has shaped the way I look at the game of basketball ever since.
1. UNDERSTAND YOUR POWER
What do you do best on the court? If you had to give an honest answer, what would you say? I hadn’t answered that question for myself until I became a pro. To understand your power, you must observe yourself. I’m talking about what happens when you check in the game. Do you get steals or rebounds? Do you usually beat your man off the dribble and finish at the rim? What kind of player are you? Another way to find out about your power is to ask your coach. What does he need from you in order for the team to succeed? Here’s the humbling part of that route: It may not be what you want to hear but don’t get it twisted, every power (role) matters!
2. YOUR POWER MATTERS
I relate being on a high-level basketball team, to a hand-crafted expensive watch. Every single piece matters, and if one piece fails to do its job then it will no longer be effective.
According to Sébastien Chaulmontet, from Arnold & Son, a Swiss-made watch company, “ If you want to do watchmaking at a super-high level, you need extremely skilled and specifically trained people.” (1)
Your power matters because not everyone can do everything on a basketball team. Sometimes your power is given to you by your coach. Other times you can define it for yourself. No matter how you attain it, once you understand it, you must perfect it!
3. PERFECT YOUR POWER
I ended up sticking with my commitment to A&M. I showed up on campus 6’4 170 pounds soaking wet. I can honestly say I was not better than anyone at any specific aspect of the game besides my athleticism. That was my power. This was a level up. I was preparing to play 22 to 24-year old men and I was only 17 years old. On my high school team, I was the primary scorer and ball-handler, a much more glamorous power to display I might add, but I had time to unleash that later in my college career.
As practices started at the beginning of the school semester, I wasn’t on the starting five, and there was an upperclassman ahead of me that was really good. He taught me a lot about how to perfect your power. I would go to the practice facility after class most nights to work on my game and he was always in there. Perfecting his power. His power was to score. He would continuously shoot one-dribble pull-ups from every spot on the floor, then shoot 3-point shots using the Shooting Gun. If you follow NBA basketball, you definitely would recognize this name. He is a two-time all-star from the Milwaukee Bucks, Khris Middleton.
In practice, Khris was a nightmare to guard. All the shots he put up during his private workouts really showed. He was torching everybody. No one could guard him. I took note of that. When I got matched up with him, I gave it my all. I’m not saying I shut him down, but I definitely made it harder for him to score. I was playing him tight, using every ounce of my skinny frame to lean on and pester him. Think Patrick Beverly. I knew I was athletic enough to stick with him and I wanted to do anything I could to get on the floor come game time. Practice after practice, I kept doing this not knowing that the coaches were watching or that I was perfecting my power. I just wanted to make an impact. Unfortunately, in the third game of the season, a star player got hurt with a serious injury. In the following game, our head coach put my name on the board with the starters. I could tell my teammates were a little taken aback by the coach’s decision but I knew it was time to unleash my power.
4. UNLEASH YOUR POWER
My first time to start in a game in college just so happened to be in the Mecca of basketball. That’s right, Madison Square Garden. I had a lot of anxious energy before the game, but once the ball was tipped, I was ready. I don’t remember much about the game besides the fact that I guarded a first-round draft pick of the upcoming year’s draft, and we got blown out. You can’t win em all. Your power isn’t defined by wins and losses but by how much you unleash when you get the chance to. Later that year I had a chance to unleash my power in a major way. I was matched up against the Big 12 conference’s leading 3 point shooter. He never stopped running on offense and loved to use screens, but he lacked one thing, My power! He wasn’t athletic. He relied on his basketball IQ and endurance. When the game came, I was tasked to chase him everywhere, pester him, and use my athletic frame to make his job difficult that night. Sound familiar? This is something I had done in practice countless times. That game was one of my favorite games in college. Not only because we won, but because everyone on our team unleashed their power to help us win. I ended up limiting my assignment to a dismal night. And I felt very prepared to do so.
Take the time to understand your power. Ask yourself and the people you trust to help you define what you bring to the game and what you need to bring to help your team win. Regardless of what power you bring to the table, it matters, just like a watch telling time. If one cog doesn’t do its job, that watch doesn’t work properly. Watches get tested hundreds of times before they get sent off to be sold in the market. Before you go out and play in games, you practice, right? Practice with purpose. By doing that you will perfect your power. Work on what you do best and leave it at that. Finally, when the lights are on it is time to perform, unleash your power. Have fun with it. There is no perfect basketball player, but those who go down as the greats utilize their power(s) every chance they get. I recommend you do the same.
