[Im Your FatherParticipant]

Now as much as I love basketball, I never played the game on any kind of competitive level, and hopefully someone who has, or at least knows better than me can answer this question. 

It seems to me that there are a lot of elite athletes who struggle to get to the rim consistently because they handles. This seems odd to me, because it seems like ball handling would be the easiest skill to work on, even easier than shooting. Shooting can clearly be improved, but it also involves touch. It seems to me that you ought to be able to improve your handles by just dribbling around cones every day. If you put in a concerted effort to improve, I don’t see how you wouldn’t. 

And yet there are tons of people like Rodney Carney to take an extreme example, who can’t get to the rim, because of his horrendous handle, despite his tremendous quickness and leaping ability. Why is it that there are so many players like this? Do they just not put in enough time on their game? 

[llperez]

dont underestimate how good nba defenders are. Im sure just about any nba player could school guys off the dribble at any park or open gym.

[llperez]

dont underestimate how good nba defenders are. Im sure just about any nba player could school guys off the dribble at any park or open gym.

[MkadozaParticipant]

 You also underestimate the level of ball handling skill they need? Can you dribble to basketballs, keep your head up, move laterally, all while having a coach pull on a cord connected to your torso? These are the kind of drills the elite ball handlers do every day. Also its more than just handling. Its getting the defender off balance to make your forray to the basket easier. Pump fakes, head fakes, pass fakes, jab steps, pivoting, all things you can do to manipulate your defender before you ever put the ball on the floor. The problem is, not many players consider this part of "Ball handling", which is far more important. Knowing when to use a move is more important than being great at it. See Nash, Steve: First step.

[MkadozaParticipant]

 You also underestimate the level of ball handling skill they need? Can you dribble to basketballs, keep your head up, move laterally, all while having a coach pull on a cord connected to your torso? These are the kind of drills the elite ball handlers do every day. Also its more than just handling. Its getting the defender off balance to make your forray to the basket easier. Pump fakes, head fakes, pass fakes, jab steps, pivoting, all things you can do to manipulate your defender before you ever put the ball on the floor. The problem is, not many players consider this part of "Ball handling", which is far more important. Knowing when to use a move is more important than being great at it. See Nash, Steve: First step.

[Im Your FatherParticipant]

I don’t think I phrased myself clearly enough. I know that not everyone will be an elite ball handler. But someone like Carney doesn’t need to be. He just needs to be passable, which he clearly isn’t.

Maybe you are right and I’m underestimating how difficult it is to become a good ball handler. But what does a player like Carney work on over the off season? He is an athlete of the highest caliber, and a pretty good shooter. You’d think that he could find the time to work on those drills every day. 

By the way, I don’t think Carney is close to the only player like this, I actually got thinking about it when people were discussing Terrence Williams, he’s just the example I keep using. 

 

[Im Your FatherParticipant]

I don’t think I phrased myself clearly enough. I know that not everyone will be an elite ball handler. But someone like Carney doesn’t need to be. He just needs to be passable, which he clearly isn’t.

Maybe you are right and I’m underestimating how difficult it is to become a good ball handler. But what does a player like Carney work on over the off season? He is an athlete of the highest caliber, and a pretty good shooter. You’d think that he could find the time to work on those drills every day. 

By the way, I don’t think Carney is close to the only player like this, I actually got thinking about it when people were discussing Terrence Williams, he’s just the example I keep using. 

 

[goneParticipant]

As mentioned before it’s not ball handling but the move you do before you dribble in the triple threat position. If you watch the good scorers they catch the ball size up and use various jab steps to make the defender commit an then the ball handler uses a quick first step to counter the defender

[goneParticipant]

As mentioned before it’s not ball handling but the move you do before you dribble in the triple threat position. If you watch the good scorers they catch the ball size up and use various jab steps to make the defender commit an then the ball handler uses a quick first step to counter the defender

[Malik-UniversalParticipant]

shooting to me is the easiest skill to enhance, ball handling takes time to develop imo… longer than most pplll think

[Malik-UniversalParticipant]

shooting to me is the easiest skill to enhance, ball handling takes time to develop imo… longer than most pplll think

[Malik-UniversalParticipant]

shooting to me is the easiest skill to enhance, ball handling takes time to develop imo… longer than most pplll think

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

I’m a few years younger than Carney, but I competed against him while he attended NorthWest HS and his handles were garbage then. People just didn’t realize it because he was so long, fast and athletic… Nobody could really stop him, which is why he probably didn’t feel he needed to work on them. Being fast and athletic really hide that weakness, even at Memphis.

It’s true… A lot of players that can’t dribble just don’t work as hard as they should on that part of their game.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

I’m a few years younger than Carney, but I competed against him while he attended NorthWest HS and his handles were garbage then. People just didn’t realize it because he was so long, fast and athletic… Nobody could really stop him, which is why he probably didn’t feel he needed to work on them. Being fast and athletic really hide that weakness, even at Memphis.

It’s true… A lot of players that can’t dribble just don’t work as hard as they should on that part of their game.

[Mr. 19134Participant]

 I get your point but ball handler is a very hard thing to explain.  I was always a naturally great ball handler I didn’t have to look at the ball since i was like 10 and I always had an amazing feel for the ball in traffic.  Other kids tho were great shooters and thats something I was never good at.

To me shooting and ball handler are both 2 things that either come natural or don’t.  As I got older I was able to get a better shot through practice and I noticed the other kids that I competed with who were shooters were able to develop a handle.  But I was still a slasher and they were still better at shooting.

But to answer your question it’s still a matter of confidence and doing the moves you think you are able to get away with.  When i played my first high school game as a freshman I played on the JV squad and was going against guys older and bigger then me.  I was a little tentative to take them off of the dribble because I wasn’t sure what I could get away with despite being on the JV team because of my play making abilities.

Rodney Carney isn’t a bad ball handler.  If he was playing in your neighborhood gym he would look amazing dribbling the ball.  In the NBA Carney don’t have any go to ball handling moves and just never got comfortable taking people off of the dribble in the NBA.

It’s extremely hard to develop great ball handling if that has never been a big part of your game until you get into the league.  A lot of people coast by on athleticism or shooting ability and never need an advanced dribble set.  By the time they get in the league its too late for most to develop some because their game has never relied on it.

[Mr. 19134Participant]

 I get your point but ball handler is a very hard thing to explain.  I was always a naturally great ball handler I didn’t have to look at the ball since i was like 10 and I always had an amazing feel for the ball in traffic.  Other kids tho were great shooters and thats something I was never good at.

To me shooting and ball handler are both 2 things that either come natural or don’t.  As I got older I was able to get a better shot through practice and I noticed the other kids that I competed with who were shooters were able to develop a handle.  But I was still a slasher and they were still better at shooting.

But to answer your question it’s still a matter of confidence and doing the moves you think you are able to get away with.  When i played my first high school game as a freshman I played on the JV squad and was going against guys older and bigger then me.  I was a little tentative to take them off of the dribble because I wasn’t sure what I could get away with despite being on the JV team because of my play making abilities.

Rodney Carney isn’t a bad ball handler.  If he was playing in your neighborhood gym he would look amazing dribbling the ball.  In the NBA Carney don’t have any go to ball handling moves and just never got comfortable taking people off of the dribble in the NBA.

It’s extremely hard to develop great ball handling if that has never been a big part of your game until you get into the league.  A lot of people coast by on athleticism or shooting ability and never need an advanced dribble set.  By the time they get in the league its too late for most to develop some because their game has never relied on it.

[Author]

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