The Key to Offense: Be a Threat

As an offensive player, you should be thinking one thing: be a threat.

As an offensive player, there's no time to be tentative, or uncertain, or shy. To be a good offensive player, and to be a good teammate, you have to be a threat to score, and a threat in helping your teammates score. Period.

Being a threat means many things:

• Being able to score the basketball (puts pressure on your man to guard you)
• Being able to score in a variety of ways (puts even more pressure on your man to guard you and be honest)
• Being able to see the floor and make good passes to teammates
• Being able to run the offense effectively
• Setting good screens to help your teammates get open and score
• Crashing the offensive boards

Notice how being an offensive threat is much more than just being able to shoot the ball. As an offensive player, you're part of a team. And as part of a team, you have to be able to run the offense effectively, make good passes, and help your teammates score as well (by making good screens, strong cuts to the basket, flashing to open spots on the floor, etc.).

Being a solid threat starts when you catch the ball. If you are within range and can take a high percentage shot before the defense gets into position, do it. If the defense is out of position, drive to the basket. If the D has closed on you, then turn and face in a good athletic stance, ready to make a move. Your job is to be a threat and make the defense honor your ability to score the basketball, or help your teammates score the ball.

In summary, being an offensive threat is much more than just having a good jump shot. You have to be able to score (of course), but you also need to put pressure on the D in other ways: be a good passer, run the offense effectively, and above all, be confident and aggressive.