Ben Simmons as an Example of How Not to Compensate for a Weakness
If you follow my coaching philosophy, you know I have a rather strong opinion about dealing with strengths and weaknesses. There are two rules of thumb I live by when it comes to deciding whether to build strengths or fix weaknesses. The first rule is to spend as little time, energy, and emotion in areas of weakness as possible. The second rule is to not forget rule #1.
This rule of thumb is clear cut. However, just like almost all rules, there is an exception. There is one mistake people commonly make in using their strengths to compensate for a specific type of weakness. This mistake is using their strengths to compensate for a weakness in their fundamentals.
Fundamentals are just that, fundamental. It’s just a fact everyone must deal with. There is no compensating for a weakness in fundamentals. You simply must buckle down and invest the time and effort it takes to master them if you want to be better than average in any endeavor.
The Fundamental Flaw in the Game of Ben Simmons
Let me explain this further using the example of NBA All-Star Ben Simmons. Ben Simmons is a phenomenal young basketball player who at the age of 24 has already been a Rookie of the Year, a 3x NBA All-Star, a 2x All-NBA Defensive team selection and a 1x All-NBA team selection. However, even with all these accolades Simmons still has a problem with his fundamentals.
Simmons can’t shoot free-throws. Simmons struggles immensely in this area. In fact, Simmons has the worst shooting percentage from the foul line in NBA playoff history.
He shot 15-for-45 (33%) on foul shots against Atlanta and 34.2% from the line for the 2021 playoffs overall, accounting for the worst free throw percentage in NBA playoff history for a player with at least 70 attempts, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information.
With this in mind, Ben Simmons’ strengths are his ability to set-up his teammates with assist, driving to the basket, and playing defense. His weaknesses are his ability to shoot free-throws, three-pointers, and mid-range jump shots.
He can compensate for his lack of three-point shooting and poor mid-range jumper by having teammates with this skill who he can drive and dish to with his amazing passing ability. But there is no way he can use any of his strengths to compensate for his poor free-throw shooting.
Moreover, shooting free-throws is not only a fundamental skill in basketball, it also correlates directly with his strengths of being able to score by driving to the basket.
On the other hand, shooting three-pointers and mid-range jumpers are important skills, but not fundamentals. Yes, statistically good long and mid-range shooters are assets on a team. But if a player can drive to the basket successfully, hit free-throws, set-up other good shooters, and play lock down defense he is still an asset on a team.
Very few basketball players have all these skills. However, what separates fundamental skills from all other skills is without them, your strengths don’t matter. Once a competitor exposes the fact that you lack fundamentals, it’s over. In high stakes situations such as the NBA playoffs, competitors will expose a lack in fundamentals repeatedly (e.g. Hack-a-Shaq and Hack-a-Ben).
So yes, my coaching philosophy is to build on strengths rather than fix weaknesses. However, this is a philosophy I throw out the window when that weakness is a fundamental skill.