The Basketball Podcast: EP339 with JJ Outlaw on Defense, Player Maturation and Transitions

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JJ Outlaw Quotes:

“Player development and attention to our players and their maturation process has become more and more important as time has gone on and staffs have grown and we’re starting to be a little bit more singularly focused. Everybody has their different specialties, and that’s what makes it great when everybody can come together and be there to provide services for our players.”

“One thing that I’ve always tried to get across to the players that I’ve worked with, especially the young guys as they just come into the league, is to take advantage of the opportunities that are being given, take advantage of the services that are being offered.”

“The maturation [process] is all encompassing. It’s player development, it’s the IQ, it’s learning how to be a pro. It’s the medical. We call it back-of-the-house. It’s the weight room, it’s the training room, it’s the recovery. It is the understanding that your fuel, your body, is your business. What you put into your body is what’s going to allow you to perform at a higher level for longer once you get to this level.”

“it’s not just the ability or the skill development that we talk about, it’s how you contribute to the environment. We like to use the word environment over culture because that’s what the guys are walking into every day. How do you contribute to that environment? How do you contribute to being a professional and how do you participate in that as a player?”

“When you have good veterans on your team, there’s a value to that and that those guys do a great job of talking to the young guys and letting them know what it is to be a professional, how to approach certain situations. I think that’s always better . . I think those things are really good for young guys to hear, not just from coaches, but also from veterans that have been through it.”

“Sometimes it takes an older veteran player that’s been around to say, ‘Hey, maybe that’s not the right way to go about this.’  You have to be open-minded and you have to have a growth mindset and take that constructive criticism and apply it.”

“To have a designated space, a designated person, a designated coach that specializes in mental health, mental resiliency, and just making sure that that muscle in that part of the game, in life is worked out just as much as anything else is extremely important.”

“We’re defending as a unit. No guy, no player should ever feel like he’s on an island. Now, don’t get me wrong, there are those possessions where you’re going to have to guard your yard. You’re going to have to be a boss on the ball. But we want to force teams into shooting the shots that we want them to take, the shots that are within our profile.”

“Your offense plays a part in your transition defense. Your spacing offensively plays a part in your transition defense. Your shot selection plays a part in your transition defense. I think, number one, getting the best possible possession and shot on goal that you can get offensively is ultimately going to help you in transition.”

JJ Outlaw Breakdown:

JJ Outlaw Selected Links from the Podcast:

J.J. Outlaw

Brandon Knight

Darius Garland

Kobe Bryant

Derek Fisher

Matt Barnes

Pau Gasol

Ed Davis

Mike Brown

Mike D’Antoni

Steve Clifford

James Andrew Dodd

Kyle Kuzma

Jordan Poole

Malcom Brogdon

Bob Carrington

Jared Butler

J.B. Bickerstaff

Bernie Bickerstaff

Omar Cook

D.J. Ham

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