You can talk the talk but can you walk the walk? Many things go into being a great basketball player. Being consistent and hard working are two very important aspects of it. The most important of all is to want to be great; it’s that passion to thrive better than everyone else.

Someone who is consistent is someone who is successful. If you are not as good as you would like to be in basketball but you are consistent with practice, you will eventually get to that next level. It’s okay to mess up or not be good at something but if you just give up, you will never be great at what you’re not good at. Just saying, “screw it” can be a very easy go-to thing to do but if you actually get yourself to practice and put in the time, you will see your results. Consistency is just one factor to being successful. There is a lot more that goes into it.

Putting in the work relates to consistency. You can get to the gym and just sit there on your phone for two hours. The person who gets to the gym and puts of hundreds of shots after another is the one who thrives. The specific drills you have to do to become better are all on you but just putting in the work in that amount of time is very important to stepping up your game. Now when you do become better than you were before, it doesn’t mean that you should just stop there. You need to push yourself beyond your limits and get out of that comfort zone. This is where consistency falls into play. If you are consistent with putting in the time and effort of practice, you will reach the level that you wish. What would be the point of all this if you weren’t passionate? It would be a burden you’re putting on yourself.

You need a passion for the sport to get better. You have to want it yourself. I can list drill after drill for you and nothing would happen unless you actually want to get better. You can be as good as you want to be. Even if the height isn’t there, who cares? Increase your speed or jump shot. There is always room for improvement. The ones that want it more are the ones that are usually on top.

All three factors go hand in hand in becoming a great basketball player. You need a passion to stay consistent with putting in the work. Many professionals in the NBA are great basketball players but what got them there is practice. And putting these three principles into play are key factors into becoming a great basketball player.