Slappin’ Glass sits down with Player Development Coach for the Charlotte Hornets, Nick Friedman. The trio dive into helping players adjust their egos, bringing energy to a staff, best practices and pitfalls of player development systems, and have fun talking contested two and skill development accessories during “Start, Sub, or Sit?!”
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Inside the Episode: Nick Friedman
We had the opportunity this week to sit down with Player Development Coach for the Charlotte Hornets, Nick Friedman. Coach Friedman is well respected for his ability connect a player development program to the larger goals and systems of an organization, and helping players find and improve in their roles along the way.
Here’s a look inside the episode:
3 Key Topics
- Adjusting Ego: A great part of the conversation centered around Coach Friedman’s view on “adjusting ego”, rather than trying to completely eliminating it. We discuss how he helps both young and older players adjust their ego to fit into roles and a larger team philosophy, and how doing so creates staying power in the world’s most competitve league.
- Connecting Player Development Systems to Team Philosophy: Coach Friedman discusses some best practices and pitfalls when attempting to create a player development system around a central team playing style or philosophy. We discuss how coaches at all levels can effectively help players work on improving skills and decisions that fit directly into an overall system.
- Contested Mid-Range Jumpshots: A fun conversation surrounding the midrange game, including preferred shots, teaching points, and analytics that matter. Coach Friedman also discusses how a players role influences the types of shots coaches are comfortable with in the midrange.
2 Quotes from Coach Friedman
- On Fatigue and Decision Making: “Because the game is that fast, your ability to make decisions on the fly has to be excellent. Your mind has to fight through the fatigue. Can we have a conversation while you’re tired? I was telling one of our guys the other day, ‘While you’re sipping some water, let’s talk, so you can get in the habit of, if I’m on the defensive end and I’m exhausted I still gotta talk through my PNR coverages. I can’t get quiet.’ Small things like that just to trigger their brain in different ways.”
- On not skipping steps: “A lot of guys skip the steps (saying) ‘Oh it’s a simple pocket-pass, I can routinely make it’. But you see a lot of guys struggle with that because they don’t think it’s an art, and that simple play-making is truly an art at this level. So when we’re going through those actions in a workout…’can you make a simple pocket pass? Can you read a re-screen’? It’s all those things at the initial level of the action that we have to master first.”
1 Interesting “Start, Sub, or Sit?!”
- Topic: Defensive Attributes
- Choices: Length/Hands, Physicality, or Footwork
- Coach Friedman’s “Start”: Physicality