Start coaching the Thunder, starting with Westbrook

Chapter 50 Future Directions
It is said in the NBA that the role of the coach is not that great, and it needs to rely on superstars to lead the team.

Just like Phil Jackson is not a super giant and does not coach, the triangle offense can only be played by an unstoppable super giant on the offensive end; Popovich even relied on Duncan to become a famous coach. After Duncan retired and without Leonard, he was "beaten back to his original shape".

Cole's five-year Triple Crown was the same for a while, but Durant was injured and left, Curry was reimbursed for the season due to injury, and then he led the team straight to the lottery zone, showing off his talents with his proud disciple Green, and won the second pick.

In fact, although the role of the head coach is not as great as that of the players, it is not necessary to completely obliterate it.

As the saying goes, super giants don't need tactics, but role players need them. Super giants determine the team's lower limit, and role players can raise the team's upper limit.

After all, basketball is a five-person game, and it is impossible for everyone else to kick off. Even those single-core finals and championships in history are not really one-on-five.

Iverson led the team to the finals to single out OK and win a game, but the team's defense cannot be ignored. They just failed to defend OK, but the defensive system with Mu Tongbo as the core is definitely indispensable for reaching the finals.

Nowitzki won the championship in 11 years, but the defensive system of Kidd on the outside and Chandler on the inside is also the key, so the driver is still the same driver, but the defensive lineup collapsed as soon as it was dismantled in the second year.

In the future, role players will be more functional and play more roles, and the integrity of NBA teams will increase, so the importance of coaches will also increase. Therefore, the status and ability of coaches such as Vogel, Tyronn Lue, and Spoelstra will be more and more recognized.

Of course, Li Sheng doesn't think he is the second one, but when it comes to what kind of coach to be, he still has a certain idea. It is best to learn from others' strengths, even if he can't do everything, he can be good at everything, but don't have shortcomings.

Especially in terms of building a good relationship with the players, because there is a system, other systems can help, but this interpersonal relationship needs to be handled by Li Sheng himself.

And this point is still very important in the NBA. Some coaches and players with obviously not very good resumes, why can they still eat and drink in the team? To put it bluntly, they take the road of interpersonal relationship.

The NBA is not just about fighting and killing, but also about the ways of the world. In the future, the NBA will become less and less gunpowder. On the one hand, the league is deliberately creating an image of a "gentleman's league"-this is actually what it has been doing, hoping to attract more audiences from different walks of life.

On the other hand, the audience is becoming more and more glass-hearted, as if they can't see anything bad.

What is particularly strange to some viewers is that while they miss the early NBA, they think that it was iron-blooded, confrontational, with a lot of trash talk and a strong competitive atmosphere, but when "villains" like Green appeared, they ushered in a brain attack.

To put it bluntly, when it comes to where the butt stands, Green is "clumsy" on the side where the idol wins, and "murder" on the side that loses to the idol.

When you go to the factory to operate the machine, you may accidentally cut your finger. Playing in the NBA is also a profession, and you will also face risks.

Of course, it’s okay to be criticized by the public for doing something, but every time a new problem arises, it’s not good to start digging up old accounts. It seems that everyone lives in the past and can’t get out of it. I don’t know who started this style of history books.

Li Sheng watched the NBA in his previous life. At the beginning, he liked to chat with people about football. Although he would go to those forums later, they were basically treated as jokes. Whether they were fans, blacks, or faux pas, they were often not rational at all, and many people who did not watch the game were easily distracted.

Sometimes after the game is more lively than the game itself, the players pat each other's butts to show their friendship, and the fans probably have to imagine a big drama of intrigue.

Of course, there is also an increasingly commercial relationship. The players themselves are very clear that playing basketball is just a profession, so the atmosphere should be more harmonious with each other. Matters on the court can be resolved on the court, and good buddies who can have fun together off the court.

Just like Green and James have been fighting against each other for so many years, when Jamie was still scolding Green, the two were already happily making money together.

Of course, the way to build a good relationship with players also needs to be different, and what method is used for which players, especially core players.

Like Westbrook, who is easy to get on top, Li Sheng feels that he should be stricter, instead of being a nice guy like Brooks or Vogel who can't communicate at all.

The current Westbrook does not have the same status as the future. As long as Li Yong proves his ability, he can still find a way to deal with him.

On the contrary, Durant, who is too sensitive, has to be praised as much as Cole of the Warriors, and then it is best for everyone to hold him together.

If he is in the Warriors, it may cause problems if he is too popular. After all, the Warriors still have Curry; but Durant has always been the number one core in the Thunder, and he is still "rooted".

Durant is actually a player who needs encouragement and confidence, because he is not a particularly tough person at all. At critical moments, it is said that it is a physical problem, but it may not be because he lacks that kind of determination.

When it comes to the Warriors, because they have a team guarantee, their confidence is even more determined.

Then when the Nets looked at it again, it changed back...

Li Sheng plans to keep in touch with him more from now on, and it is best to have more interaction and contact with him in life in private.

At least you have to understand what he is thinking in his heart now, is there actually a sign of leaving now, or is it really two years later that he can't stand the challenge.

As for the rest of the players, according to Li Sheng's understanding of these players, except for Reggie, the other players' reputations are generally good, and there are no obvious thorns. In this case, it depends on how the chicken soup is cooked.

There are many coaches in the NBA who specialize in chicken soup for the soul, and Document He is a typical example.

Maybe this is why he leads a civilian team to explode, but leads a superstar team to overturn, because superstars don't like to drink chicken soup?

What Li Sheng has to do is also very simple, that is, trust them more and encourage them, but when it is time to restrict, you still have to restrict, such as Reggie and Lamb, you can't let them mess up and destroy the chemical reaction.

The role of the veteran also needs to be relied on. Perkins is a champion center after all. Although this guy has a big mouth and talked nonsense before retiring, it is not a big problem for him to sit in the locker room and connect with everyone.

And Lao Yu don't look at those gossips and the moths with the Jazz before, there is no need to doubt his ability to handle interpersonal relationships as the chairman of the labor union.

In addition, it is necessary to find corresponding players in the team to lead the four rookies. The NBA has a tradition of leading the new, but Li Sheng needs targeted leadership.

It is tentatively decided that Ennis will follow Sefolosha, Antetokounmpo will follow Durant, Gobert will follow Perkins, and Robertson will follow Ibaka. The reason why Westbrook is not there is because Li Sheng feels that he is not suitable for contacting rookies for the time being. After all, he still has a bet with Robertson.

Well, Robertson was very distressed about this, and probably felt that Li Sheng cheated him in his heart.

It doesn't matter, he will adjust himself. It is impossible for an NBA player without such a mentality to play at his level with his young and late pick.

(End of this chapter)