Being a good ball handler is and essential part of being a good basketball player. If you can only dribble with one hand people can easily shut you down by forcing you to dribble with your off hand, especially if you are a guard. Some guards are crafty enough to get away with it. I have seen many guards in college and in the NBA that were not as effective with their left hand as you would think. One that comes to mind is Latrell Sprewell. He was a 20 point per game scorer in the NBA with out a good left hand. That is because his quickness and athletic ability made up for it. Just because Sprewell was crafty and was able to be a solid guard with a limited left hand doesn't mean you will be able to. If you are a bigger player you may not think that you have to work on you ball handling because you will spend most of your time in the post. Well, don't count on it. Basketball is changing to the point where bigger players play on the outside just as much as the guards. Look at Webber, Dirk, and Garnett, those guys shoot mid range shots, they shoot threes, and they run the break. They could not come out of the post with out good ball handling skills. In order to improve your ball handling skills you have to do ball handling drills and strengthen your wrists. One of the best videos for ball handling is from the Better Basketball series. It has 115 drills that anyone can do. The internet is also a useful resource for drills and tips. Just make sure you do not neglect ball handling or you will not go far as a basketball player. |
