It’s been an NBA tradition since Bill Sharman started it in the 1950s: On game days teams go to the arena in the morning (11 a.m. to noon, usually) and drag themselves through a shootaround, which isn’t quite a practice but more of chance to get up some shots, wake up the body, and briefly discuss defensive/offensive tweaks for the opponent that night. After that players usually go get lunch and grab a nap before it’s time to get back to the arena for the game.
The Orlando Magic likely will be ditching the shootaround this year.
Coach Jacque Vaughn really wouldn’t talk about it but the Magic are changing their game day routine, reports Josh Robbins at the Orlando Sentinel.This preseason the Magic have done away with morning shootarounds, choosing instead to hold afternoon shootarounds on their Amway Center practice court before home exhibitions and afternoon walkthroughs in hotel ballrooms when they’ve been on the road....
“Have I made a conscious effort to not have some shootarounds? Yes,” Vaughn said. “And will that continue throughout the course of the year? Probably yes. I took a scope of all the things that we did last year — what I liked, what I didn’t like, what I thought was efficient. And that’s what I’m about. I’m about being efficient.
“I don’t have to stroke my own ego and check boxes off [a practice plan]. I just don’t. I don’t have to do what other coaches do. I’m fine with doing what I think is best for my team.”
The idea is to give the players the game plan info closer to the game so they retain it better, and to keep them fresh. Vaughn isn’t the only coach doing it right now, other teams experimented with it, although Vaughn seems to be doing it more regularly.
It’s not good or bad, he’s right in saying he has to do what works best for his team. If this work, do it regularly. It’s just a trend to watch around the league.
