Brooks makes practice fun

     After Saturday morning’s non-contact practice, hours before he put his team through a scrimmage, Thunder coach Scott Brooks spoke about making practices more fun by inventing competitive games.

     Brooks believes turning routine aspects of practice into competitive situations heightens intensity which helps players focus during drills.

     During defensive segments, Brooks might rotate three separates teams. If the defensive team gets a stop it stays on the court and receives one point.  If the offensive team scores, it switches to defense and tries to score. First team to four or five points wins.

     Similar contests are designed for offensive drills. If your team scores it receives a point and stays on the court. If the defense gets a stop it moves to offense and tries to score. 

     Brooks recently had players, one by one, attempt to bounce a ball into a ball rack at the end of practice.  The reward was if just one player bounced the ball into the rack the entire team wouldn’t have to run. When Jeff Green, the third player to attempt the magic bounce, was successful the entire team mobbed Green.