“Not Fall in Love With His Bounce”: Draymond Green Highlights Huge Issue While Sharing 8th Grader’s Dunk Reel

In the age of social media, there is a constant demand for videos showcasing breathtaking dunks. However, many times, big-time dunkers limit themselves to their athleticism and don’t work on the other aspects of the game. As a result, they can fade away from public memory quickly when their lack of developmental basketball skills limits their growth in the competitive market.

In a video shared by the Instagram handle Made Hoops, an eighth-grader was seen soaring above the rim for a monster slam. While Draymond Green applauded the athletic chops of the youngster, he also urged him to not let it get to his head. 

In the video, after catching a lovely bounce pass from his teammate over his head, the young athlete proceeds to throw down a ferocious jam, stunning the crowd at the gym. As impressive as his jump was, Green cautioned the eighth-grader against becoming a one-trick pony.

Knowing well what happens to most young athletes with incredible bounce, the Dubs star urged the kid’s coaches to expand his skill set and make him work on his basics. 

On his Instagram stories, Draymond Green shared a clip of the dunk and wrote, “I HOPE THEY TEACH THIS KID HOW TO PLAY AND NOT FALL IN LOVE WITH HIS BOUNCE.”

Having played at the highest level, the 4x All-Star knows many stories of athletes who couldn’t build a versatile skillset and paid the price when the competition became tougher after high school. It happens because both fans and the teammates of the athlete expect roof-raising dunks, which stifles focus on other moves.

This is why Green’s emphasis on the fundamentals is vital to ensure that this eight-grader doesn’t fall prey to similar circumstances. In the past, Kobe Bryant had also urged American athletes to look beyond such hype and work on their fundamentals. 

He believed that the current Amateur Athletic Union(AAU) structure has overlooked the value of practising, stuffing in too many games in the schedule. He argued that in Europe, the emphasis upon developing a team-oriented game with mastery of fundamentals takes precedence over individual flare, which molds European athletes for a smooth transition to the pros.

Perhaps, this is the reason why the top players in the modern NBA, such as Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Victor Wembanyama, all hail from Europe.