Like most games players need to know and abide by the rules to stay in the game. In basketball, failing to follow the rules typically means the ball is taken from your team and given to the other team. Basketball is really a very simple game in some respects. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins the game. The more possessions a team gets the more offensive opportunities available to them. The more offensive opportunities available the greater the probability of scoring points. Scoring opportunities can be undermined by poor execution, specifically turnovers. Turnovers occur when a player makes a poor decision and / or fails to execute play within the rules. So you want to follow the rules to minimize turnovers and avoid giving the other team too many chances to score.

Turnovers = lost scoring opportunities.

A single turnover can equate to a six-point turnaround in a game. A turnover reduces the number of your team’s scoring opportunities by one and increases your opponent’s scoring opportunities by one. You can do the math.

The good news is that basketball, as Bobby Knight says, “…is a game of mistakes. The team making the fewest mistakes usually wins.” Turnovers are a part of every game. By working on individual and team fundamentals, turnovers can be reduced and, as a result, scoring opportunities can be maximized – that’s a good thing. Decision making can improve with in-game experience. Drills addressing decision making situations can also be found in other sections like Dribbling, Passing and Shooting.