While risk-taking can occasionally elevate an average team to greatness, it can also be detrimental. Tellingly, the most common cause of turnovers in basketball is a lack of attention to detail. Sometimes a pass isn’t fast enough. Or a player unwisely ignores a defensive player. A lack of court awareness could be the root of the problem. Or a careless dribble. Yet no matter the reason for the turnover, it can nonetheless hamper a team from reaching its peak potential.
Even coaches of NBA and college basketball teams must regularly talk to their players about turnover issues. It’s one of those things that can be discussed repeatedly and still not easily solved. Coaches of young athletes should explain the importance of turnover-free basketball at practice or through team websites. If young ballers can learn about how to take care of the basketball, the other elements of their game will take off.
Curry’s mom creates turnover penalty
Stephen Curry is one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the NBA. His dribbling is elite, his passing is significantly improved and then, of course, there’s that jump shot. Oh, the jump shot. It’s what makes him an MVP candidate and already one of the greatest shooters in NBA history.
Yet even with these top-notch skills, Curry can still improve his game by cutting down on his turnovers. At least that’s the opinion of his mother, Sonya Curry, who wanted to figure out how to help her son decrease his giveaways. She devised an idea: after the third turnover in a game, she charges him $100 per turnover, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
“It keeps me on the edge every game,” Curry told the news outlet. “I know she’s going to text me or have some witty one-liner about what she’s going to buy with all of my gifts.”
It’s not conventional, but that sure sounds like some good mothering.
Turnovers hurt Mississippi State’s offense
The Mississippi State Bulldogs average 60.1 points per game, marking the lowest rate in the Southeastern Conference, according to The Clarion Ledger. They average a 41.9 percent field goal percentage, which is the third worst rate in the league. However, coach Rick Ray believes that the team’s 14.6 turnovers per game are the biggest detriment to the offense’s struggles.
“I know people focus in on our shooting woes,” Ray told the news outlet. “But I think that pales in comparison to us giving other teams 15 to 20 points a game because we don’t take care of the basketball.”
