What is basketball "talent"?

[StrongLurk]

Can someone define "talent" for me? No one has EVER actually fleshed out what that refers to...they just throw that word around.

Skill is pretty obvious what it is...but talent?

Based on my assumptions, talent is athleticism, BBIQ, and natural "instinct" for the game?

I've heard media heads say Lebron is "uber-talented", maybe the most talented player ever...but Lebron isn't an all time great based mostly off SKILL alone (guys like Nash, Curry, etc.). So what are they referring to?

[superduper]

How would you define skill?

[StrongLurk]

How would you define skill?

Things you practice...dribbling, shooting, footwork, etc.

Who is more skilled, Shaq or Nash? Pretty obvious it's Nash...but who would you say is more "talented"?

I think talent also might just mean potential.

[STATUTORY]

most of what people consider talent can be categorized as one of these five things

athleticism (vertical, one leg and two leg jumping, quickness off the floor, top speed, first step)

hand eye coordination (crucial for handles and shooting)

body control (ambidextrousness, ability to finish in traffic, how "crafty" a player can be, and touch around the rim)

basketball iq (ability to learn an offense, pattern recognition etc)

body type (height, wingspan, etc)

guys like Nash and Curry are very talented when it comes to hand eye coordination and body control, hence their amazing handles+shooting

[StrongLurk]

most of what people consider talent can be categorized as one of these four things

athleticism (vertical, one leg and two leg jumping, quickness off the floor, top speed, first step)

hand eye coordination (crucial for handles and shooting)

body control (ambidextrousness, ability to finish in traffic, how "crafty" a player can be, and touch around the rim)

basketball iq (ability to learn an offense, pattern recognition etc)


guys like Nash and Curry are very talented when it comes to hand eye coordination and body control, hence their amazing handles+shooting

I see, this is interesting...I still think this refers to skill (handles/shooting).

But a guy like Curry seems like such an outlier...I mean has he really practiced jumpshots like 5 times as much as the next guy or was he just born with crazy innane talent to reach a level of shooting that no one else could regardless of how much they practiced?

[STATUTORY]

I see, this is interesting...I still think this refers to skill (handles/shooting).

But a guy like Curry seems like such an outlier...I mean has he really practiced jumpshots like 5 times as much as the next guy or was he just born with crazy innane talent to reach a level of shooting that no one else could regardless of how much they practiced?


I disagree. I think there's natural ability to shooting and dribbling. Think about dancing, it's definitely a skill but some people are much more talented at it than others. Just to illustrate the point say Curry probably only have to shoot a shot 10 times to master it, while Dwight probably have to do 100, that difference is talent.


Look at how fluid Curry's body is, then think of someone like Dwight howard. No matter how much dwight practice, he will never have the natural flexibility and coordination that will allow Curry to shoot the shots he does.

Greatest basketball players have almost a gymnast like acrobatic and body control.

Say westbrook vs wade for instance. Westbrook probably has better hops and maybe speed, but Wade has such better body control which allows him to finish in much craftier ways than Westbrook's all power style.

[AlternativeAcc.]

Most people intuitively know what talent is. People who have a natural fluidity on the court have 'talent'. They pick up the game quicker and more effortlessly because they have talent.