Producers

We all want to get the most out of our players. We them all to be hard workers, great competitors, leaders and great teammates. We establish a culture for our team, we set standards, and we want all of our players to live up to them.

But every player has different strengths and weaknesses, and not all of them are going to fit the mold we set for them. We get frustrated when certain players don’t give everything they have - they aren’t leaders, they aren’t vocal enough, they don’t seem to care as much as we’d like them to care.

I’ve learned that certain players are simply producers. They are talented and they help the team by putting up numbers, but they don’t always do it the way we want them to do it. They don’t always play hard. They may not be the best competitors. Maybe they are a bit selfish. They aren’t perfect, but when the lights go on they are good enough and they produce. They help the team.

Producers are valuable but they can be hard to coach. A lot of the time they are just relying on their talent, not giving everything they have. We spend a lot of time trying to get them to change. We want them to compete harder, to care more. We want them to be vocal and lead the team, to be great teammates. But not everyone has that in them. Some players just want to play.

You can get very frustrated as a coach trying to change these players. We want them to care more, we just know they can give more, and it bothers us. But as we continually harp on them about the things they aren’t doing, they are still producing. Maybe not as much as we think they can, but they are helping the team. And we are trying to turn them into people they are not - they’ll never be the best competitors, the tone setters, or the leaders. They won’t carry your culture. But they will be productive players.

The best way to handle producers? Let them produce. Stop trying to get more out of them from an approach or leadership standpoint. You are only going to frustrate yourself, and probably get less out of them as players. Just tell them to produce. I’ve had many conversations with these players over the years, where I’ve had to say “Look, I’m not going to get on you to be our hardest worker, our best competitor, or our leader. But what you have to do is produce. You have to bring it every day and be our leading scorer and rebounder. That is your job, that is how you help this team.” They may not do it the way you want, but give them the room to be productive.

If you find yourself banging your head against the wall with a player who is productive but not quite giving you everything you want, take a step back. Maybe the best thing you can do is just get them to be their best. They may not be leaders for you, but they can’t take a day off from doing what they do best. They are producers. Accept that fact, and get the most out of them.