Playing a game of pick-up basketball is a right of passage for many young athletes who want to test their skills against others when it may not be basketball season or they aren’t on an official team and just want to play. Not many sports lend themselves to a pick-up game like basketball does and if you know where to look, you can find a game just about anywhere. I’ve played pick-up games of all varieties in many places, including some great games in China, and there’s something inherently great about meeting up with friends and strangers to play a game where you set your own rules, police yourself, and aren’t restrained by coaches and other pressures that come with organized games. There’s a freedom to it and connecting almost telepathically with a teammate that you have never played with before is a thing of beauty.
That being said, pick-up games do have their down sides. The most common problem is undeniably who you are playing with or against. Part of what makes the game great – little if no time spent sitting on the bench – is also its enemy. You can’t bench a teammate who is jacking up wild 3’s left and right. In the countless pick-up games I’ve participated in, I’ve seen a wide variety of players, both good and insanely annoying. In this article I plan on breaking down some of the player types that you will likely come across at a pick-up game. I’ll give some of the common characteristics as well as ratings on how easy, or hard, it is to have that type of player on your team.
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