If You Want To Get Ahead, Look At Practice Different

If you want to get ahead, don't wait until practice to work on your game.  Work on your game BEFORE practice and OUTSIDE of practice so that when practice starts, you are better and more ready to perform the drills and more ready to compete.

Change how you look at practice.  It is a chance to work on your game, it is a chance to improve how you play as a team, but it is also a chance to COMPETE, and anytime that there is a chance to compete, you want to make sure that you are ready and prepared to perform.

To be ready to perform, work on your game BEFORE you come in.

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Most practices have the same three elements:

1 - Skill work
2 - Team learning
3 - Some kind of competition

Work on your game on your own so that the skill work in practice is easier for you, smoother, and is just extra reps.

Learn through the team play so that you can be the best teammate that you can be and so that you can execute the gameplan.

Be ready to compete when the time comes.  Competition could be dribble races, shooting games, timed drills, 1 on 1, full-court scrimmaging, etc.  There are many forms of competing, and you want to give yourself an edge and the best chance possible at success.  That comes from being prepared, confident, and comfortable, and that all comes from putting in the work before it starts.