James Borrego highlights the ‘biggest thing’ young players need to work on

The modern NBA is a sport transformed, a high-speed chess match played in relentless 48-minute bursts. For James Borrego is rebuilding the New Orleans Pelicansmoving through this evolution is the key to unlocking Yves Misi, Jeremy Fears and Derrick Queenpotential. Granted, it will take time, but the front office sees better days for the young trio.

Speaking of how the modern game has transformed, Borrego highlighted the most critical adjustment for the next generation of Pelicans.

“I mean significantly, you know, from when I came into the league 20-plus years ago to 10 years ago,” Borrego began. “Number one, possessions are up. The plays are less scripted. Guys have to make decisions on the fly and multiple decisions. So there’s more decisions to be made in the possession game, and then there’s more action in the game.”

Boreg’s analysis gets to the heart of the modern NBA’s toughest challenge. It is no longer enough to simply perform a predetermined, trained set. The increase in possession and tempo broke up rigid, scripted basketball. Every second of the recorded hour is now filled with dynamic movement, read-and-react situations, and spontaneous creation. Every second represents more forks in the road, and the players who can process these options the fastest will define the future of basketball.

Perhaps the most profound change Borrego identifies is the death of specialization.

“It’s not just scripted going down and running a pick-and-roll,” Borrego explained. “There’s a lot of movement in the game right now, and then more guys who can dribble, pass and shoot. Gone are the days of only one or two shooters on the floor. You have to consider more shooters, more floor space, but the biggest thing for me is the amount of decisions players have to make on the fly. That’s the biggest thing.”

Borrego emphasized that games are won between the ears as much as with the feet and hands. However, as things stand now, the last-place Pelicans will have several months to consider how they will attack next season after relatively falling short at the NBA trade deadline. The way forward isn’t just adding talent or tightening up a new coach’s rotations. It’s about accelerating how quickly young players see the floor, process strengths and act decisively.

In today’s NBA, physical tools get you on the court. The ability to make the right decision time and time again, possession after possession, is what will keep Yves Misi, Derrick Kralj and Jeremiah Fears in the NBA All-Star weekend talk.