#SLOE: People's Basketball Sim League

Training Day is coming fast.
How well do you understand training players to the next level?
What can you share with the rest of us about how to develop talent through the weight room?
What do you look for in players with potential for growth?
How do you encourage it?

Rules: 1 point if you give thoughtful answers, which I will award after the timer ends for responses. The timer ends for responses at the moment the corresponding week's Sim is run.

Note: Use approximately 5 sentences as your bare minimum for 1 point. If you write 3 long, complex sentences, you'll still get a point. If you write 5, 3 word sentences, you will not get a point. Don't @ me.

Due: Deadline for Sim 7

How well do you understand training players to the next level?
I'm pretty good at training at this point in my GM career. I had several players pop in the old league and Sam Bowie benefitted from extra work in the gym this iteration of the league.

What can you share with the rest of us about how to develop talent through the weight room?
If you are currently tanking and waiting on players to grow, focus on athleticism. The efficiencies will improve and once they hit their ceilings their game is just that much more elevated and ready to compete. If you are already in contention, just focus on currents because you need the help now. I'm not a big fan of that approach but then again I've never been in contention yet in sim league.

What do you look for in players with potential for growth?
Players with high athleticism scores trump high currents for me. The sky is the limit with athleticism so I enjoy working on those kind of projects.

How do you encourage it?
Draft em, trade for em, sign em in UFA.

How well do you understand training players to the next level?
I like to think I have a fairly decent understanding for training players. Especially when it comes to defense. I took a young team and trained them to be a top 3 defense for a few years so hopefully I can replicate that with some more offensive training in the future.

What can you share with the rest of us about how to develop talent through the weight room?
My biggest piece of advice for training I can give is to figure out what the identity of your team will be and focus on that. Obviously it is ideal to build a well balanced team but it's better to take a year or two to develop one side of the ball and then develop the other side (unless of course, you find star players in FA/trades)

What do you look for in players with potential for growth?
I think the answer to this question is within the question. I look for potential growth. Does the player have the ability to get better in certain aspects of their game or have they reach their potential already? If I'm a young team, I want players who have the ability to develop for a few years. If I'm competing now, I want players who have reached their potential and can be seen as a win now type player

Mike Lowry wrote: Thu Dec 11, 2025 2:16 pm Training Day is coming fast.
How well do you understand training players to the next level?
What can you share with the rest of us about how to develop talent through the weight room?
What do you look for in players with potential for growth?
How do you encourage it?

I think I understand training. I don't think I understand what other teams are looking for. I have fallen victim to the "I sank 25 points into him so you don't have to" trap a number of times.

How should you develop talent through the weight room? Spending massively to improving stars isn't the way to go. They already have high potential ratings, meaning they are very expensive to improve, and since they're already great, you're only getting marginal gains. The key is to find a non-star - the guy who is a solid bench player - and invest in him to bring him up to a very good player. The difference between a starter and a bench guy is usually a hole or two in his game. Plug the holes.

For growth, I look to young guys. I generally try to stockpile them knowing that the TC gods bless and curse with wild abandon. You have to take enough shots that the TC gods give you blessings - but that also means there are going to be even more of your guys smitten. It's kind of like turbo-Darwinism. You cut or trade the smitten and you hang on to (and insure) the blessed. Paid training is for filling holes. Offseason training is for prayer.

I don't think my success with training boosts has as much to do with my efforts as it does with my scouting.
I tend to value young players with strong athleticism, and I agree with K100 that athleticism contributes to ability to increase potentials.
I think many players come into the league that way, with either strong potential attributes or athleticism.
My belief is that it is more likely to add skill than athleticism through training so if I can start with bounce, and speed, and strength I just need to add the right push and they will take off.
I also try to focus training to address team needs.
I think players are willing to step up when their turn is called, and they'll take big jumps when the opportunity is there to move from backup to starter.
I mostly am not afraid to turn my roster over to create opportunities for development.
And I agree with Wig that for every success I probably see three dead bodies.

How well do you understand training players to the next level?
I know the basics. I don't often train my players. Usually it's very expensive to train them. I don't often have a alot points. Usually I rather scout during UFA. Players that have already been trained and established by other GMS. With the goal to steal them from other GMs.

What can you share with the rest of us about how to develop talent through the weight room?
Speed kills. I like to build my roster with speed. I try to increase my players QKN's. Therefore, increase the pace on my offensive. With the goal of getting my opponent tired when playing against the Cavs.

What do you look for in players with potential for growth?
PSD, PRD, QKN, and INS attributes. If I see the potential on the mentioned attributes, I tend to focus on players during the UFA and during the draft. My goal is to signed players with minimum C potential on PSD, PRD, QKN, and INS if possible.

How well do you understand training players to the next level?
I'd say I'm pretty ASTUTE in this area of the game at this point in my GMing career... having only done it for like 78 seasons or so.

What can you share with the rest of us about how to develop talent through the weight room?
QKN for C's doesnt really change much from a current/potential rating. However if you have a wing/guard, training from high 50s into low-mid 70s will provide an incredible boost in potential and current ratings. If you are looking for a cheap way to get a player to jump, that can do it. JPS and INS are big jumpers for offensive ratings.

What do you look for in players with potential for growth?
Depends on what I'm trying to do to be honest. Lower/Middle strength guys theoretically will put on STR during TC naturally, so you can always count on some athleticism growth there. But I think for me, slower wings with good PRD are always great training candidates since PRD + QKN is a good combo. If a player has high PRD but low QKN, upping that QKN into the 60s/70s will make a player look much better (from a color rating perspective).

How do you encourage it?
A firm pat on the back and "go get em, tiger".