You know, I was watching this PBA game the other night, the one between Phoenix and Rain or Shine, and it got me thinking about something we often overlook. We watch these incredible athletes make game-winning plays and think it's all about innate talent. But that final play, the one that sealed the deal, is almost always about something far more fundamental and, frankly, something any of us can work on. Kenneth Tuffin’s put-back with 0.7 seconds left wasn't just a lucky bounce; it was the culmination of countless hours spent on the most basic skills, sharpened to a razor's edge for that exact moment. The Fuel Masters didn’t win just because they wanted it more; they won because, in the chaos of the final possession, Tuffin’s body knew exactly what to do. That’s what separates good players from clutch players. It made me reflect on my own journey from a clumsy rookie in high school to a more competent weekend warrior, and I realized most improvement comes down to a systematic approach, not magic. So, if you're wondering how to improve your skills as a person playing basketball, whether you're aiming for a local league or just want to dominate the pickup court, let me walk you through a framework that’s less about vague inspiration and more about actionable steps, using that game as our living case study.

The scene was the Ninoy Aquino Stadium this past Saturday. Rain or Shine, sitting pretty in second place, was poised for another win. The game was tight, a back-and-forth affair that came down to the final seconds. With the score tied or nearly tied—the pressure was absolutely immense. A shot goes up, it misses, and in the frantic scramble for the rebound, time seems to freeze. There, amidst the forest of arms, was Kenneth Tuffin. He wasn't the primary option; he wasn't even the secondary. He was the guy doing the dirty work, positioning himself for the possibility of a miss. And when that miss came, with a mere 0.7 seconds on the clock, his hands were ready, his jump was timed, and his finish was calm. Phoenix snatched a 93-91 victory from the jaws of a potential overtime, all because of a follow-up. It’s a play that happens in gyms everywhere, but executing it under that spotlight is a different beast entirely. We see the glory, but we miss the thousand invisible repetitions that led to it.

So, what’s the problem most of us face? We practice shooting, sure. We do dribbling drills, sometimes. But our practice is often unstructured and divorced from game reality. We work on skills in isolation but crumble when we have to read, react, and execute in a split second, just like Tuffin had to read the trajectory of that missed shot and the bodies around him. We think improvement means taking 500 jumpers a day, which is great, but it's only one piece. The real gap is in applied skill — translating practice-yard competence into game-time production. We lack a holistic plan. We might have the physical tools but not the basketball IQ, or we have the hustle but not the fundamental technique to capitalize on it. Watching that game, I saw players who were skilled, but Tuffin, in that moment, was effective. That’s the distinction we need to bridge.

This is where our five-step guide to improving your skills as a person playing basketball comes in. It’s not my invention; it’s a distillation of what all great players do, often unconsciously. First, you have to master the non-negotiable fundamentals with obsessive detail. I’m talking footwork on rebounds—Tuffin’s pivot and box-out before that play were probably textbook. For you, that means spending 20 minutes a day, not on flashy crossovers, but on form shooting close to the rim, two-footed jumps, and triple-threat positioning. Second, develop a ‘game sense’ through film and observation. Watch not just the ball, but watch players like Tuffin. How does he move without the ball? Where is he when a shot goes up? I’ve spent probably hundreds of hours just watching role players, and it improved my off-ball movement by about 70%. Third, incorporate game-speed, high-pressure drills. Don’t just shoot free throws; shoot them after you’ve done a full-court sprint. Simulate fatigue. Fourth, work on one specific, weakness relentlessly each month. For me, it was my left-hand finish. I must have missed a thousand layups with my left before it became reliable. Fifth, and this is crucial, play against people better than you. You’ll get beaten, and that’s the point. The speed and physicality of that PBA game force decisions you can’t replicate in solo practice.

The beauty of Tuffin’s play is its simplicity. It didn’t require a step-back three or a highlight dunk. It required positioning, timing, and hands—skills available to anyone at any size. The lesson for us is profound: glamorize the grind, not just the glory. That put-back was the dividend paid on a long-term investment in boring, repetitive work. For my own game, this philosophy meant shifting from wanting to score 20 points a game to wanting to execute five specific actions perfectly: setting a solid screen, making the right pass out of a double-team, boxing out on every shot, closing out under control, and hitting the open shot when it comes. It’s a less sexy goal, but a far more impactful one. When you build your game on that kind of rock-solid foundation, you become the player coaches want on the floor in the last minute, the player who, like Tuffin, is in the right place at the right time because you’ve trained yourself to be there. Your stat line might not always show it, but winning plays aren't always in the box score. They're in the habits, and those are entirely within your control to build.