Paul Pierce Skills Academy: Discussing Paul Pierce's Star-Studded Camp

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Pierce was more involved in the camp than I would have predicted. He stressed to the players that in order to maximize potential you must go 100 percent in every drill, that it makes for better basketball if everyone on a team gives it their all on every possession.

Paul also explained to the participants that his camp was a valuable opportunity and told them that they should definitely take advantage of it. These camps are great because they allow the top players to compete against and with the top players in the country at their position.

He discussed how he did not have these types of camps to attend growing up, and talked about how he wishes he could have been afforded the opportunity to go to such a camp.

Pierce showed the players tricks that they could use that would help to benefit their games. There was one point where the players were doing a defensive denial drill and—every time—the offensive players were unable to get open enough to receive the ball.

Pierce stopped the drill and, with one quick step, showed the players how to efficiently get open.

He explained to the players that the offensive players should dictate the possession., saying that the key to his game was getting the ball where he liked and not where the defensive was trying to get him to go.

Watching Pierce's game, especially when he posts up at the foul line in order to receive the ball in his wheelhouse, it is easy to see that he means what he says about getting open. Getting the ball in the spots where Pierce knows he can produce is essential to his game.

Overall, the camp was a great experience and I was very fortunate to have been able to view it first hand. The things I liked the most about the camp was the players seemed to get along really well.

There was a great sense of good-natured camaraderie throughout the entire camp. Also, Pierce’s involvement in the camp was tremendous in the fact that he was actively working the players as well as himself.

The camp was really special, as the players got to learn first-hand from one of the NBA's greats.

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