Teaching Point for Conkrete Playground: Understanding "Game Speed" and the "Mid-Range" Game
This breakdown challenges the common misunderstanding of "game speed" and exposes why so many players lack a real mid-range game. Using examples from John Wall to Sam Cassell, it highlights the importance of pace, footwork, and touch—key ingredients often left out of modern training. Mid-range isn't dead; it's just being taught wrong.
PRIME#BASKETBALLMINDSET#REALHOOPERSKNOWBASKETBALL CULTURETHE SCOUTBASKETBALL ANALYSISNBAKEVIN DURANTSHAI GILGEOUS -ALEXANDERSAM CASSELL
Prime
5/30/20254 min read
Let’s clear something up for trainers, coaches, and players alike: telling someone to play at “game speed” without fully understanding or teaching what game speed actually is… is a disservice.
Too often, players like John Wall and Anthony Edwards get knocked for not having a developed mid-range game—but that’s not about skill, it’s about pace. They, like Westbrook, operate at a high, explosive tempo constantly. That’s what many of y’all refer to as “game speed.” But that’s only part of the picture.
Take a look at Sam Cassell. He was a mid-range assassin—not because he played fast, but because he mastered when to change speeds. His version of game speed was tailored, controlled, surgical. The mid-range master himself.
Here’s the truth: Game speed isn’t just about playing hard and fast. It’s about playing with the right speed for the right moment. Experience teaches that. So does high-level attention to detail and film study.
The mid-range game is a dying art because too many are teaching it with a one-speed-fits-all mentality. That’s not how it works.
Look at the difference in pace and footwork between Wall and Shai. Westbrook and Brunson. Edwards and KD. Kawhi might move at half the speed of Russ, but he gets to his spots and rises with precision every time. Shai is surgical in the mid range with footwork, physicality and a pace that can't be sped up. He's unmatched with the total package, that's necessary to be as efficient as he is.
So here’s the takeaway:
Game speed is situational.
Footwork, pace, and touch are non-negotiables in the mid-range bag.
A transition pull-up jumper is not the same as a halfcourt mid-range pull-up. Shot mechanics, foot prep, and rhythm all shift.
We’re not giving away the full recipe here—some of this game costs—but this is a taste.
Mid-range is for everybody. The problem? Too many chefs out here don’t know how to cook it right.
Keep learning. Keep cooking. Conkrete Playground.
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Southeast’s Finest Makes Her Mark 💫Liatu King has officially signed a hardship deal with the Los Angeles Sparks, becoming the latest hooper from Southeast D.C. to touch the league! 🙌🏽 Born and raised in the heart of the city, a proud product of Johnson Jr. Middle School, Liatu is the first girl I ever coached—and now she’s a pro.
From tough courts in Congress Heights to this WNBA moment, her journey is everything Conkrete Playground stands for: grit, growth, and greatness. 💪🏽 She joins UCONN Assistant Coach Jamelle Elliott as another legend from our same neighborhood and school, proving that Southeast doesn't just produce talent—we produce greatness.
In this week’s edition of The Scout, Conkrete Playground breaks down the game of NBA All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, one of the most instinctive and refined guards in basketball.