Both hustling and being physical is two of the most important aspects of basketball. These two thing often decide the outcomes of games. However, playing this style of basketball results in a lot of hard falls. You may notice when basketball players fall, their teammates come over and help them up. In this post, we’ll explore the reasons why players get helped up and the importance of teammates doing this for each other. Let’s get started with a short concise answer to the question.

Basketball players often help their teammates up after a hard fall as an act of sportsmanship and camaraderie. People often forget that basketball is a team sport, and helping your teammates up every chance you get builds team chemistry and shows the opposition that your team is unified.

This isn’t the only reason though, below we’ll go over some other common reasons why basketball players are helped up.

Other Reasons Basketball Players Get Helped Up By Their Teammates

Below we will give you some other less talked about reasons why basketball players are helped up by their teammates.

When You’re Really Tall, It’s Hard To Get Up After a Fall

When you’re a 7 foot player and you dive on the floor, it’s not easy to get back up. It takes longer for them to stand up and it can be a struggle for them. Teammates running over and helping taller players up helps the taller players preserve their energy to put back into the game.

Gives The Player Who Fell a Quick Breather

When you just dove on the floor for a loose ball, you deserve some time to sit and catch your breath. By waiting for your teammates to come scoop you up, you can get a quick breather and then be ready for the next play. You’ll often see players just lay there and wait to get up, even if their teammates are standing over them, some players wait to raise their arms for the help.

Much Easier On The Knees

Often times falling on the floor will require you to turn over and get up off of your knees. Knowing first hand how basketball could take a toll on the body, especially your knees, it makes sense for players to get up with the help of their teammates. It’s much easier on your knees to have some extra help getting off the floor and back onto your feet. If you really think about it, over a span of a 10 year career, getting helped up instead of turning over and getting up off of your knees can really make a huge difference over a span of time.

Most Coaches Make It a Requirement

Most coaches make it a necessary requirement to have your teammates backs no matter what. If someone gets fouled hard, you better be running over there to help them up. If someone falls on the floor, you should be looking to get them back up as soon as possible. Coaches know the importance of setting a good example and helping your teammates up no matter what.

I remember specifically, my freshman basketball coach in high school would get mad if we didn’t run over to help our teammates up.

When You Fall You Leave Sweat Underneath You

Most players in an intense game build up a very big amount of sweat and when you fall on the floor, that sweat will be underneath you. If you try and get up yourself after taking a dive, there’s a high chance you could slip and fall, risking a potential injury. That’s why after every single fall in the NBA, you see employees running out there and mopping up the spot of the player that fell. This is done to reduce the risk of players slipping and falling again.

What Are The Most Common Ways Players Fall In Basketball?

Now we know the main reasons why teammates help each other up when they go down, we’ll go over the most common reasons players do go down.

Hard Fouls

When driving to the hoop, players often get hit with fouls that knock them off balance and send them to the ground. This is probably the most common reason players fall.

Going For a Block

Sometimes when you’re going to block a shot, you can often times lose your balance and fall in the process.

Tripping Over Other Players Feet

It could be over the defences feet, or even your own teammates feet. Tripping over other players feet can easily send you to the floor.

Diving For Loose Balls

I think everyone could appreciate players who dive for loose balls. This one is by choice. It’s extra important to pick up teammates who dive for loose balls because they are putting their body on the line to save a possession.

Defenders landing under your feet while contesting a shot

Sometimes it’s very hard to try and block a jump shot without landing underneath the players landing spot. While shooting, sometimes it’s hard for the defender to judge where the player is going to land and this can cause them to land under his feet, causing an unpredictable fall.

Slipping

If the court doesn’t get mopped up properly, it can cause players to slip and fall. This is why cleaners are always running around with mops during time outs. However, they don’t always get all the sweat which could result in a potential slip.

What Are Some Other Things Basketball Players Do To Help Out Their Teammates?

There are many other ways basketball players help their teammates, whether it’s on the bench or in the game. Some of these include:

Communicating On Offense And Defense

Building camaraderie with the gesture of helping each other up is good, but another way to build a strong bond with your teammates is by communicating. Making everyone feel as if they have a role to play and that their voice matters, creates an environment of trust and team spirit.

High Fives After Free Throws

Another common thing players do when it comes to helping their teammates is to give high fives after free throws. You’ll often realize that no matter if a player misses or makes a free throw they will give high fives to every player on the court. This is another camaraderie building thing that happens within a team and that most coaches encourage.

Thanking The Passer

Coach Dean who is the former coach of North Carolina came up with this along with John Wooden. Often times, players who score get the most credit, which could lead to a very selfish brand of basketball. Coach Dean and John Wooden came up with the idea of thanking the passer. Every time a player makes a pass that leads to an assist, it’s essential for the scorer to thank them and acknowledge their contribution.

This makes playing unselfish basketball easier for a team, because something that usually would go unnoticed is more and more being recognized.

Encouraging and Motivating Them Off The Bench

Even if you’re not in the game, you can still encourage your teammates off the bench. You could cheer when they do something good, and you could also send them some encouragement when they make a mistake.

Being There For Them Off The Court Too

Many coaches set up off the court events to allow players to get together and build some more chemistry away from the game of basketball. These events are good because it allows teammates to bond and get away from the game for a little while, which is healthy to reset their minds.

These are just a few examples of how teammates could help each other out. Building team chemistry is probably the number one thing you could do when trying to create a successful team.

In Conclusion

So as you could see, the main reason players help each other up in basketball is because they are supporting each other more than anything else. Many people think it’s because basketball players are soft, but in reality it’s because they understand the importance of helping a teammate out. Another sport you see that comaraderie is in soccer, where players will often help each other up after a hard tackle.