James: European youth training focuses on skills and reading competitions. American youth training only allows children to play basketball

Today, Lakers forward James' podcast program "The Brain of the Field" aired in the tenth episode of the second season, with James, Doncic and host Nash talking about many topics.

James and Doncic discussed the differences between European and American players' youth training systems.

Doncic: "Yes, I still think Real Madrid is unique. But the situation in Europe is similar. We don't play five games a week. On weekends, we only play one or two games at most. Most of the time is training - and I like that very much. At the beginning, we do a lot of technical training - basic training about 30 to 45 minutes. Then we play various different types of games: four to three, three to two, two to three. You have to learn to read the game and react. In Europe, the focus is to learn how to understand the game."

James: "That's the biggest difference between European basketball youth training and the United States. European basketball focuses on skills and basic training, while American basketball is more inclined to let children play more games. Many children's skills and basic skills are not fully developed here, they are just playing continuously. As Luca said, they sometimes practice playing so-called ‘Odd basketball’. Four-on-three, three-on-two, when two defensive players pressed me, I knew that our team had the advantage of numbers. Instead of reading the game like that, many of the kids here thought they had to try to break through double-team scores. This mentality prevented them from really understanding basketball. Playing in this way allows you to go through junior high school, high school and college, and some even manage to make it to the NBA. But to be an excellent and outstanding player, to inspire your teammates, yourself and you The family, motivating the game, being able to be in that kind of band, I think that's the difference between European youth training and here we are. I think it's a lost art here."

Doncic: "When I was 15, I had a coach who was very strict with everyone - both the main and the substitute. At that time I started training with the first team. In Europe, especially in Real Madrid, the focus is not just on cultivating me personally, but on the development of the entire team."