Hundreds of clips of NBA superstars and role players working out with popular basketball trainers have circulated on social media over the past couple of years. These videos shared a glimpse into the unseen hours of these players and the trainers responsible for honing their craft.
Perhaps, for many players, hiring a good professional basketball trainer can make all the difference between surviving the league for several years and making a name for themselves. However, former NBA point guard Andre Miller begs to differ, expressing heavy skepticism about using such coaches to become a better basketball player.
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Talking to Matt Barnes on his podcast, “All The Smoke,” Miller argued that most of the things players practice in the gym with these personal trainers do not necessarily show up in a typical NBA game.
“You know, we all students of the game. We all know the game,” the NBA journeyman said. “To me, it just don’t translate.”
Rise of NBA trainers
With the help of social media, basketball trainers have risen to prominence in recent years. Names like Chris Brickley, Drew Hanlen, Alex Bazzell, and DJ Sackmann, among many others, barged into the training scene, working out with NBA megastars, such as the late Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, Carmelo Anthony, Trae Young, Damian Lillard, Joel Embiid, and WNBA stars like Candace Parker.
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These trainers offer a tailored approach to players’ skills training, using specific drills and workouts that focus on fixing or improving certain areas of their game, be it on offense or defense. Trae Young once hired a trainer to improve his defense, while Klay Thompson used one to help elevate his ball-handling skills and rim-finishing.
Despite his doubt, Miller acknowledges the work NBA trainers do to build their businesses.
“I have a lot of respect for the trainers,” he said.
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Miller also clarified that he does not believe that the whole concept of training with skills coaches is entirely useless, expressing his approval of the defensive and physical workouts they do.
“You know, it’s great. You see them working on moves, bumping into bodies. The one part that I do like about training is players when they get like four or five guys to play defense and they making moves, I like that kind of stuff,” he said.
Miller likes it old school
Over the course of 17 NBA seasons, Miller played in 1304 games for nine different teams. He averaged 12.5 points, 6.5 assists, and 3.7 rebounds throughout that span.
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He played in an era that prioritized team basketball, a brand of hoops epitomized by the San Antonio Spurs, a team he played for at one point in his career. This is a far cry from what he sees in the league today, where players rely heavily on individual-centric basketball.
Miller believes that training with NBA trainers promotes the concept of one-man team basketball.
“But just like the individual stuff. It’s cool but I’m kinda old school,” he said.
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He added that a remedy is playing good old-fashioned hoops at a local gym like they used to.
“Like go find a 5-on-5, man. If you 6’4″, 6’5″ and under, man, go to 24 Hour Fitness, to the short gym and get up and down and get used to working on your craft in the 5-on-5 setting,” he said, “I’m not playing for no trainer. I’m not paying no guy to train me on some moves.”
Like all NBA players, Miller reached the highest level of basketball by making it to the NBA, a feat these trainers never achieved. This is why the former Denver Nugget’s skepticism is justified.
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Practicing with personal trainers works for many players. However, Miller does not want to buy into the whole concept, remaining a firm believer in his traditional basketball philosophies regarding practice and becoming a better and more well-rounded basketball player.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 13, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.