Mark West (@mwest41) is the Vice President of Player Programs and is also an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns of the NBA. His roles focus on the business of basketball, player relations and development and community representation. As a player, he competed for 17 seasons in the NBA, six with the Suns, helping them reach the 1993 NBA Finals. He currently ranks third in NBA History in field goal percentage.

In this clip, West urges coaches to give their athletes a rough guideline to follow, but not rules, so they can make their own decisions along the way. They may make mistakes, but as long as they’re using their “creative juices” they will succeed in the end. Players need to be fearless on the court and can’t look back at the decisions, good or bad, they made in the past. It's up to a coach to provide enough structure for success, but to avoid overcoaching so creativity can take over.

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