Originally Posted by Tsukou
You have to remember that these aren't pro players, they are barely 15/16 years old, freshman/sophomore of high school. While it might not seem too relevant, it's very relevant in sports, because defense is something you gain through experience, and by simply continuing to play. It's not a skill you normally see young players heavily invest in because especially in team games, individual defense is influenced by team defensive schemes.
I mention this because the skill that Kuroko uses is very simple. If you've played basketball, you pay attention to the man you're guarding, and the person who has the ball. If the person you're guarding continues to stand there for a bit, it's normal to loosen up a little, and if you end up looking at where the ball is, it is very easy to lose sight of the person you're guarding, and by the time you look back at the person you're guarding, he's gone. Obviously this ability is being exaggerated a bit because it's an anime, but because they are young, it's a lot easier to get them to loosen up, and take advantage of that.
Obviously on the pro level Kuroko wouldn't be able to keep up, but it's not even college, but high school basketball. I say this only because it's an easy skill to believe. Even in pick up games, if you're good at reading who's guarding you, it's very easy to make them lose track of you. It also helps that I don't appear to be a good player, so some people will sag off me more. Honestly it helps me get rebounds, and get open shots. When playing with friends a lot of them notice that I get good position for a lot of rebounds, even tho I'm not that tall, and it's because I take advantage of these small slips of people's minds.
Someone like Kuroko who obviously honed this ability to the extreme isn't that surprising to me. It's not that he's disappearing, he's just going unnoticed, which allows him to do his thing. I just don't find it so unbelievable of a skill, it's just being able to subtly read people, and act accordingly.
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