Slam’s coming of age is at the novel’s center. In that sense, Slam! is a bildungsroman, a German term that in literature is used to describe a story that focuses on the mental or physical growth of the story’s protagonist; the term comes from the German words bildung (meaning “education”) and roman (meaning “novel”).

When the novel begins, it’s clear that Slam is a phenomenal basketball player and a deep thinker, but he devotes little energy to much off the court. Growing up in a tough neighborhood riddled with police sirens and drug addicts, Slam has learned to rely on himself to get ahead, always looking for ways to promote and advance himself without thinking how he might be affecting others. This attitude, though, makes it difficult for him to work with people around him. His outlook causes discord on the basketball team—he fights with other players, and he draws the ire of Coach Nipper, who initially sees Slim as a diva and doesn’t play him much because he refuses to buy into the system of team basketball—and earns him negative attention from his teachers, such as when Mr. Parrish accuses Slam in class of wanting to be nothing more than a corner guy.