Why is it that I find basketball plays so difficult to understand?

I'm 18 and i've been playing basketball since I was a little kid. For as long as I can remember i've always had a terrible time understanding plays, drills, etc... I'm an excellent shooter, runner, defender, and ball handler, but my inability to understand even the simplest of plays has always held me back. It's not my memory that's the issue. I can get A's without studying, I can memorize entire film scripts within hours, I can solve a rubiks cube in 1 minute, and I'm generally able to understand complex problems. This leaves me puzzled as to why I can't seem to wrap my head around a simple basketball play. However, it's clear that my sense of direction is completely lacking. I literally have gotten lost 5 minutes away from my own house. I gather that these two problems are somehow related. What can I do to improve my comprehension abilities?