A lesson I learned long ago, that I still am working on putting into practice is the principle of the team. This morning I was reminded of that when a story was brought to my attention featuring Kevin Durant, one of the most promising and impressive players in the NBA.
You can read the story here.
To sum it up, it goes like this: Kevin Durant is the best 20 year old in the NBA. Check that, he is one of the best ever (only nine have reached the same statistical level at his age, ever: LeBron James, Magic Johnson, et al.) But his team performs much better when he is off the floor, than when he is on it.
The reason, according to the article of the author, is that his pick and roll (a classic basketball teamwork move) is very shaky. Often he will not pass efficiently, or he will take a shot he could have easily passed for a statistically more probable bucket. What this boils down to is this: Durant trusts his shot (which is amazing) over his pass and his teammates. But the stats prove, this distrust is his current downfall.
Likewise, I need to keep working on my pass. I need to help those around me make the easy buckets.
That is where I am this week.
