Mind the Game - Why the Midrange Still Matters

Episode Date: May 13, 2025

Welcome back to another episode of Mind the Game with LeBron James and Steve Nash. Today we’re diving into the divisive midrange shot. In a world of 3-pointers and lay-ups where does the mi...drange fit in and who should be taking them? From Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to James Harden, we also dive into the midrange masters of the NBA and how the shot has evolved over time. Thanks for watching and listening to Mind the Game and be sure to follow and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 I want to put Start the Blender on a hat. Start the Blender. Let's go. 20 years ago. Chanting. Start the blender. By the way, you know the funny thing is. Every time I play international basketball, we play against Serbia, we play it against all these other countries.
Starting point is 00:00:14 And Amy and there, all the type of chance. Like going crazy, no matter if they're up 20, no matter if they're down 20. Welcome back to Mind the Game, presented by Uninterrupted and Wondery. We're still in Indiana. Having a great time here discussing the game. This episode, we dug into the mid-range. It's so common for people to think the mid-range has left the game of basketball. which is actually not true.
Starting point is 00:00:54 It's only part of the truth. So we talked about the positive and the negative of the mid-range and why the mid-range has never been more important. Now let's get to the episode, we hope you enjoy it. You know, one of the things I wanted to talk about is a mid-range shot. We talk about it so much generally, right? We talk about it.
Starting point is 00:01:17 I think the average fan knows like the mid-range shot's gone away, three-point shot in a bunch. in abundance, but I'd like to dive into, like, some more, like, if not truth, some context. And, like, where are we with the mid-range shot? Why is the game gone the way it's gone? And I think we've talked about this. We've talked about this a little bit before, but, like, to start it off with some context, when I came in the league, I came into a team with three or four power forwards who couldn't shoot past the elbow, you know,
Starting point is 00:01:47 that played on the block, right? The game was completely different. you know nowadays those guys don't exist right those players are out of the league they're either small ball fives or they had to be like more skilled playmaking perimeter players so there's some context here one the evolution okay why why did we go away from the two bigs the power forward throw it in the post the center could be high in the parking lot the way the old rules were when i came in the league with guys lifted you know we took that out we took out the you know the the lifted players were the legal defense rules now the illegal defense 2.9 in the
Starting point is 00:02:21 lane, a little bit more of a hybrid towards international college ball. We also change the physicality. You know, people can no longer hit with the forearm, hold, you know, all the things they used to do. So now the game is faster and more fluid. You know, we talked about a little bit about our seven seconds or less teams and we opened it up. We played four out or five out at times, you know, as a precursor.
Starting point is 00:02:44 And I know they did that in Orlando, with Dwight, Stan did that on those teams. And some of these teams started to figure out, like, we did. you know, we got to play differently. But really what's happened here is that now everyone, I think the conversation largely talks about, for the average fan, we don't shoot mid-range shots anymore. We've taken them out. That's not true. It's not true.
Starting point is 00:03:04 Role players don't shoot mid-range shots anymore. The role player in our league nowadays has to be able to guard multiple positions, it has to be able to make threes. And it's a bonus and growing if they can attack a close-out and start the blender. So that is what's happened here. I'm going to make the argument now, and I want us to talk about this at length, that the mid-range shot has never been more important for your creator, because teams are obviously going to try to take away, the rim and the threes. So let me think of a number. Now, depending on your model, but a few years ago, it was made aware to me that just the numerical value of a mid-range shot.
Starting point is 00:03:47 So the average points for possession, like I think this year, the average points per possession in an NBA game for the entire league is like 1.14. There was like 14 guys in the league who shot 1.14 efficiency from the midrange. 14, right, out of 400 some players. So the value clearly is not a high value shot. Right. But really what that's saying is that it's not a high value for your non-creator. Okay.
Starting point is 00:04:16 So I want to talk a little bit about, like, teams know the number one values a layup, number two is a free throw, number three, really, probably offensive rebound, threes. All right, offensive rebounds because you got a chance at a layup, you've got a chance at an N1, you've got a chance of free throws, or. Or you got the chance of a defense. Defensive is closing games, right? Threes. So for anyone who thinks there's too many threes, I'd like to know your take on this. That's never going away. and it's not because we don't take mid-rangees anymore.
Starting point is 00:04:48 Like, think about it. Luca, SGA is going to have, Shea is going to have the best mid-range year of ever in the NBA, something like 60% on like 15 mid-range shots again. This is likely MVP, if not number two MVP race, having an unbelievable season, and he is shooting more mid-range shots than anyone else. But the key is, like Janus, who's picked up his mid-range game,
Starting point is 00:05:18 Yokic, elite from the mid-range, you know, KD, Luka, whoever these guys are, top players, you know, what they are not doing is stopping driving the ball of basket. So, Shea's still an elite, maybe the leader in drives, right? Same when push comes to shove, you, Luca, Yolkich, trying to get to the rim. Correct. So it's not, I'm going to settle for mid-range shot. These are elite players taking the ball to basket, taking threes,
Starting point is 00:05:46 but the defense also is going to say, we can't let him get in there. What do you do now? So that's where these mid-range shots are never more valuable from your creators. No, for sure. And the one thing about the creators, we're going to hit all three levels. And in order to be able to hit all three levels, it gives your teammates even more opportunities to do what they are out there. there to do, you know, by either extending the defense to the three-pong, okay, we're not going to, you're shooting 10, 12-3s a game? Well, now we're going to extend our defense. We're not going to
Starting point is 00:06:22 allow you to shoot the threes. But we're also going to protect the rim. But the creators in our game have always worked on mid-ranges, either if it's mid-range pull-ups, mid-range floaters, you know, turning drives into back-downs, you know, to be in the mere range. Like, you know, for me in particular- Even mid-range post-ups. You know, you get a lot of guys in, you know, your former teammate, Dirk mastered the nail, ISO, you know. And at the time when Dirk was in his prime and doing his thing, it was, yeah, I can get it all the way to the rim. I can back you down from here. Or I can face you up and shoot.
Starting point is 00:07:02 No dribbles. Use all my footwork. Use all my pivots. And I'm going to keep the defense so at. at bay and off balance that is always going to work to the benefit of our team. And that's what it is. I think, you know, like you said, the common fan will say there's no mid-range in the NBA anymore. It's just fast breaks, layups, threes, and free throws.
Starting point is 00:07:30 But it's absolutely, absolutely not true. It's not true. And I think, like, it's just important. And maybe this is something that a lot of people are like, that's that makes that's obvious but I think a lot of fans you know it goes all these swings want me no more mid-range shots like where would the nicks be without jalen bronson in the mid-range you know where would like Oklahoma City like that's the solve that's the solve for people taking away the rim taking away the threes you know I think there's some numbers on
Starting point is 00:07:55 on Shay where he's elite elite elite elite and pick and roll the number drops precipitously when they double him so think about this they're playing four on three now they have a great team They have a great team. They have a great team. They can put the ball on the floor, pass, shoot, make plays. You know, maybe this is largely when Jaylon Williams is off the floor. But when he gets doubled, they go to like one point per possession from like elite, elite, right, or below one point possession.
Starting point is 00:08:26 So it shows like that should lead to threes and layups when you're playing four on three. Yeah, for sure. So his ability to exploit that space in the middle and still be elite is based on the fact that he is a three level score, like you said. level score, like you said, and that without that, they're not efficient. And they're not the number one team in the West. And you can say that about a lot of the top players in our league without them because teams are going to take away the rim, they're going to take away the perimeter, the threes. Especially in the postseason, when things become even more doubt in and strategic about
Starting point is 00:08:57 the game plan and you have, you know, throughout the course of the regular season, if you're playing against a certain team, you have a shoot around me. Maybe, and then you have a pre-game 20-minute conversation to prepare for a team. Maybe. You know, in the postseason, you have days and days and days to be able to prepare and also be able to still prepare throughout the series, you know, to be able to lock in on personnel, lock in on Keyes, lock in on what we want to try to make you do. So if you have these three-level guys,
Starting point is 00:09:37 that can keep the defense, no matter what you try to implement, you take away the three, I get to the mirror range, you take it to the mirror range, I could get to the hole, you try to press out too much, now I can draw files,
Starting point is 00:09:50 I can get the team into the bonus, so now when we start the blender, I've gotten our team into the bonus, we start the blender, now my teammates are able to be successful too off close-outs. Now they're playing a four-on-three game. Like you said, if it's okay C,
Starting point is 00:10:04 and Shays getting blitz in the pick-and-roll, and you're hitting Jaden Williams in the pocket, or you hit Alex Caruso in the pocket, you're at the mercy. You know? Yeah, if you're playing Boston and you're doubling Jason Tatum and you're hitting Drew Holiday in the pocket,
Starting point is 00:10:22 now this guy is... It's a point guard. He's a point guard making four on three reasons, things he's been doing his whole career. So it's like, it is very key. And the mere ranges, I think, is very, very key to the success of, of great teens.
Starting point is 00:10:38 For sure. There's another element of it that I think is really important also to understand is like the math is the math. Like I 100% agree that the mid-range shot is low value. Like I said, let's call it like
Starting point is 00:10:49 a just a concept, but like if only 14, in the teens out of 400-something players are efficient versus league average possession, it's not a high-value shot. Okay. But there's a human element on both sides of the ball
Starting point is 00:11:05 that I'd love to hear. your take on. One, if you know, as most defenses do, we want to protect the rim. We want to take away threes, romp your off threes. But if Shay's punching your lights out with mid-range shots, it gets frustrating. You're human. It gets frustrating as a defender. You're human. And so what happens is, you may not even leave the game plan, but you're leaning. You know, you're thinking instead of playing, being instinctive. And so there's the human element defensively, which I'd like to hear, how you can break teams a little bit by getting them out of their defense by picking people apart here. And then the other side is offensively, like a lot of players get their rhythm in the mid-range.
Starting point is 00:11:48 You can't, and like I've talked to some coaches in the league who, you know, have been in the league for, you know, 20, 30, 40 years. And they always say you always want to find a way to get your best player's shots. And a lot of times that's just spacing, get them go one-on-one, get to their spot. but how can you say I want to get them a shot I want to get them a buck and then say oh but by the way
Starting point is 00:12:09 don't do these ones don't do these ones like you know like could you imagine like I mean when I coached like I would have loved Katie to take 8 10 12 freeze a game
Starting point is 00:12:18 and he's capable just rising up over people but he gets so much rhythm and confidence from the mid rage and he's such an assassin in there like it's a it's a big change
Starting point is 00:12:30 that you're probably not always going to net out on the positive right and you can say that about a lot of guys in our league that top top players that they know hard dribble feet set up in the air when you get that one to go every other shot it's their rhythm is there right it's their rhythm it's their rhythm you can't take away the guys rhythm because the numbers speak for the masses it just can't happen you know it just can't happen and to go back to the first point
Starting point is 00:12:59 the first question as far as the defense like you have to be able to live with something Yes. You know, and, but definitely it takes a, like, discipline. It takes a lot of discipline. Like,
Starting point is 00:13:12 when you, when you go into a game and say, okay, we want to give up contested twos. Like, if we give up contested tools and they make contested tools, then you tip your hat to them.
Starting point is 00:13:22 And, you know, but it's just certain guys. Yeah. That are literally assassins at contested twos. Shee being one of them. Demar de Rosen being. one of them, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irvin, these guys are...
Starting point is 00:13:38 Those are layups. They'd much rather you contest than not contest. It's literally their rhythm. You know, and it's a challenge for, you know, a player when you're guarding these guys and you say, shit, I just made him take a contested too. And he keeps making it. And you have to realize, you're like, why, I'm not making him take contested shoes. Yeah, right.
Starting point is 00:14:03 is what he wants to do and you just got to hope he missed and you hope that as a as a you hope that it wears you hope that it wears over time you know to where you know fourth quarter come around maybe because you've been doing things offensively maybe putting them in actions you know maybe you know being a little physical with them up and down the court and you hope that towards the fourth quarter maybe that contested to that was going through the first three quarters maybe becomes a little short. So it's definitely a mind fuck for you, you know, as a defender. And then also at the end of games, you know, the analytics, you know, in many scenarios becomes less important. Yeah. Points are points. Points are points. Get a bucket. Right. Like
Starting point is 00:14:49 we're talking two, three, four minutes left. You don't have the opportunity to always pick and choose your shot profile. No, you do not. Right. Especially when the responsibility is on your shoulders to carry this team home. If you're finding space in the mid-range, which obviously, teams are going to try to run you off the line. Teams are going to try to pack the pain at the rim. They're also going to try to spray out on being on a string if you fire it out. So sometimes you, as the lead guy, you have to have the confidence to stop, pull up,
Starting point is 00:15:16 make those shots because a bucket is a bucket when you get down the stretch. Absolutely. It's a very nuanced conversation. It is. It's a nuanced conversation. One of the other things I was thinking, and I think you're like some ways. You can play many different ways. But the one outlier here, and I think you're like, at times your profile when you want it to be can be like, can mirror a little bit is James Harden.
Starting point is 00:15:37 So when he was at his best, like there was, it was rim, free throws, grip of free throws, fooling everyone. You know, unbelievable downhill ability with size, athleticism, crossover, playing on the perimeter, the stepback threes, and then the floater. which you know like is debatable like some of those are probably mid-range shots but he he was so good at the floater too that he didn't take really you know those right right
Starting point is 00:16:08 like I can't think of many more you know at times Steph can be a little bit like that although he'll never devoid you know he's just so good from three and running off and then defense makes a mistake or overplays it's getting to the pain you know you can do that when you want to but you also obviously love the mid post
Starting point is 00:16:24 or elbows wherever you needed to play against a certain team different eras even, but it is fascinating to think, like, how, what it says to me is how hard it is to stick to that shot profile. Yeah. Like, it's almost impossible. It is. Like, James is, like, the one kind of outlier that lived off that.
Starting point is 00:16:40 And no offense, because he's still great. But as he's not quite as explosive anymore, he's taking more middies. Yeah. Right? Like, what does this all say to us about a million shot, right? Right? Yeah. How hard it was for him then, and how, what an outlier he was, shot profile-wise?
Starting point is 00:16:57 as an efficiency to now when he's not quite the same athlete still to you know an all-star caliber player right but he's getting taking more middies right it shows like one it's almost impossible right that profile too and then when you got to get your team a bucket you can't just say i'm not shooting these so it goes back to like like the creator has to have the freedom to make and take those or i don't think you can well i mean you just said i mean you can't you can't have the the name of the creator, if you're not going to let me create. And that is, you can't give me a blank canvas, but then tell me, you can't paint over in that corner.
Starting point is 00:17:38 Right, right, right, right. I can't be a full artist then. How can I fully reach my potential as a full artist if you're going to, if you're going to lower me on how much I can use the canvas to paint? This episode is sponsored in part by American Express. American Express has taught me that finding the perfect restaurant is a lot like finding the perfect play. It's all about timing, research, and sometimes a great recommendation from someone you
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Starting point is 00:20:23 or terminology that we use in the NBA, that you may not be familiar with, and that is a three-level score. So essentially a three-level score who's someone who can shoot from deep, score from the mid-range, or score at the basket. I think that's all you need to know in this episode. Hopefully you learned something new.
Starting point is 00:20:39 And of course, as always, I hope you enjoy mind the game. Please like and subscribe. And then we both had this responsibility to close games. At the end of the game, you gotta create for your team. You wanna feel in control, right? You know the feeling. You know when you don't have it, when you're like, for whatever reason,
Starting point is 00:20:56 the rhythm, the matchups, the defense, you know, who they're not guarding, whatever maybe you throw something, a wrench in there. You're trying to find control again, right? You know, that was important for me was to be able to find control by finding a midi or two, finding the soft spot in the defense,
Starting point is 00:21:13 getting some separation from someone making it too, okay, I'm back. Like, so the human side of the responsibility of your top players to win a game down the stretch, want to feel in control. Can you talk about that feeling a little bit? When you're not in control. Both. Both. Yeah, I mean, obviously we both have been, you know, very blessed to be in that position to be in control of late game situations, games that come down to the wire. And it's definitely a great feeling when you, like you said, have that
Starting point is 00:21:43 control and you know, if I go to this set or if I run this, if I get spacing, I know exactly how this is going to pill out. I know exactly how it's going to peel out by whatever action that I do, I know the reactions You win your matchup and then there's a domino effect, you know, and that's a beautiful feeling.
Starting point is 00:22:04 And like you said, sometimes every now and in, you're out there and you like... Yes. It doesn't feel right. Right. It doesn't feel right either from I'm not in a rhythm or you know, you might have
Starting point is 00:22:19 a teammate out there that's not in a rhythm but he's on the floor and you figure, okay, where do I put him to be able to be best for the other three guys? Or the defense has been, you know, they've been nagging me all game. And I don't quite have a feeling. But still, the ball is in my hand. I still have to make a play. You know, and it's like, where do you get it from? And you just, you get it from past experiences.
Starting point is 00:22:45 Yeah. You get it by trusting the work you've just put in. You know that no matter what type of rhythm you've been in, what type of game you've had that you mentioned earlier, the 10,000 hours have been put in. Not saying that you're going to hit the game winner, not saying that you're going to actually make the fucking play that makes you guys win.
Starting point is 00:23:14 There's times where even with the 10,000 hours, you may have a costly turnover. you know you plenty you know plenty yeah plenty you may you know feel like okay this is the shot that I finally felt the good rhythm and I got my feet up underneath me and and it didn't go in you can have the feeling and not win right but you want the feeling right you want the feeling I will much rather have the feeling good and bad yes just gives me the feeling let me try to figure yes that's all you know it's a it brings back a lot of memories I think also like you also when you that responsibility, you build up enough scar tissue, you know that I can still make the
Starting point is 00:23:54 play. I can still make the play. I haven't made any. But that takes time. That takes mistakes. That takes failure. And it takes like the mentality of I'm going to keep going. I'm going to step up again. It's almost like you have to have that wear that badge of honor. I'm willing to fail. I'm willing. I've had a terrible night. I still have got to step up and I fail again when it counts in this game and be able to go back in the locker and hold your hand up. The next game ready to do it again. If you have that mentality, you build the scars. No question. You're able to overcome the tougher times. No question. Get right back out there. And then before you know it, like I always felt like for me there became a time in my career or close games down the
Starting point is 00:24:32 stretch, it felt like a drug. Like I, you're on it, you're everything's vibrating. You just feel at home. Like now we're really playing and you're almost like you're a character, you know, like you feel like powerful in a way. Like this is what I've been waiting on. Right? Right. The rest of the game, The rest of the game, you're playing and you're competing, but then it gets heightened in those moments. And I think that has to be developed through time and scars and failure. And if you have the right approach, you speak a little bit about, and I know it's a little bit off the midrange, but it all boils into the human element, the psychology of it, a little bit about your way of getting through the early part of your career. I mean, you had a lot of success early. You definitely have failures when you're young.
Starting point is 00:25:13 Yeah, absolutely. I think the most important, like the most important thing for me early on in my career was just the, the feeling of not wanting to let people down. I had to get over that. 100%. You know, you don't know quite how to handle that emotion. It's like, oh, shit, if I miss this shot, I've let a lot of people down. Or if I make a bad play, I let so many people down.
Starting point is 00:25:41 I think once I got out of that and it took years sure like it took years for me like even like my my second time in the finals like my first year with the heat like I wanted to win so bad that I also had the fear of letting so many people die yeah I came here we put this thing together and if it doesn't happen I'll let so many fucking people down and the hours that I put into my crap The commitment that I gave to my craft wasn't even like, it wasn't even the thought, which should have been. It was more like, oh, shit, if I go out and I make a mistake, I let them down. If I go out and fuck up, I let him down. Instead of just like going out there and just be like, who fuck gives a fuck? They don't care.
Starting point is 00:26:34 Right, right. You are in the position because of that. And you are, and if you do, So be. And you still feel bad. Yeah, you don't get it done, but now you have the resolve
Starting point is 00:26:49 to push through the next time I'm doing the same thing, right? It's interesting, it's funny because I think, I think I'm probably butchering this, but I think the Chinese call it a paper tiger, I think the Buddhists call it a double arrow, and it's basically, you know,
Starting point is 00:27:01 Mark Twain has this quote, like I went through an awful lot in my life and some of it actually happened. It's like our reaction, right? It's our reaction thing. So you're a reaction. not to all the work you've put in. You're reacting to the perception.
Starting point is 00:27:15 Yeah, you're the perception. I don't want to let people down. I think we're similar in that way, whereas I think other people like, I don't think Kobe gave a shit. I don't think that's what part of his brink. I don't think Michael gave a shit. Like that's a part of their brilliance.
Starting point is 00:27:26 You know, in a way, you know, other people we had to get the scars through that stuff, right? And so I was the same way. I think you perseverate on the negative rather than I'm building towards something here. I'm building towards something here. I'm putting in the same thing here. the time, rely on the work, don't rely on the perception, you know, this false reality.
Starting point is 00:27:48 And I think it's funny. I mean, we're getting into the mind here a little bit. Yeah, for sure. I mean, mind the game. The game. No, I mean, but I agree. Like, it takes, like, you know, like the best teacher in life is experienced. And it just takes, it takes time. It takes time for you. Depend to everybody is a different individual. Everybody's mindset and the way we're wired. Our wiring are all different. And it takes time for, it takes more time for certain individuals to get to that point to be able to have that. You need the scar tissue built up and able to, and able for you to be able to be able to person veered through. That's right.
Starting point is 00:28:24 And it took me time, you know, six, seven, eight years into my professional career to finally get to a point where even if I did kind of zone out a little bit, I knew, okay, exactly how to like, okay, I know how to get back in there. I know how to get back into the rim of things. Like it was a flick. Refocus right away. Refocus. Oh, I've been there before. You've been there before. Okay, what is it that you can refocus?
Starting point is 00:28:49 You know what I'm saying? So I think it took time for where, you know, for me to get to that point. But I think it's an experience, man. We all will get to a point, you know, for the younger generation ballplayers, when you guys coming up, men and women, you wouldn't know when that moment is for you. That it just clicks. and you be able to go about it that day, that night you're playing. You can only lean on that.
Starting point is 00:29:16 You can lean on that. And no matter if you win, lose, or draw that game, you know, if you're putting that position the next night, okay, boom, I know what to do now. That's right. And if it don't go all that way, okay, we play again in two days. I'm ready for that moment. We all get to the point where we feel it, we know it,
Starting point is 00:29:34 and we know how to handle. How did you handle, I remember earlier in your career, and used to take criticism for not taking the last shot when you made the right play. Like, how did you handle that? Because that always bothered me. I was like, I mean, he could force something right now. He's drawn two and a half defenders
Starting point is 00:29:52 or he can make the right play. Like, how did you navigate all the noise versus being true to who you are, which is a basketball player plays with intelligence, feel, what makes the right read. I just stayed true to what got me to that point. Like, I knew I was taught the game the right way as a kid because when we won we worked it worked it really worked like
Starting point is 00:30:18 I realized that like when I got into the NBA I won three state championships in high school and when I I thought it was something that like all NBA players did I thought like if you were one of the best players in the world or you're one of the best players on your high school team like you should be able to win a state championship right right and I got to in the NBA, and there was a lot of guys that never won a state championship, that never won aAU national finals, that never won. And I was like, oh my goodness, I absolutely was taught the game the right way. And we all succeeded and have fun doing it. Like, it brought so much enjoyment to be able to play the game the right way. I never averaged more than 30 points in high
Starting point is 00:31:08 school. I think my highest average was like 27, 28, I believe. Sure. I know for sure. Because it wasn't about that. Yeah, it wasn't about that. I could have averaged 50 points a game if I wanted to, probably my junior and senior year. But it was never about that. It was about how can I maximize my teammates? How can I get the most out of my teammates in order for all of us to be successful? And we came here to win state championships or we came here to win AAU tournaments and AAU national championships, like, and I felt like in order for me to win ultimately in the pros, even though it's a different level, I couldn't give up the essence of what made me fall in love with the game and how I was taught, even if the criticism,
Starting point is 00:31:54 like it still goes on. Like, it happened in the 2020 finals when I played in the finals. And, you know, I had an unbelievable game in one of the games to close out the heat in the finals. You know, I drove the ball, two or three defenders came, and I found Danny Green wide open for three, and he missed it, and we went to a game five, I believe, or game six. You take it every time. And I'll take it every time.
Starting point is 00:32:18 I take it every time. And people were like, why didn't you take the shot? He should have took the shot. There you go again, passing a shot. Never been there. Yeah, it's never. You know, it's one of the, you know, I don't know the quote verbatim, like, but Thierre Wolseville.
Starting point is 00:32:34 Headline. You know, the man in the arena. The man in arena. It's like one of my favorite quotes about being mirrored with dust and everything. And it's always the guy that's not in the arena is the wine that's the loudest and talks to loud. But you've never stepped foot in an arena. So how can you ever challenge what I am doing? It's like, you know what?
Starting point is 00:32:55 It's a cool, I think I talked before about like the little ingredients along the way that make you who you are. You don't know why, but this thing ended up being really important later. It's like, you know, if you just look at your profile as a high school player, like essentially big, as strong, as fastest, most athletic kid out there. But you still were taught the game the right way and valued playing the right way. Because if you had it just been, score, score, score, score, score, score, you'd have ever been LeBron James. I would never been who I am. Right.
Starting point is 00:33:24 And I also don't think I would have played this amount. I would never play this amount of years either. It's a great point in that you constantly change. changing how you're playing. You don't have to have the ball all the time. Your numbers are like MVP caliber numbers, but it's not with the ball all the time. You're adapting and playing.
Starting point is 00:33:44 I don't think you can do that if you weren't someone that tried to play the right way all the time or were single-minded on scoring, you know, one-dimensional, right? There's many facets, many dimensions. I've said it before with you here. Like, with Luca having the ball, you know, a lot of the time,
Starting point is 00:34:01 your willingness to speak base intelligently, to cut intelligently, to scream intelligently, to play out of the short rule. Like, not everyone is willing or able to adapt. Yeah, and that's what I hope that like a lot of the people get, you know, from all conversations, watching me play, like, you don't have to be the leading score on the team or you don't have to be the guy that's handling the ball all the time in order to make an impact. Or you can be that guy early on and then be able to have a growth mindset.
Starting point is 00:34:40 Like, it's okay to still be able to make an impact at a high level and change your game over the course of time. Advice, you develop into. If you don't play the right way, have the right motives, it's harder to evolve into a better, like a winning player.
Starting point is 00:34:59 I think that's a big word, winning. No, I agree. Winning players, winning players, winning players, yeah, for sure. Like, just having that mindset that I am willing to do whatever. You know, I am willing to grow and be uncomfortable in order for me to still be successful and be, you know, a thing on the team. Uncomfortable is a great word. Like, that's, you know, another way to say it is like, what are we avoiding? yeah right as human beings but also as athletes that we should always be our young players always ask
Starting point is 00:35:37 yourself what am i avoiding what do i not want to do because it's uncomfortable because it's out of my comfort zone it's not something i identify with don't let your you know this perception of your identity ruin being a winning basketball player yeah oh that was that was don't let your perception of what you think your identity is ruin yourself of being a winning bat. That was a bar right there. We got to have to put that shit on the hoodie.
Starting point is 00:36:12 Yeah. We got to have to put that on a hoodie right there. That was amazing right there. I think it's good? Man, we are good. It's a good shit, bro. Yeah, I don't really have any. You gotta do average.
Starting point is 00:36:32 You gotta do that. You gotta go rest. Put your feet up. I'm gonna get something to eat. I'm gonna go to the hotel. Keep my feet up. There you go. Thanks for watching Mind the Game.
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