monsterpile wrote:AbeVigodaLive wrote:WolvesFan21 wrote:I thinks it's mostly mental wether they will reach their potential or not. Some guys are ultra competitive. Michael Jordan for instance. Guys that will just pretty much 24/7 only work on getting better at basketball. Kawhi Leonard, another good example.
Other guys, I don't think they have that desire so they won't work as hard off the court making themselves better. Nor on the court, they won't play with high effort. So obviously, if player A works 6 hours a day practicing, working out, studying film while player B puts in 1 hour. It's not hard to figure out why player A is an All Star while Player B is whoever.
Let's not forget some of these guys are very young.
And incredibly rich. If I was rewarded with tens, or even hundreds of millions of dollars, doing things my own way... and was financially set for life beyond my wildest dreams... would working extra hard be automatic?
Depends on the person. I totally understand why some young players can get complacent. Imagine your own job... and getting paid almost immediately like they are. Would you really work the same way?
Good points. I'll also say I think there are guys that work hard that don't get it/make it. It's not that simple either. To be honest if I asked myself how hard I work at it for whatever it is that I do...
Also it's worth mentioning here that mental health is a factor in a bunch of different angles of a player/prospect's journey. Something may come up they had no idea about before. What about a life event like a family member dying in a tragic way?
These athletes are human. I'd also guess a few guys simply end up not being able to handle the pressure they end up facing as high level professional athletes. To some extent I don't think there is any shame in that.
True. We can't even compare ourselves to them in many situations.
I didn't grow up wealthy. I grew up middle income... enough that I didn't have to worry about meals or clothes. My parents paid half for my first car. All that stuff.
Some of these guys lived desolate lives off the court, with little or no legit parenting or money. Imagine going from that to millions within a few years. I was a "relative" knucklead at 21 years old. That meant I went to class (mostly) and stayed out of trouble while chasing booze and skirts.
No idea what I'd have been like without the solid parenting and support... and with $40M+ in my pocket.
