That's what I am trying to be, just trying to affect the game any way possible, rebounding, getting a block, or trying to get a stop even when your shot isn't falling, because, at the end of the day, all that matters is whether you win or lose.
I'm busy working on every aspect of my game - defense, shooting, rebounding - but I really want to become a better overall team player. Help my teammates become better players out on the court in order to win more ball games.
I feel like the off-season, for me, is not about getting on court and trying to improve or get better. I want to completely step away from the game and, like, really just enjoy my time at home.
Whenever you are coaching, you are trying to get the most balanced team that you can: balance between defense, offense, and rebounding.
I'm just trying to establish myself, play the game the right way with my teammates, have fun, make the right plays, and get adjusted to the pro game. It's different from college. It's a little bit faster, so I'm just trying to get as comfortable as I can on the court.
In going for the last shot of the game most people wait too long to take the shot. Give yourself a chance to get the first shot and tap the ball in. Your players are normally inside the defense.
I'm going to find my minutes to do something really well to help my team. Whether that's pushing the ball really fast down the court and trying to beat them up the court, rebounding at the guard spot, or something else, I'm going to get in there and do it.
Every game and every minute you get to step on the court is an opportunity to feel more comfortable and get better.
I really wanted to step up my defense night in, night out. So that's my mindset, just playing defense and trying to be consistent with that.
Some people get very confused about my game. They think it's better if the court is slow, because I have a good defence. But the faster it is, the better for me. My spin is more painful for my opponents, my aggressive game works better.
It's not just passing, I gotta play defense, I gotta rebound, I gotta talk, I could have 40 and not talk and not bring energy. But it's just trying to have an all-around game, just trying to be the leader I can be, get the pace up.
Last year they came in and won the game; that's how I would define it. Revenge is never on our mind. What's on our mind is playing defense, rebounding, taking care of the ball, and running our transition game.
I just want to go out and play the right way, make sure I get my teammates the ball and then also bring the energy on defense. That's something that I know I can do each and every game, whether my shot's falling or not.
I don't get a big charge out of being the leading scorer. The object of competing is winning. I just try to do what has to be done for us to win. That might be anything at the time - defense, rebounding, passing. I get great satisfaction out of being a team player.
We have to get better at that. All of the Stanley Cup winning teams throughout the past few seasons, when they needed to play defense, they did it. If you can play defense, that's when you know it's game over.
I always look to get better in all three aspects of the game. I know I can keep getting better.