Alright, so today I figured I’d share a bit about how I go about, you know, putting together my thoughts on a player. It’s not some super scientific thing, more like a collection of observations over time. Let’s use Andrew Wiggins as the example, since he’s been on the radar for so long.
When I first started really paying attention to Wiggins, way back when he was at Kansas, the hype was just massive. You couldn’t escape it. So, my first step, like with any young guy getting that kind of buzz, was just to watch the games. Not just highlights, but full games if I could find them. I’d sit down, maybe grab a coffee, and just try to get a feel for his presence on the court.
What I noticed pretty quick with Wiggins was, of course, the athleticism. I mean, the guy looked like he was built in a lab to play basketball. Smooth, effortless, could jump out of the gym. That was the immediate takeaway. So, point one in my mental notes:
- Elite physical tools.
- Crazy bounce, good speed.
- Looked like he could score whenever he wanted.
Digging a Little Deeper
But then, you start looking beyond the obvious. For me, after seeing the raw talent, I try to observe the consistency, the motor, the little things. And this is where, with early Wiggins, I started to have some question marks. He’d have these stretches, these games, where he was just unbelievable. Taking over, hitting tough shots, making it look easy. Then, other times, he’d kinda… drift. You’d wonder where he went. It wasn’t a lack of skill, not at all. It was more like, when would he flip that switch and keep it flipped?
So, my process involved a lot of watching and re-watching. I’d look for how he reacted to physical play, how he moved without the ball, his defensive engagement. Those were the areas where, early in his NBA career, I felt there was room for growth. It’s easy to get caught up in the scoring, but building a complete picture takes more than that. I remember thinking, “Okay, the offensive talent is there, no doubt. But what else is he bringing consistently?”
I never really write formal reports for myself, it’s more of a continuous mental file that gets updated. With Wiggins, that file got a significant update when he landed with the Warriors. It’s funny how a change of scenery, a different role, and maybe a different team culture can impact a player.
The Shift I Saw
Suddenly, I started seeing that defensive intensity more regularly. He was tasked with guarding the other team’s best perimeter players, and he was doing a heck of a job. He wasn’t just the ‘scorer’ anymore; he became a crucial two-way piece. It was like all that potential, especially on the defensive end, started to really shine through in a way it hadn’t, or at least not as consistently, before.
My observation process then shifted to: how is he adapting? How is he contributing to winning in this new role? And what I saw was a guy who embraced it. He wasn’t the number one option anymore, not always, but he found ways to be incredibly impactful. That championship run they had? He was a massive part of that, and not just because of his scoring.
So, yeah, that’s a peek into how I go about it. It’s a lot of watching, a lot of comparing what I see to what the initial expectations were, and seeing how a player evolves. Wiggins has been a fascinating case study, from the initial massive hype to becoming a key cog on a championship team. It’s a reminder that player development isn’t always a straight line, and sometimes it takes the right situation for everything to click. It’s been quite the journey to observe.
