The Myth of Players not having Mental Toughness

[sammichoffate]

They're in the NBA, the best basketball league in THE WORLD. Everyone in the league is mentally tough, they have to endure so much physical conditioning and pain. Not to mention all the shit they get from others who have no understanding of what they're going through at all. There's a reason for only having 450 roster spots each year, not everyone can get in. Granted, there's a bunch of dumbasses who shouldn't be in the NBA because of their dumb behavior on/off the court. I just find this myth of being a "mental midget" too far-fetched at times whenever I hear it from some asshole on this board. :confusedshrug:

[SouBeachTalents]

They're in the NBA, the best basketball league in THE WORLD. Everyone in the league is mentally tough, they have to endure so much physical conditioning and pain. Not to mention all the shit they get from others who have no understanding of what they're going through at all. There's a reason for only having 450 roster spots each year, not everyone can get in. Granted, there's a bunch of dumbasses who shouldn't be in the NBA because of their dumb behavior on/off the court. I just find this myth of being a "mental midget" too far-fetched at times whenever I hear it from some asshole on this board. :confusedshrug:

I disagree. Look at some of Wilt's playoff performances, LeBron in the 2011 Finals, Nick Anderson in the '95 Finals, the 2000 Trail Blazers, etc. Mental toughness plays a bigger role in sports than you'd think

[ralph_i_el]

Their mental toughness is relative. Sure they're way tougher than the general population, but they are playing against other extremely tough individuals.

Some players are more mentally tough than others...fact.

Compare David West to Nick Young

[played0ut]

I agree that everyone in the NBA are competitive and have a level of toughness (you're playing in front of a massive arena and millions on TV).


But there are different levels of toughness, of people so competitive they'd die to win. Jerry West played with Baylor, Wilt, against Russell, etc.

He said amongst the toughest competitors he'd put himself, Kobe, Magic, Russell, Bird, and MJ on it. It's that consistency and focus which separates all-time greats from legends.


Check it;

MJ in just the 3rd game of his career (a ****ing regular season game):



In the third game of my career, we were playing Milwaukee and we were down 16 points going into the fourth quarter. People started to leave. That was their whole attitude. The game was over. I'd never experienced people leaving a game like that. It was something new. Everybody at North Carolina stayed until the end of the game, out of respect to the team.

Most of my teammates in Chicago had adapted to the fans leaving and just figured, The game must be over. I'm saying, No, it's not over until there are triple zeros on the scoreboard. I got a burst of energy and started to lead the charge. I got the opportunity to prove it's never really over. We came from 16 points down to win the game. That's when the city of Chicago started to say, OK, something's starting to happen, something is changing. There's no give-up in this kid, no matter what. He's going to keep fighting and fighting and fighting until we win or lose. That's how my first season went. That was the biggest plus for me when we made the playoffs that year.

http://www.cigaraficionado.com/webfeatures/show/id/One-on-One-with-Michael-Jordan_6189


How many people would just give up or play half-heartedly after being down that much in the 4th? Hell, the Heat gave up this year and it was the FINALS, not a regular season game like MJ! :eek:


(Jerry West also led a comeback from 16 pt deficit in the 4th [still lost, but never gave up]) :applause:

[moe94]

Their mental toughness is relative. Sure they're way tougher than the general population, but they are playing against other extremely tough individuals.

Some players are more mentally tough than others...fact.

Compare David West to Nick Young

What makes Nick Young not mentally tough? Is it because he's carefree?

[sammichoffate]

What makes Nick Young not mentally tough? Is it because he's carefree?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUOOR-_2pSU
^ Case and Point.

[SCdac]

Some players got it, some players don't. Sometimes it rears it's head, sometimes it doesn't. Some times it takes time to develop, some players got it from the beginning. My point is, it's not black and white, and players can change for the better or worse through out their career. Think of a player like Dirk or Lebron who failed but came back to overcome it. Also, keep in mind, "mental toughness" or lack thereof is largely a reaction to physicality, as basketball is very physical and combative.. versus, say tennis where no one touches each other. Bruce Bowen was relentless at pushing offensive player off of their favorite spots, he got into their head via pesky defense.

[tmacattack33]

Nah, its somewhat real.

Some players are so good or are so good at their niche that they can still get in the NBA even if they are not mentally tough and mentally stupid.

Derrick Rose's low IQ was not gonna prevent him from getting to the NBA.

And Westbrook's low bball IQ wasn't gonna prevent OKC from drafting him.

[Kvnzhangyay]

OP :applause: :applause:

[TheMarkMadsen]

Jr Smith is in the nba so he must be mentally tough.

[NuggetsFan]

It's overblown. Same with other things like leadership. People don't see what goes on beyond closed doors. Alot of what comes out are puff pieces and more for entertainment. Alot of what's said in interviews, personalities etc. are either marketing tools, being covered up, just shit there taught to say. You don't get to see who's mentally tough a day before the big game.

That being said you deff get to see it on the court sometimes. LeBron against Dallas for example was a mental meltdown that anybody with eyes could see. It wasn't just a bad string of games, lack of talent, it was all pressure. Some players who consistently rise or fall in the final minutes of games make it pretty obvious too. Ray Allen for example seems to have his head on right, Gilbert Arenas in his prime was another dude who could thrive in the moment. Kobe is a guy who clearly doesn't care on the court and has no problems going after it with 20 seconds on the clock.

[NuggetsFan]

Jr Smith is in the nba so he must be mentally tough.

That's basketball IQ which is pretty obvious. J.R Smith just has no basketball awareness. He doesn't know the right plays to make and when to make them and that combined with his aggressive playstyle = complete mayhem when he's on the floor.

[ProfessorMurder]

People are too willy-nilly with calling players mentally weak. There's a difference between missing a shot and choking. Just because someone hasn't won a championship doesn't mean they're weak.

Like people calling Ewing a choker for missing that floater against the Pacers. He just missed. It happens.

People criticize Malone against the Bulls. When he had the ball stripped he was being guarded by Rodman, and Jordan doubled him. That's two of the best defenders ever.


People miss shots, other teams are better, shit happens.

[Harison]

Everyone is different, same applies to mental toughness, and it doesnt matter what sport or work-field, especially when it not pre-requesite for the job.

By OP logic, Dwight is as tough as Oakley :confusedshrug:

[Soundwave]

It's real and having it is as much of a talent as someone having a 40 inch vertical or one guy simply having a better mid-range jumper than another guy.

Anyone who's played basketball at any reasonably competitive level (whether it's even just high school basketball) can tell you mental toughness and talent aren't mutually exclusive. Just because you have one doesn't guarantee you having the other.

People deal with stress, fear, and doubt in very different ways.

It's not only true of basketball, but virtually every other sport we see athletes who have displayed considerable talent, but also display a habit of folding/disappearing in difficult or high pressure situations.

[Jailblazers7]

People are too willy-nilly with calling players mentally weak. There's a difference between missing a shot and choking. Just because someone hasn't won a championship doesn't mean they're weak.

Like people calling Ewing a choker for missing that floater against the Pacers. He just missed. It happens.

People criticize Malone against the Bulls. When he had the ball stripped he was being guarded by Rodman, and Jordan doubled him. That's two of the best defenders ever.


People miss shots, other teams are better, shit happens.

Yeah, I think people are too quick to call a normal play choking. Some stuff is clearly choking. Peja airballing that 3, Nick Anderson crumbling at the line, etc. But a lot of the times its just a basketball play that didn't turn out the way you would hope.

[TheMarkMadsen]

That's basketball IQ which is pretty obvious. J.R Smith just has no basketball awareness. He doesn't know the right plays to make and when to make them and that combined with his aggressive playstyle = complete mayhem when he's on the floor.

No, Jr Smith in general doesn't have any mental toughness.

This dude was involved in the death of his friend, pleads guilty 2 years later, temporarily changes his name + promised he's matured & had grown up..

And still acts like a dumbass on & off the court to this day.

Edit: he ran a stop sign which ended up causing an accident which led to the death of his friend.

Prior to this he had been involved in a wreck & had amassed numerous speeding tickets.

Dude is a moron

[NuggetsFan]

No, Jr Smith in general doesn't have any mental toughness.

This dude was involved in the death of his, pleads guilty 2 years later, temporarily changes his name + promised he's matured & had grown up..

And still acts like a dumbass on & off the court to this day.

Being stupid doesn't = mental toughness. J.R Smith just seems like a really unintelligent guy. One of the players who you don't need to know personally or see what happens behind closed doors to see that he's probably really stupid in every area of life.

A player can be a complete moron off the court, and make awful choices yet still be mentally tough on the field/court or whatever.

I wouldn't call J.R Smith mentally tough or soft. Don't think he has the basketball IQ or understanding of the game for mental toughness to really have an impact. Dude's jacking up the shot or making a bad pass because that's what his game is, if it goes in or not is simply a talent thing.

[ralph_i_el]

What makes Nick Young not mentally tough? Is it because he's carefree?

When the going gets hard, Young just chucks deep shots. He doesn't rebound even though he's big/really athletic for his position. He doesn't seem to care whats going on. More mature players get make him look stupid on the court.

[ProfessorMurder]

Yeah, I think people are too quick to call a normal play choking. Some stuff is clearly choking. Peja airballing that 3, Nick Anderson crumbling at the line, etc. But a lot of the times its just a basketball play that didn't turn out the way you would hope.

I was going to say the Nick Anderson free throws, or Starks' free throws against the Pacers when Reggie did his 8 points. Moments like that where other players even acknowledge "He wanted no part of that moment."

Most of the time, being willing to take the shot and taking the shot show you're strong enough to handle the outcome... Unless you get a drive and kick or something when you're not expecting it or you're the third option on a play.

[JohnMax]

Chris Paul is an unusual case. He's a mixture of both.

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[Magic731]

They're in the NBA, the best basketball league in THE WORLD. Everyone in the league is mentally tough, they have to endure so much physical conditioning and pain. Not to mention all the shit they get from others who have no understanding of what they're going through at all. There's a reason for only having 450 roster spots each year, not everyone can get in. Granted, there's a bunch of dumbasses who shouldn't be in the NBA because of their dumb behavior on/off the court. I just find this myth of being a "mental midget" too far-fetched at times whenever I hear it from some asshole on this board. :confusedshrug:
It's like player skill. They are in the NBA so they must be good at basketball? Let's get serious, Kendrick Perkins is still shit.