tpols
10-28-2016, 12:33 PM
link (http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/page/Grit-in-the-NBA/grit-nba-stephen-curry-grittiest-player-nba)
Redefining grit
A former consultant for McKinsey & Company, Duckworth became intrigued by the notion of grit when she was working as a math and science teacher and trying to figure out why talented students didn't always succeed and seemingly less-talented kids sometimes did.
Duckworth's answer, eventually arrived at while working toward a graduate degree in psychology, was grit. Her version of the term, summarized in her recent New York Times bestseller "Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance," isn't quite the same as the one used traditionally in sports. Instead, Duckworth defines grit as "passion and perseverance for long-term goals."
The concept gained scientific rigor when Duckworth tested West Point cadets using the "grit scale" she created. Despite not having a relationship with academic achievement in high school or SAT performance, grit proved a better predictor of which cadets would drop out of grueling basic training.
The definition translates well to sports, where all athletes are going to have to persevere through setbacks at some point in their careers because of their passion to compete.
Curry's progression demonstrates how he has epitomized grit in multiple ways. As a prep player, he had to ignore doubts about his ability to overcome a small frame to be a contributor in college -- famously not getting a scholarship offer from an ACC school -- let alone in the NBA. Having established himself as an NBA player, Curry subsequently had to deal with the setback of recurrent ankle injuries, resulting in surgery that limited him to 26 games during the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season.
All the while, Curry kept improving his shooting, ballhandling, finishing and defense. As I noted during the 2016 NBA Finals, Curry has developed more late in his career than any other superstar in league history.
Even after he'd reached the pinnacle as a champion and MVP during the 2014-15 season, Curry came back better in 2015-16. Last year was Curry's sixth consecutive season of improving his win shares per 48 minutes, according to Basketball-Reference.com, tied with role players Jay Humphries, Thabo Sefolosha and Sedale Threatt for the longest streak ever to start a career.
During the media conference honoring Curry as MVP last season, Warriors coach Steve Kerr highlighted Curry's work ethic.
"I think what makes you special, Steph, is obviously you've got a lot of God-given talent, but it's the determination, it's the love for the game," Kerr said. "There is no agenda, and every day you come in and you work."
Later in the media conference, Curry's advice to kids hoping to learn from him sounded a lot like Duckworth's definition of grit.
never thought about it like that, but theyve got a point.
Redefining grit
A former consultant for McKinsey & Company, Duckworth became intrigued by the notion of grit when she was working as a math and science teacher and trying to figure out why talented students didn't always succeed and seemingly less-talented kids sometimes did.
Duckworth's answer, eventually arrived at while working toward a graduate degree in psychology, was grit. Her version of the term, summarized in her recent New York Times bestseller "Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance," isn't quite the same as the one used traditionally in sports. Instead, Duckworth defines grit as "passion and perseverance for long-term goals."
The concept gained scientific rigor when Duckworth tested West Point cadets using the "grit scale" she created. Despite not having a relationship with academic achievement in high school or SAT performance, grit proved a better predictor of which cadets would drop out of grueling basic training.
The definition translates well to sports, where all athletes are going to have to persevere through setbacks at some point in their careers because of their passion to compete.
Curry's progression demonstrates how he has epitomized grit in multiple ways. As a prep player, he had to ignore doubts about his ability to overcome a small frame to be a contributor in college -- famously not getting a scholarship offer from an ACC school -- let alone in the NBA. Having established himself as an NBA player, Curry subsequently had to deal with the setback of recurrent ankle injuries, resulting in surgery that limited him to 26 games during the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season.
All the while, Curry kept improving his shooting, ballhandling, finishing and defense. As I noted during the 2016 NBA Finals, Curry has developed more late in his career than any other superstar in league history.
Even after he'd reached the pinnacle as a champion and MVP during the 2014-15 season, Curry came back better in 2015-16. Last year was Curry's sixth consecutive season of improving his win shares per 48 minutes, according to Basketball-Reference.com, tied with role players Jay Humphries, Thabo Sefolosha and Sedale Threatt for the longest streak ever to start a career.
During the media conference honoring Curry as MVP last season, Warriors coach Steve Kerr highlighted Curry's work ethic.
"I think what makes you special, Steph, is obviously you've got a lot of God-given talent, but it's the determination, it's the love for the game," Kerr said. "There is no agenda, and every day you come in and you work."
Later in the media conference, Curry's advice to kids hoping to learn from him sounded a lot like Duckworth's definition of grit.
never thought about it like that, but theyve got a point.