Has a lazy/unmotivated player ever "gotten it"?

[panthermark]

I've been thinking about different trades (Tony Snell and a 2nd rounder for Lamb) and certain types of players....and also reading the "project thread", and it got me to pondering.

Has a lazy/non-motivated player ever become motivated? You see all of these players who have wonderful tools and could be great, but seem to just not care enough to put in the work....does it ever work out?

[MagicMadness]

I'm guessing there are a few exceptions to the rule, but way more often than not the answer is either "no" or "kind of...for awhile".

[celtics543]

Not that he was lazy or unmotivated but Paul Pierce was definitely headed down the wrong path early in his career before "figuring it out" and becoming what he is today.

Shaq would alternate between lazy/unmotivated and unstoppable monster almost on a daily basis. Baron Davis was another one who seemed to alternate a lot unstoppable and lazy. A lot of it depends on what team the player is on.

[mastermixer]

Some say Gerald Green

[Imon]

Usually not.
This is why Beasley is in China.

[LoyalKing]

Boris Diaw

[tiderulz]

I've been thinking about different trades (Tony Snell and a 2nd rounder for Lamb) and certain types of players....and also reading the "project thread", and it got me to pondering.

Has a lazy/non-motivated player ever become motivated? You see all of these players who have wonderful tools and could be great, but seem to just not care enough to put in the work....does it ever work out?

i think it depends on the situation. Some players just need a fresh start somewhere else for whatever reason.

[Little Digger]

Draymond Green said when he first came to MSU he was lazy..Coach Izzo used to scream at him all the time to pick it up..Now Draymond is the heart of the best team in basketball..constantly yelling at teammates in practice and in games.

[Keith Van Horn]

Andray Blatche did... kind of... for a little while in Brooklyn. If he had his head in the right place, he would easily still be a rotational player in the NBA. He had great moments, and then moments that made you say wtf.

[Jeff Van Gully]

Zach Randolph

[PMFJB]

Zach Randolph

This is a very good one. Just goes to show you go from a toxic environment to a nurturing one and you can mature and excel.

[sonictecture]

I've been thinking about different trades (Tony Snell and a 2nd rounder for Lamb) and certain types of players....and also reading the "project thread", and it got me to pondering.

Has a lazy/non-motivated player ever become motivated? You see all of these players who have wonderful tools and could be great, but seem to just not care enough to put in the work....does it ever work out?

How do you determine whether a player is working hard enough or is motivated enough?

Jeremy Lamb has sleepy eyes, gives interviews like he is disinterested, glides in his movements on the court, but has put as much work as any other Thunder player on his game during his time with the team. So how do we explain his lack of production and playing time?

From my observations, Lamb is a guy that cares, he wants to fit in, he wants to play well for his teammates and himself. We can't say that Lamb hasn't been given some opportunities, but I do think that he has failed to fill the role that Brooks would like him to and that Brooks has been unwilling to grant him the larger role that many young players with talent get based on the goals of the team.

Lamb struggles with confidence issues on the court. He knows that if he misses shots he's going to get pulled, he knows if he misses a defensive assignment he's going to get pulled. He has very little margin for error, because his role is to add a little to the team, but more than anything don't hurt the team. Young players typically have to hurt their teams to develop in game situations. The thing that holds Lamb back on the Thunder is that he has not been able to defend at the level Brooks wants him to. I think this is a case of a player with some skill who isn't fitting into a defined role.

With Snell, you're talking about a guy who plays for a coach who historically uses tight rotations and sticks to them. If only 7-8 guys are playing major minutes thats 6-7 guys who aren't going to get playing time. Snell has some holes in his game as well, so he's losing time to guys who can dribble the ball and create for others or veteran shooters. I don't think Chicago would keep Snell around if he wasn't a hard worker.

[Higga]

Yeah Randolph was the first one to come to mind. He was always good but had the potential to be great. Now he's living up to it.

[sonictecture]

Boris Diaw

Good example of someone who came into the league and worked hard, found himself with a bad organization and stopped working, got a second chance with a great organization and started working again.

When we talk about motivation, how do we define it? To me motivation comes in many different forms:
Some players motivated by making a name for themselves.
Some players are motivated to get another contract.
Some players are motivated when they get enough touches.
Some players are motivated by being part of a winning team.
Some players are motivated by being the best player they can be regardless of circumstances.

[Jeff Van Gully]

Zach Randolph

This is a very good one. Just goes to show you go from a toxic environment to a nurturing one and you can mature and excel.

agreed. environment can have a LOT to do with it. that's why i don't love the concept of tanking. it is very difficult to breed a winning mentality in players who have resigned to losing. that's not just basketball. that's life.

though, i will say that z-bo showed signs of turning that corner in his last half-season in NY. but it wasn't until he found his place in memphis that we have really seen him work hard. he'll never be able to jump over a phone book. but he has worked hard on the mental part of the game.

[PMFJB]

Zach Randolph

This is a very good one. Just goes to show you go from a toxic environment to a nurturing one and you can mature and excel.

agreed. environment can have a LOT to do with it. that's why i don't love the concept of tanking. it is very difficult to breed a winning mentality in players who have resigned to losing. that's not just basketball. that's life.

though, i will say that z-bo showed signs of turning that corner in his last half-season in NY. but it wasn't until he found his place in memphis that we have really seen him work hard. he'll never be able to jump over a phone book. but he has worked hard on the mental part of the game.

Agree he and Jamal seemed to turn the corner that year before being shipped out by that overrated fraud Waslh for pennies on the dollar. But let's not derail this thread.

[MartyConlonJr]

Odom never sucked but was seen as unmotivated with Clippers, Miami was credited with maturing him.

DeMarcus Cousins had that moniker also and is possibly the best big man in the game now

[TigerInYourTank]

Drummond was considered lazy/unmotivated in college but arguably turned it on after playing in the NBA for several months. It's why he slipped so far to Detroit.

[sonictecture]

Zach Randolph

This is a very good one. Just goes to show you go from a toxic environment to a nurturing one and you can mature and excel.

agreed. environment can have a LOT to do with it. that's why i don't love the concept of tanking. it is very difficult to breed a winning mentality in players who have resigned to losing. that's not just basketball. that's life.

though, i will say that z-bo showed signs of turning that corner in his last half-season in NY. but it wasn't until he found his place in memphis that we have really seen him work hard. he'll never be able to jump over a phone book. but he has worked hard on the mental part of the game.

I'm not sure if Randolph's issues can be blamed on environment with Portland, when he was responsible for creating so much of that environment? Randolph came into the league as an immature individual who surrounded himself with family and friends that only told him how great he was. IMO Randolph improved as a player and a person due to maturity and a willingness to listen to voices outside his circle.

[sonictecture]

Odom never sucked but was seen as unmotivated with Clippers, Miami was credited with maturing him.

DeMarcus Cousins had that moniker also and is possibly the best big man in the game now

Good examples as both players slid in their respective drafts due to concerns over their maturity levels and work ethics.

Odom is an example of where you ask do people change. He came in to the league immature and without an NBA work ethic. Under a motivator and pusher in Pat Riley became the best version of himself, continued some of this version with the Lakers and eventually washed out of the league, before his time, due to personal issues and an abandonment of the work ethic learned.

Cousins comes into the league immature and without an NBA work ethic and struggles to reach his potential until a hard nosed/ motivator coach in Malone is able to reach him. Malone is fired and we see Cousins taking plays off again and a slippage in his overall play.

A key talent in player evaluations is determining which players are willing to work for the next 10-15 years and which ones want to do just enough to get by.