Jose Alvarado calls out players who rely on athleticism to make it to the NBA but don’t really love the game of basketball
Basically ayton
I think Ayton loves basketball, he just doesn’t love effort.
The thing is, everyone that does love basketball knows how hard it is just to dribble. I started late like 10 so the memory is clear.
It’s painstaking, takes repeating it and practice, then you learn how to move with it. Then you learn how to control it with both hands. That basically starts you over bc you’re teaching your other arm how to do it. Then you learn how to move without looking at the ball.
Every skill takes a long time to learn to master. If you love basketball, you love that part too. For some people it’s easier than for others, but still takes a while to master.
I think part of it is that many people have a much higher tolerance for learning as a kid then as an adult. As a kid, Ayton likely found it genuinely exciting to learn the fundamentals of the game. Kids are easily amused, I used to rewind the VHS tape for Monsters Inc and would watch it like 4 times back to back without pause as a kid. Now he’s a jaded multimillionaire and that childlike joy is gone.
Are you also a jaded multimillionaire? Do you still watch Monsters Inc?
he mentally checks out by the time they bring the kid back through the door. His hearts just not in the game anymore.
He’s also extremely tall. How early did that become the centerpiece and hard to break habits developed
Yup even if you are talented and gifted it takes practice. Lots of it during your own time alone or with one or two assistants/ helpers.
Look at the drills Steph Curry does for dribbling and shooting or Ray Allen did for shooting or dribbling drills of Peyton Pichard. We are not even talking about Kobe level of insanity.
Maybe Ayton needs do similar customized drill to improve his catching the ball and hand eye coordination. But I feel like he isn’t someone that will do that. He is more of do bare minimum or just enough.
For a lot of people, they cant fathom that basketball is work after a certain point. And a lot of people balk when they get to the point where fun stops being fun and just becomes a job
I saw him play in hs against Josh Jackson and he had Jackson almost in tears. But the way he played was so aggressive and angry and I just never saw that person again after he got to college
Ayton loves the idea of Ayton
Zion (fat man)
Thats not fair the dude loves to hoop, he just also loves other things too (jambalaya)
BBLs
The weakness of most men. When its done right you cant even tell. But women just want it as big as possible which is the mistake.
That isn’t costing him BBALL
No lies told here. He definitely does love the game though.
porn stars
TIL eating a blooming onion is called “hooping”
can a man have two loves in one lifetime?
He loves to hoop but I dont think he loves the game
Zion has basketball skills they you only get from working on your game an LOT
I’m saying lmao. If Zion was just athletic he’d be Coen Carr. Just disrespectful to Zion. One of the best college freshman off all time. While he was an otherworldly athlete, He was insanely skilled.
Takes more than being an athletic freak to be one of the most efficient interior scorers in the game without being a center. Zion lacks(lacked?) discipline, not love of the game.
Dude has the best touch around the rim I’ve ever seen
Just works on beignets harder
TBF Ayton isn’t that athletic anymore, hence why he’s not much of a lob threat. His backup Jaxson Hayes is way more athletic than him
You would think that by watching him, but he’s insanely athletic.
He has (or at least had) a 43.5 inch vertical
Maybe NBA wear and tear caught up with him, he can barely sky for lobs and catches nowadays. Even the easy gimme lobs that Bron threw at him, he needed a long windup on the jump to get a half-dunk. Also not very good hands.
Aggressive vs athletic. Hayes is both, Ayton is one
Maybe a 4.35 inch vertical now. All of his dunks are rim grazers
How do you say Ben Simmons without saying Ben Simmons?
Jokic only plays basketball to fund his horse addiction
Every guy I went to high school with in Queens sounded exactly like this
Yerr
Queens we out here! Just hooped indoors in woodside
BQE gym?
When the Pelicans traded him we were devastated but immediately happy he was going home hahahaha
The Young Socialite won’t like hearing this.
Simmons had more than athleticism, his vision and playmaking show that he at least engaged with the sport.
While he probably hated it by the end after the mental stuff and fans hating him, do we know that he didn’t enjoy it to start with? I didn’t pay much attention to his mentality early on…
Exactly, high iq and elite defense. People love to hate.
He really is a great “what if.” There’s not many guys who are fun to watch play defense, but he was one of them.
And the what if is injuries probably more than his metal or effort tbh. You can fix him being spooked by Trae by showing he’s good with his gifts but I bet immediately having back issues after that hurt his mental even more than that Trae incident
Admitting that he’s skilled doesn’t net you the same karma as an overused joke though
Once these nephews turn 30 they are going see Ben Simmons back problems in a new light
Check out Jonathon Givony’s pre draft profile on him. At the time Givony’s scathing take was definitely a contrarian take, but he saw the mentality issues. I remember reading that some of his LSU teammates didn’t like him but chalked that up to them being jealous of him.
Vision is part of athleticism but not everyone is ready for that conversation. The skills that are easiest to improve at through pure hard work are strength, ball handling, and shooting
Reading the game takes practice and attention, both on offence and defence
And just like all aspects of athleticism. There is a spectrum of how much you can improve through pure hard work. Bball IQ is included in that but people disregard that. Yes, bball IQ can obviously improve with time but there’s a reason a lot of players just can’t seem to “get it”. Not everyone can become a grandmaster chess player through pure hours either
No one has become a grandmaster without hours though.
And the comment was about him making the league on pure athleticism and not caring about basketball. Putting in the hours to train a non physical skill, even if it is partially an innate talent, disproves that
Lol downvote me but all NBA scouting and player development knows this and factors it into their job
bol bol?
I think it’s Ben Simmons.
The fisherman???
I think he just rents guys who know how to fish.
We not even allowing him to have a new passion? lol
For real, I would love to see him win those crazy tournaments they show at 6am on those random ESPN channels with dudes holding up giant fish with their clothes all sponsored up like Nascar drivers.
Dude is not jealous, stop saying that. Not everyone is a superstar, and he’s self aware of how he gets to keep his job for the next couple of years. Dudes clown out in fewer years than he’s been in league. He’s talking about guys that say their dream is to make to the NBA vs guys that dream of winning a championship.
i hate this because you have so many athletic guys who can’t make it. it just dismisses their work. like it’s reasonable for you to be burned out if you were forced into AAU, no social life, etc. when you’ve been well regarded since early on. 24 hr work to make it everyday.
gilbert arenas talks about his son and that’s a nepo baby
before this they was talking about how once you make it to the nba, players get complacent and comfortable with where they are instead of wanting to improve your game and develop so they fall out of love with it. I couldn’t add it in because it’s a larger clip but indeed can’t get into the nba without a work ethic
that’s literally what i mean by burned out.
also, there’s a certain type of bias especially with guys like alvarado. like the marquis teague, jeff teague’s brother flamed out early but it’s not like he fell out of love with basketball. just that the better guys were just better.
Teague said his brother was lazy basically on a podcast.Roughly of memory he said when he got to the league you gonna have to work even harder to get your spot like he did and his brother said he’s not sad like him and he be fine they didnt talk for a while.Later on he said to him that he was right.
Lazy does not equal burnt out man. You know damn well there are plenty of guys who were just bigger, stronger, faster and skated by on that for their entire lives until they got to the NBA and that no longer cut it. We see a handful of guys like that every single draft cycle.
I used to cover Canadian grassroots basketball for work and remember seeing Anthony Bennett at a workout in Toronto. When I left the shoot, I told my producer that he struck me as a kid who was getting pushed through the system because he’s physically gifted and really good, but he didn’t come across as someone who really wanted it. He just treated basketball as a means to an end and didn’t have the desire to be the best player possible.
That’s exactly what I’m talking about. That’s not burnt out, nor is it even lazy really. There just isn’t a desire to maximize talents.
See: Carter, Vince
True.
What makes his son a napo baby? Is he not good/decent enough especially on usc
being good doesn’t make you not a nepo baby
“A ‘nepo baby’ is a person who benefits from their parent’s fame, wealth, or connections to achieve success in a similar field.”
It doesn’t mean they have to be bad at it.
Like how being an industry plant doesn’t mean you make shit music
They’re usually synonymous tbf, nepo babies and industry plants… but yes.
Its more about having a leg up because of an established family or friend in an industry you want to get into - especially if its a hard to get into one - than it is about being talented or not.
Giannis brother(s) for example.
One is seemingly good enough to get into the NBA on their own, the other, not so much… but both benefit from having an MVP Championship relative regardless.
Being a nepo baby isn’t about talent but opportunity
Like others said, being good doesnt erase being a nepo baby.
Working hard also doesnt erase being a nepo baby cause other people also work hard and dont have the same benefits (i.e. connections) as a nepo baby so other people have to work harder creating connections.
take a random person on one hand. take a son of nba player on other hand. the advantage makes them a nepo baby which comes with its own pressure. jordan’s son is a mess, shaq’s son blamed him for forcing him, etc. it’s easier on corporate ladder where you don’t have to display anything and can get through
I’d argue most people’s jobs and careers aren’t comprised of doing things they love to do.
So what?
So those people tend to have less pride and ambition in their work than the people who do things that they love.
That’s really what he’s getting at.
I thought this was pretty obvious but I guess not. Plus in certain professions you really want somebody who loves what they do instead of just showing up for a check. Like I’d much rather have a nurse who cares and takes pride in their work than someone who is just clocking in & out.
It’s always super corny when people compare pro athletes making millions to regular jobs
My favorite is when load management comes up and Steven the office manager says he’d love to get paid to show up to work only 2⁄3 of the time.
I know lol. It’s not even remotely similar yet fans and athletes want us to think it is.
This is competition and a results based industry.
Most people’s careers don’t make a 7 figure minimum
Most people’s jobs also aren’t entirely dependent on the general public paying to watch them play a child’s game, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect these guys to give a shit about
Point is that there are less genetically gifted players who love the game and might not get as big of a role or as much playing time because there is a genetically gifted player who doesnt love the game taking their spot.
Players who could be great but are fine with being ok because it pays the bills.
One year’s paycheck of being a starter in the nba and you’re good for several years. Make it to the second contract and you’re already set for life. Most people don’t stay at a job they don’t love if they have the money to retire. So that’s “what”.
Yeah but if you’re the ‘best of the best’ it’s weird
Why? Because people who don’t love it can’t be the best, or because being the best makes you love it?
how dare you rely on your intelligence to make it in your career even though you don’t love the industry
How dare someone wants to use their natural ability to create opportunity for themselves and their families even if they’re not Kobe Bryant obsessed with the support.
They can catch a little heat with all the money they’re making. They’ll be fine
Hell ya, we as fans shouldn’t have to side with millionaire athletes only because there’s also billionaire owners.
We should be selfish and worry about what we want, which is a good entertainment product.
Yeah but at this point the billionaire greed heavily outweighs the “lazy” player, every year the product gets worse because profit has to increase for people who already have more money than god.
Agreed completely, what my point is that we shouldn’t really care about either when it comes to their livelihood or compensation.
Millionaires are distanced from billionaires, but the average fan is way more distanced from both.
Something something scalabrine lebron
How is the product made worse. Every team is at or above the cap.
How shitty will it be when there are another 30 players in the league after expansion
All the gambling ads, commercial breaks,increased ticket prices and blackouts for starters.
I’m just tryna be honest. Idk if I’m busting my ass if I got 100 mil in the bank.
I think that’s totally fair. Just have to be ready to deal with the flak that comes with that
He wasnt even shitting on that type of player though? Atleast from this clip. He said their blessed, and they are. But at the same time you cant just be tall and athletic and get multiple nba contracts without producing
Let me tell you about a man named Lamar Odom
Uhm did you watch Lamar Odom play? He was incredibly skilled and produced for a long time and won a 6th Man of the Year award, contributing to 2 championship teams.
Yes he smoked crack and didn’t reach his potential but it’s not like he was Anthony Randolph
Sometimes you guys talk about this sport like you’re cheering more for people to become millionaires than for the games themselves. I don’t get it. They’re not sharing the money with you.
There is nothing I love more than seeing someone from the upper middle class break through the wealth barrier and become rich. Especially if they’re super tall.
Cool. I like basketball.
I’m pretty sure they were being sarcastic. Read what they wrote again.
Maybe your interest align with watching high school basketball or inter mural leagues with players that play for the love of the game and not monetary incentives.
You care more about monetary incentives of people you don’t know than, like, watching a good game? Thats the part I don’t get.
I don’t care how much money the players make. I want to watch good basketball games. That’s the only thing I care about.
I don’t care either way emotionally. I just expected people to put their own monetary incentives above whatever you care about. And as someone that would do the same. I can respect that. I don’t expect them to care if I enjoy watching beyond driving rating to earn more money.
The market will determine if it is good basketball because the incentive is to be good to stay the league and maximize wealth. But the players don’t have to like playing or even try to win, so long as they are good enough to continue to get paid. Unless of course they are generational player who have legacy to worry about which is another economic factor for those players.
Dude, this is WEIRD. I watch basketball because I like basketball and I want to see good basketball. I do not understand what yall are watching for.
“The game sucked, but at least some guy I don’t know got paid” is legitimately insane to me.
I like that you are a selfish actor in the marketplace but don’t expect players to be selfish actors also.
How am I selfish? I have no control over what they make lol
It’s not that; I just have to be honest with myself and honest with if I had that level of success, could I commit to being the best me? If I’m not certain, then I can’t put on another man what I can’t even ask of myself.
But you’re not. You’re just a basketball fan. You don’t have to adopt their viewpoint as your own.
Idk, yeah I’ll make my jokes bc jokes are funny but I just ain’t really mad anymore. Go get your bread
It’s called empathizing, crazy concept I know
Seems more like sycophancy than empathy.
“I don’t care if the game is worse; I’m just happy this 22 year old is a gazillionaire” is just a bizarre position to me.
Even if you do appreciate them being gazillionaires from a game, why would that be your primary mode of viewing the sport as opposed to enjoying the game itself?
It’s impossible to police people’s emotions towards playing the game. You can want the players to care about the games they’re playing, but as long as their contracts are signed and they’re getting paid, their effort doesn’t matter. Ideally the NBA would be more meritocratic where the best players are passionate and are paid in turn, but just being signed is life changing money for them.
Ehh it’s hard to judge. I don’t have any hobbies that I have loved consistently for 20+ years. And then on top of that your hobby becomes your job and it becomes that much less enjoyable.
It’s just the natural evolution of the sport. When you come from nothing and you see basketball as your only opportunity it makes you love the game because that is going to get you out of your current situation. These days these dudes have all been groomed since birth. The ones who aren’t children of professional athletes were still scouted by someone super early on and forced to treat basketball like a job.
For some people that doesn’t matter and the love of the game is just in them but for a lot of these dudes basketball is just a means to an end. There are 100% guys in the nba playing basketball at a high level who would rather be doing something else.
Who was that Bucks draft pick again that just left the league after his rookie contract ran out?
Y’all sound like online pitching ‘coaches’ thinking they’ve solved the pitching injury epidemic just by ‘throwing not as hard and going for control’
If multimillion dollar organizations with analytics departments thought that harder working players with less athleticism were the better option, they would sign them immediately lol
In the NBA you either need to be a starter quality player right now, a guy who fits a role right now, or a guy who has potential to do one of those two things with proper development in the near-to-mid-term future.
Plenty of guys get drafted on their potential. 15 guys on an NBA team, 8-9 rotation players, a couple depth guys, they’re all in the first two categories I mentioned. That leaves 3-4 roster spots. A lot of those spots are gonna go to the guys with the high ceilings because the team straight up doesn’t need them to contribute at the moment and can give them time to develop.
All that to say, the NBA is not the best 450 basketball players in the world. There are a ton of guys that can hoop their ass off that aren’t in the league and a decent number of guys in the league who are ass but they’re 6’8 with an 8 foot wingspan so worth a roster spot strictly for the dice roll that they put it together.
I mean they do, the problem is you can’t really know how much they dislike basketball until someone gives them a shot. And even then the first team to give them a shot may try to hide how much they actually care to keep their value high. And that’s not even getting into the fact that sometimes you are just so athletic, teams still gotta give you a chance lol. It’s not like a player joins the league and now you can know everything about them like it’s 2K 😅🤣
how dare they want to make millions
How dare he criticize them
He’s saying blessed tall or athletic players who make millions and also don’t make the most of their height and athleticism to be better. They are just settling because they made it. He doesn’t care if taller players are more skilled than him.
Most centers in the 90s and 00s were like this.
Just because your genetics make you a good basketball player, doesn’t mean you will enjoy basketball.
It would be foolish for them to pass on such easy money, and I don’t blame them. Talent pool is so stacked now, it’s hard to stay in the league if you aren’t hungry for it, or if you are Ayton.
BEN SIMMMONS
Nah his playmaking IQ and defense show that he cared. Guy was just soft as charmin, stubborn and his back was legitimately fucked.
The only answer.
DominAyton in shambles
Hassan Whiteside too
How is Ben Simmons not in shambles
Respect
Kuminga?
Ayton
if Kuminga didn’t like basketball, he wouldn’t have complained about lack of playing time
every player on Warriors also spoke nothing but good things about JK and that he was professional. Kerr the only guy with a bone to pick
When guys know they can make lots of money doing something, they’re going to do it. There’s people like this in every sport.
He definitely sounds jealous but I don’t blame him because he’s a guy that made it to the league by working his ass off. Then there’s guys like Zion who have all the natural gifts you could hope for but refuse to put in any effort.
I think it might be more difficult to genuinely respect someone’s work ethic if their natural gifts allowed them to skip the grind. Respecting someone’s game is one thing, but respecting the work they put in to get to where they’re at is entirely different.
Idk why y’all continue to run with this lazy narrative that Zion doesn’t put in any effort
Have you even watched him play?
My beef with Zion isn’t with his play on the court. It’s the fact that a professional athlete making hundreds of millions of dollars couldn’t bother to put in the effort to get in shape for 6 years.
He’s obviously had weight issues
But he’s obviously been in good shape all season. I don’t know what else to tell you besides go look up a video of him playing since you clearly haven’t watched
It’s the Anthony rendon epidemic
Guaranteed money (and not a small amount) will now find a larger percentage who are working hard initially to get their bag. And once it’s guaranteed, all bets are off.
I can see some guys like Ja, Ben Simmons, Ayton and the guy that Jose is referring.. Zion
I get it. I would have been D1 full ride if I was 6’8. You can make the same argument for Wemby the game is easy when you’re tall and athletic.
Wemby is obsessed with the game
Basically describing Ben Simmons
Dennis Smith Jr.
I mean look at ben simmons he made a boat load of money at the end of the day
The ego aspect of basketball is always so interesting. Keeping your ego in check and doing what the team wants you to do can ensure a long career.
He’s far from the first current/former player to say that a lot of these guys don’t even like basketball, but somehow it’s always a massively controversial statement if you bring this topic up in other discussions.
I’ve always liked his game. A very scrappy player.
Life is unfair. More at 11.
Basically how Jimmy felt about certain #1 picks?
Jose is so New York City and I love it. I met a few cats like him when I was in school in the city. There is a real grit and determination in New Yorkers that outsiders will never understand. The talent pool of competition is so intense and deep in this environment.
I have nothing but respect and admiration for someone who made it out places like NYC and Chicago…if you know, you know.
Scottie Pippin loved🏀 and worked his ass off to become one of the best. In the shadow of MJ, but when Jordan temporarily retired, Pippin was able to lead the team in every way!
Literally Jokic
He’s got a point. There are not that many 6’6”+ dudes out there. When you remove the ones that 1) are generally unathletic due to a medical condition/injury, 2) have some life circumstances that dont allow them to play, 3) are not interested in basketball, 5) play other sports… you end up with very few people and the odds of making it to the nba are suddenly way higher, especially for the athletically gifted ones like Jose is saying.
I need names
Difference of playing basketball and knowing how to play basketball
I’m so thankful to have this dude on our team.
Can’t wait to check this whole interview out, too - thanks for posting
Zion
I do a job I don’t love for 1% of the salary of the lowest paid guy in the league
Ben Simmons/Andrew Bynum/DeAndre Ayton/Zion
Avocado going to get manhandled again
lmao he’s just jealous he’s not as athletic as these dudes.
Grand theft alvarado is the coldest nickname for a role player ever
Not listening, who in particular did he call out.
You
It’s a one minute video you’re that lazy?
No love for the game
Also not watching but i would imagine its more vague statements he makes without actually Saying Names. Which IMO is weak.
Man I’ve been noticing that for years. Glad his dawg ass called it out. 🙌
Ayton and Zion
Zion just been fat. But he seems to like the game
Ayton definitely, but Zion seems like a big kid sometimes. He loves ball, women, and eating good food
Once you get paid to do something, it’s no longer a hobby or a passion.
Sound like a hater 😂
How DARE you be cornered into a job that you’re athletically good at but not dedicated to because it will make you money! HOW dare YOU
/s
He talm bow zion
Like Dillon Brooks
Sounds like jealousy
Sounds jealous
That’s the point, he saying he doesn’t have the luck of that natural blessing
Implying he has to work harder sure is saying something. Might be true but its probably only a few people like shaq
anyone that is 6’2 and under in the nba and not a freak athlete is insanely skilled and hard working. There is no other way you are staying on a roster
This dude is acting like its easy to make the NBA lmao