JT’s Blog: How to Earn Respect in NBA
December 8, 2009 by Jason Thompson
I think the season overall is going pretty well. We’ve been surprising a lot of people because of what the media expected from us. It can be a good thing to not have high expectations because it puts a lot of pressure on you. Coming into this season we didn’t have a lot of pressure, but we’ve done well despite going through some injury adversity. We’re a more talented team this year. We have more experience with each other and guys have bought into getting better and helping this team get Ws. We have a different theme this year with Coach Westphal and guys are doing well. We feel like we should even have a better record than we do now. We need to get more wins on the road and just make sure we finish out games we didn’t in the past.
I’m so hard on myself, I think I could be doing better. I set a goal to average a double-double throughout the season and I had it, but I’ve been going up and down. I want to be more consistent and be an automatic double-double each game. To achieve that I have to get through some adversity with foul trouble and injuries, which can limit minutes and production, but I don’t let it get to me. Sometimes the game is decided by things that don’t show up on the stat sheet. I may take a charge, set a good screen, make an important steal, make a big dunk or get a tip-in or something like that without my game being in a flow, but they’re crucial to helping the team out, and that’s always good. I’m just trying to play through it and give all I can through the grueling stretch that we have right now with four games in five days. That’s life in the NBA, and I’m going for it right now. That’s what sets the great players apart from the good players.
In our next three games I face David West, Tim Duncan and Al Jefferson. As I said in my last blog, it doesn’t get easier from game to game, so it’s “on to the next one!” Jefferson hasn’t been an All-Star, but he averages close to 20 and 10 every year, so if Minnesota had a winning record he’d probably be an All-Star. I’ll be looking at scouting reports trying to help my team stop a certain guy and play strong help defense and also try to put points up and get huge rebounds. If you can do it all, you have the best of both worlds.
My rookie teammates have been getting respect from other teams. Hearing stuff like that as a first-year guy is good because when you first come in the League you want to establish yourself. No one is really going to respect you and what you did in college or overseas. Whatever you did before shows you’re good enough to play in the League, but you don’t get respect until you prove it against guys in the NBA. When you hear positive things from other players who don’t know your game as good as they thought, it gives you some credibility. It makes you feel good that all the hard work you’ve put in is paying off, but you can’t stay satisfied, so you just move on because things can always change. If you’re really good now, it means the sky is the limit with more reps and hard work.
With this being my second year in the League, life on the road is easier. I know more people and have more friends in different cities. I can plan ahead a little bit more because I know the different spots I want to visit. If we have an off day, Scottsdale is really nice and mellow, compared to L.A., where there are more people out and shopping. I think one of the better malls is the Galleria in Houston, so I always know to bring a little extra money for shopping on that road trip. Then you have New York City, which speaks for itself, but I spend a lot of time with my family when we’re there because I don’t get to see them that much. I also have a better idea of what to pack for the road and know how to dress for the occasion. Depending on the trip, we might have to pack for Orlando and Miami and Philly and Boston. So you have to dress right, and over the years you learn how much stuff to bring. Every city has different options of things to do to occupy your time.
Being in New Orleans, I tried some Cajun shrimp, since I’m not big on catfish. I like to try different foods in every city, while still eating healthy. On this trip I also had a chance to say what’s up to former teammate Bobby Brown.
People have noticed that I say yesssir. My uncle and I have always said it, and not many other people say it. I like to have my own swag and style. Yesssir kind of fits me. I like it when fans respond to me with it on Twitter.com/jtthekid because I can see they are listening.
Now that we’re in the holiday season, I’m trying not to procrastinate buying gifts for my family and friends. If any fans want to send me gifts, you can just send them to ARCO and put my name on it!
Once again, spread the word — follow Twitter.com/jtthekid!
Everyone have a safe and happy holiday. Keep supporting the young and talented Kings at ARCO!
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