As for my speed, I'm not the fastest, but just like in other sports, you learn to stay away from your weaknesses and make more use of your strengths: my shooting ability, court awareness, rebounding, and helping out defensively.
I've always been a high-percentage shooter, obviously because I'm dunking and laying the ball up.
You can't really teach rebounding. You can teach how to box out, but rebounding, that's something you've got to have in you.
Inch for inch, the 6-foot-3 Westbrook is the NBA's most sensationally talented player, a relentlessly explosive basket-attacker with a deadly pull-up jumper - a top-10 NBA player by any big-picture statistical measure from Player Efficiency Rating to Win Shares.
Any guard would love playing with a great big man, one who rebounds, blocks shots, and scores.
I think I can bring to the NBA versatility. I feel like the league is going toward four men that can pass, dribble, shoot, rebound, defend. I think I can do all that and bring that to the table at the highest level.
I think it shows my toughness that guys feel like I can rebound. You put me in there to rebound, and I'm gonna get the job done. Anything the coach needs me to do.
Even teams that win 110 games have stretches when they don't play well.
I'm just going to try to get as many rebounds as possible.
With my size and my athleticism, I should be at least double-digit rebounds every game.
I know what I bring to the table: my ability to shoot the ball, defend multiple positions, play multiple positions, two through the four.
I am not as dangerous as I used to be. I am not as effective in the penalty area any more. That is something I have lost and something I have to get back. I used to score better goals, great goals. But something strange has happened.
Karl Malone used a lot of veteran stuff that I thought was cool. Charles Barkley taught me a lot when I played against him. How he would use his body or use his dribble to get people in there and all that stuff. Veteran moves.
I don't know what position Scottie was; he was just a basketball player. He could dribble, shoot, pass and rebound. Defensively, he was excellent. He had quick hands and quick feet with a great understanding of the game. He could do it all.
Some guys have to score more off the bench because that's what their team needs. But some other teams need someone that's going to assist or rebound. It all depends on what he brings to that team and how much it helps their win-loss record and how much they change their team.
Draymond Green is one of the best in the league at grabbing a defensive rebound and starting the break.
Whenever you are coaching, you are trying to get the most balanced team that you can: balance between defense, offense, and rebounding.
The value in having bigs that have the ability to shoot from the perimeter has increased and having bigs that have the defensive versatility to not only protect the rim, but to switch out and defend smaller guards, the value of that has also increased.
I call Kawhi the best team player in the league. He really does everything: he defends. He scores. He has been grabbing huge rebounds. He is a leader. His competitive spirit to win rubs off on everybody.
We were able to get after the rebounds. We were able to control the paint. We were able to be physical down there.
