Leader charisma determines culture shaping
In recent seasons, many leading star players have had "leadership style" controversies, such as the dispute between Kyrie Irving and the Celtics' young players, the sovereignty struggle between Wall and Beal, Chris Paul andJames HardenTeams were broken up because of a knot in their hearts, including the Clippers this season.Lou WilliamsA little infighting with Paul George.
Looking at the history of the NBA, behind all successful team cultures is a great leader. Tony Parker once said, "The Spurs' culture is built on Tim Duncan, who is the best leader and teammate in NBA history." ESPN Columnist Kevin Arnovitz published a column in 2016. He believed that Duncan's leadership qualities have changed the NBA team's view and emphasis on team culture. "Although Duncan is taciturn and never publicized to the outside world, he does not matter whether he is playing or practicing. He always leads by example and never shirks his responsibilities." Parker said that there was a disastrous defeat. Gregg Popovich originally planned to scold the entire team. "Duncan jumped out and told the coach that this was all his responsibility and he would be responsible for getting the team back. On track, Duncan asked the whole team to arrive at the stadium two hours early the next day and led us to review the reasons for the loss. He did not blame each other, but reminded each other how to do better."
Compared to Duncan's silent leadership style, Westbrook prefers to be tough and tender. Westbrook is known as the "People's Champion" in Oklahoma City. Even with the Rockets, he quickly broke into the hearts of Houston fans. The origin of the title is that he is close to the people off the court, both in public and private. Infecting teammates and fans with his true temperament, "He is like a real brother to me, motivating me on the court and taking care of me off the court." Rookie Terrance Ferguson said. Westbrook is passionate on the court and has deep affection for his teammates and coaches. "He really takes care of us like a family. That kind of affection goes beyond the friendship of colleagues, but really takes us into his heart." Zeng Dai. Enes Kanter of the Thunder said.
In addition to being sincere, Westbrook never makes excuses for failure, nor does he blame it on his teammates, but takes all responsibilities on his shoulders. When the Thunder lost to the Jazz in the first round of last year's playoffs, Westbrook didn't say much after the game. He only sent a text message to all his teammates. "The message said, brothers, let's fight again next season," Adams said, " He also told the boss that the fault was all his fault, and he hoped that the team could keep the original team as much as possible." It was such a sincere temperament that made George willing to work hard with him. "Westbrook has a natural leadership spirit that makes everyone I want to follow him."
And it was the leader of the pioneers who took all the responsibility for the failure.Damian Lillard. Also in last year's playoffs, the third-seeded Trail Blazers were swept by the Pelicans, ending the season in embarrassment. Paul Allen, the team owner who was still alive at the time, thought this was an unacceptable failure and was thinking about reorganizing the team. This included firing head coach Terry Stotts and trading some players, but Lillard jumped out to support Stotts and hoped to keep the original team as much as possible. "This loss was caused by me not playing well, and I am fully responsible." Lillard said.
Further reading:The savior rides alone! Damian Lillard’s top 5 playoff moments
Lillard was hailed as the best leader in the NBA today by ESPN's famous reporter Zach Lowe. The Trail Blazers were also recognized as the lounge with the best atmosphere in the NBA. The reason is that even though Lillard is the team's first brother, he is willing to listen to everyone when he makes mistakes. opinions, but when the team fails, they do not shirk responsibility or criticize their teammates. "I have seen too many leaders who only criticize teammates and coaches, but Lillard always takes success or failure on himself and never shirks responsibility." Seth Curry said.
As for Lillard's charisma, Nurkic, who has been played by the Trail Blazers in recent seasons, knows best. In 2017, Nurkic was traded to the Trail Blazers. He was not reused in the Golden Nuggets, so he was eager to perform but always failed to meet his expectations. In the middle of a game, Nurkic made more mistakes in the half than he scored. Lillard told the coach to talk to Nurkic Talking alone, "He patted me on the head and told me to let go of my skills, not to play out of fear, but to really put in the passion to play." Nurkic played better and better under Lillard's guidance and became indispensable to the Trail Blazers. important pillar.
In addition to shouldering responsibilities, leaders sometimes need to be more of a lubricant for the team. When Green and Durant clashed, or even earlier when Green and coach Steve Kerr fell into a cold war, Curry's calm and centered communication allowed the Warriors to The reason why the team will not collapse is, "He knows how to listen. He does not judge right or wrong, but asks us to calmly think about what is best for each other." Kerr said. Curry, who was recovering from an injury at the time, first went to Green's house to understand the situation after the conflict between Green and Durant. After talking with Durant all night, he arranged for them to break the ice and reconcile in the name of a dinner party, successfully getting the Warriors back on track.
Les Carpenter, a well-known reporter from the British "Guardian", once titled the Warriors the happiest professional team. The article pointed out that Curry's unrestrained and leadership temperament created the Warriors' team culture, "Our best player is also The nicest guy," Warriors general manager Bob Myers said. Curry never blames his teammates and is happy to see them succeed. He was excited for Thompson to break his three-point record, excited for Durant to win the FMVP, moved for Green to win the three-pointer, and even his current teammate Festus Ezeli to win the Finals MVP. When he got a better contract, Curry was happy for him. "Being on the same team as Curry, I'm always very happy for some reason." Durant said. Although many people attribute the Warriors' success to him, Curry never takes credit. He believes that the team will definitely go through ups and downs, but not criticizing inwardly and helping his teammates is his way of leadership. "The team is one." , win or lose together."
Team culture may be invisible, but it can reflect its importance when the team is in a downturn and under pressure. The unity of the team is the culture formed from the inside out. Reinforcement, reorganization or reconstruction are the obvious ways to build a team. , but establishing a good team culture is the key to long-term success.
