I am currently reading Angela Duckworth’s wonderful book Grit: The Power Of Passion And Perseverance. It is an amazing book which I recommend you purchase by clicking HERE. It has mean thinking a lot about the subject of grit.
In my opinion, the grittiest team in the NBA right now is the Boston Celtics coached by Brad Stevens. One of my favorite writers, ESPN’s Zach Lowe, recently profiled the team and coach and discussed their toughness. You can read his full article by clicking HERE:
The following are 18 Lessons On Being A Gritty Team From Head Coach Brad Stevens And The Boston Celtics I gleaned from Lowe’s article:
- Gritty Teams Feel Toughness Is King – Many Celtics staffers have developed a motto, “Toughness is king.”
- Gritty Teams Are Physically And Emotionally Tough – Coach Stevens said, “Toughness is being able to physically and emotionally perform your task through any condition.”
- When Things Are Going Well, Gritty Teams Are Disciplined Enough To Continue Doing Things The Right Way – Stevens continued, “If things are going really well in a home game, do you get caught up in that, or do you keep playing the right way?”
- When Things Are Going Bad, Gritty Teams Are Disciplined Enough To Stay In The Moment And Do Their Job – Stevens goes on, “If things are going like they were in the second quarter last night [when the Sixers went on a run], do you say, ‘I have a job to do and I’m going to do it, and I don’t care that everyone is going nuts over this [Joel] Embiid dunk?’ That is toughness. It sounds cliché, but the hardest thing to do is stay in the moment and do your job.”
- Gritty Teams Overcome Crisis By Focusing On The Future – Star free agent signing Gordon Hayward was lost for the season due to injury minutes into the first game. Coach Stevens immediately turn the team’s focus to the remaining 81 games and postseason.
- Gritty Teams Do Not Make Excuses – Coach Stevens told his young team, “Expedite your learning curve. If there’s film to watch, or something you need to work on with a coach, go do it.”
- Gritty Teams Take Risk – No one on the Celtics is afraid to take big shots.
- Gritty Teams Are Comfortable Being Uncomfortable – Since the team’s best player Kyrie Irving was lost for the season to injury as well, most players have had to do things outside their normal skill sets.
- Gritty Teams Give Maximum Effort Every Second – They work hard, very hard, all the time.
- Gritty Teams Give Focused Effort Every Second – The Celtics rarely stray from their system.
- Gritty Teams Are Resilient – When the Celtics are hit, they hit back harder.
- Gritty Teams Are Made Up Of Gritty Players – Referring to loose balls, general manager Danny Ainge said, “My staff laughs at me because I always gravitate to those kinds of players.” Shane Larkin was was benched earlier this year for failing to chase down a loose ball. He said, “I learned right away. If you don’t get a 50-50 ball, you are coming out.”
- Gritty Teams Experience Exponential Grit From Each Other – The members of the team begin to inspire each other.
- Gritty Teams Hold Each Other Accountable – Celtics forward Al Horford said, “If guys aren’t doing their jobs, they just won’t play.”
- Gritty Teams Focus On Actions – When Coach Stevens is evaluating film sessions, he always focuses his feedback on player actions, not their personality or character.
- Gritty Teams Never Whine – Ainge said, “Honestly, it’s kind of like listening to players blame themselves. He’s (Stevens) like a player. He never whines about the players, just himself.”
- Gritty Teams Are Not Frivolous And Never Waste Time – Coach Stevens has banned things like rookie hazing and pranks which waste time.
- Gritty Teams Are Smart Teams – The Celtics led the league in points allowed per possession. One of the reasons is they make few schematic mistakes. The team has a high basketball IQ.
What is one thing you learned from the list above which will make you a grittier team?
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