This is exactly how Warriors fans want to see Brandan Wright next year—cool yet still pumped and ready for
action. He's no zen master and from the brief episode of Warrior rookie hazing I saw last year he's no singer either. He's a down-to-earth kid who grew up to be one hell of a basketball player. The second-year forward isn't likely to change the Warriors' fortunes all by himself, but two things are guaranteed for next season: 1) He will continue to get better and 2) It should be a fun thing to watch...
Since his senior year of high school, Wright has stood at 6'9'' and has patrolled the lane with a 7'4" wingspan. It was his size and natural ability that made him the third ranked high school prospect in the class of '06. The other two are pretty well known: Greg Oden and Kevin Durant.
There is one thing very zen about Wright on the court however — he let's the game come to him. Instead of rushing through the process, Wright is content with enjoying it as he steadily gets better at the game he has always loved. Some view his patience as a lack of drive, a lack of effort. Those people want him to be someone he isn't. They want him to take over games because in getting him the Warriors lost a player who could do just that...but that's not Brandan's M.O.
Not only is BW the consumite team player, he feeds off of his teammates. He has trouble creating his own shot at the NBA level, but has the potential and has been working at it in the offseason. For now, with Ellis, Maggette, Stack Jack, Harrington and Randolph doing the creating, Wright can fit in as a finisher. Rather than taking people off the dribble, he should work on being a big who can spot up at about 15 feet and knock down open J's.
You only have to look as far back in Warriors history as 1997 to be able to draw a parallel here. Antawn Jamison, another former Tarheel involved in a controversial Warriors draft day trade, came into the league unable to create his own shot and unable to shoot with extended range. With two more years of NCAA experience than Wright had and a bit heavier, Jamison too was a very hard worker with a passion to improve. He used that passion every offseason to work on one new thing to improve for the next season. As the years piled up Jamison developed a three point shot, dramatically improved from the free throw line and learned how to create for himself. He still has that unmatched awkwardness to his game that will forever be unique to him, but the moral is he let the game come to him, worked hard and got better. That's all that Brandan Wright preaches in interviews: hard work and steady improvement.
There are differences between the two though. Brandan came into the league with a less polished game and onto a team where he wasn't a top 10 option versus Jamison who was needed to be option one or two. At UNC, Brandan was option three and this year he will be a top seven option. Some might view this as a recipe for failure because the best way to get better is through experience, which in this league comes from opportunity via the avenue of need. The year Jamison went to Dallas and was asked to come off the bench he took a slight step back in his progression and that is similar to what is happening here. But Jamison was 25 and BW is 20. Does he need to have the weight of the world on his shoulders just yet? The answer is no. He is in a great situation—not absolutely necessary but a positive contributor.
So as I said, Wright won't singlehandedly get the Warriors to the playoffs but he will be a postive factor on this team, which needs all the positivity it can get after losing its best player. He has been pumping iron this summer, preparing himself for the grueling schedule he now knows lies ahead of him. The young man from Nashville, Tennesse never saw himself making it this far, and in this league of superegos that's exactly what makes him so special.
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