at least his coach doesnt have to invest any time in building up his confidence. that is one funny quote.
That is one of the many things that I really like about Turner. He has confidence (too much some might argue).
He is not afraid of the big stage, not afraid of the big shot, not afraid to take free throws in crunch time and not afraid to take it to the rim.
Despite what a lot of folk think, Stevens trusts him and seems to depend on and truly like him. I hope he stays around after this year on a reasonable deal.
Agreed, and it's something that's so underrated and underappreciated among players - attitude.
Looking at what Turner went through in Indiana (especially after a pretty strong start to his career in Philly) - being benched, getting all the negative attention, his team not trusting him, etc. That's not an easy thing to bounce back from, especially with that pressure of being such a high pick.
Many guys (e.g. James Young) would have just fallen apart under those circumstances, but for Turner to come over to Boston with his confidence / swagger in tact and make an immediate impact - that's huge.
Turner has talent as a player, but his confidence in himself makes his talent appear greater than it is. If he didn't have that swagger, I'm not sure he'd be a rotation NBA player.
You see same thing with guys like Bradley and Smart. Guys who aren't supremely talented, but who make such an impact because of their hunger/drive to be great.
Attitude is such an important characteristic, and I honestly believe that if a guy coming out of college genuinely has the hunger to want to do great things, then he will become somebody in the NBA - even if it's just a rotation guy.