The thing that makes the great players great, and that separates players from different players is, when you going out there whether being prepared or not, you have to react. And if you're thinking, you're already a step behind.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I played with a lot of great players before. They're all the same. They take a lot of responsibility for their own play, put a lot of pressure on themselves to perform and to play well.
You've got to be extremely careful, because you could be with a great team, and you could be the product of a great team. There are some players that stand out despite the teams that they play on, and there are some players that are good because of the team that they're with.
When I was a young player, I would look at players and think, he does this well, and try and pick up good points from them, or he conducts himself well, I'll pick up on that.
Sometimes they are big hurdles, but good players can overcome them. I am trying to do my best.
When you see young players coming into the squad and pushing you, no matter what age you are, you have to react. You have to worry about yourself and perform as well as you can. If you end up looking around at others, wondering who's performing better, you take your eye off the ball.
As a member of a competitive team, you want to make sure you have yourself ready to play. You don't control anything but what you do.
There's no need to overwhelm yourself with thoughts, because you know that you're just as good or better than some of the players you're going up against.
Players come and go, good friends, players who performed well. You can't control that.
I hope I'm building a record of being a good team player and not just standing for my principles but being willing to work for them. I think when you do that and you work really hard, people take notice.
When I step forward on the floor, I have the confidence that I'm the best player playing that night and that I am the most prepared at what I need to be doing.