Jusuf Nurkic appreciated that Mike Budenholzer come see him in Croatia during the summer. The pivot was generally seduced by the speech of Frank Vogel's replacement, but he still seemed to be in Dalida mode…
“I had no doubt but hey, it’s the NBA. People say a lot of things you want to hear” explains the pivotwho was however able to realize that the coach was not speaking to say nothing. Or to seduce.
“Since day one, he explains that it’s easy to talk and he puts everything on the table” resumes Jusuf Nurkic. “Accountability is something that is close to my heart and he takes responsibility for what he says. It doesn't matter who it is. Whether it's the starters, the substitutes or anyone else, he holds the guys accountable. »
Talking is easy
A philosophy acquired through contact with Gregg Popovich, whose right-hand man he was from 1996 to 2013!
“I learned that somewhere, a long time ago” he laughs. “It was drilled into my head. That's probably why I don't like these (media) sessions. All these discussions and interviews and questions don't really matter. I know it's important to you, but our players need to know that talking is easy. What matters is what we do every day, what we do in training, what we do in matches. Talking and making statements doesn't really make sense. »
Except when it comes to using them for a specific purpose, so that the team goes in the right direction.
“I love his attention to detail. I like that he emphasizes individual pride on defense, and playing together on offense.” concludes Kevin Durant. “There are things that we can talk about as much as we want, but we insist on the fact that every session, every day or every exercise that we do, it is with the aim of being on the same length of wave on both sides of the field. When this is ingrained in brains throughout training camp and the season, it becomes second nature. And I like the direction we’re going.”
