“Scared money don’t make money”, ABC play-by-play announcer Mike Breen said after a Max Christie sidestep three pointer when the Dallas Mavericks met the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.
And with that sentence, he managed to summarize a developing story in Dallas involving Max Christie, Klay Thompson and confidence. You cannot be afraid to make mistakes if you want to achieve big things, and Christie seems to have freed himself from the fear of failure these days.
There’s been a lot of talk recently about how Dallas Mavericks shooting guard Max Christie has been taking inspiration and advice from one of the best shooters in the league – and that shows. According to Christie, Klay Thompson has been instrumental in getting his three point numbers up, helping him get there mentally.
“Anytime you’re around someone like that, you want to soak up as much as you can. So, very blessed, very lucky, to be able to call him my teammate,” Christie said recently.
And along with greatness comes responsibly. Head coach Jason Kidd has made clear that when you’re shooting this well, you have to take more shots:
“It’s gotta be in the 10’s. You’ve got to shoot 10 when you’re shooting 45 percent or higher… The 7’s and the 8’s are just when you’re getting started.”
Christie is currently shooting 44.5 percent from three on 5.7 attempts per game, working hard to get that number up during the last couple of weeks.
When a shooter is looking that good over a longer period of time, it’s usually due to an increase in confidence and mental improvement. As a shooter, mental strength and confidence can make or break a career. And in Christie’s case, playing with Klay Thompson may just help him do the first, because if anyone understands the mental fortitude it takes to not just be a good shooter, but a great one, it’s Klay.
So much of it comes down to fear. It can hinder you from reaching your full potential and in sports it can be crippling, limiting an athlete’s growth and motivation.
But on the opposite side of the spectrum, the athletes who manage to control it and play without fear of failing are often the most exciting to watch – with the highest ceiling. And ultimately, the best of the best.
Like many of the greatest athletes in the world, Dallas Maverick guard Kyrie Irving, who is right now sidelined with an injury, has talked a lot about how fear of making mistakes can stifle a player:
“You can’t be afraid to make mistakes. In private or out in the open. But the mistakes that you do make, you gotta learn from them. Struggle is part of the journey. But suppressing your voice or suppressing your feelings is not.” That is just one of the quotes from Irving on this topic.
But it’s not just athletes who could benefit from looking at their own fear. Because the truth is that many of us have built a life around our fear, avoiding it and believing that failure is something we need to steer clear of by any means.
But if you ask yourself what you would do if you removed fear from the choices that you have made in your life, what would that look like? What would you do if you took fear out of the equation?
Fear of making mistakes, speaking in public, fear of judgement or fear that you aren’t good enough? For the job, for your life or your partner? How would your life differ from what it is now if fear wasn’t a factor?
What if your choices weren’t bound by fear?
Fear controls so much of what we do, and the choices we make. It diminishes us, puts us in a little box, makes us smaller versions of what we could be.
But what would be the worst that could happen? That we forget our words while speaking in front of a crowd? Make someone raise their eyebrows or ask for help to understand a new task? No one would blame us for any of this. But they would respect us more, because we did it despite being fearful.
What makes players like Cooper Flagg and Luka Doncic special is their lack of fear, they have no fear of failure. This is not something that some people have and others don’t – though some are more prone to it, it seems – it’s something every human being can achieve. But it takes reflection, a lot of work and constant reminders. Fear of failure may be holding you back from fulfilling your true potential.
In the words of one of the most unique athletes the world has seen, Arnold Schwarzenegger. The language may be simple, but the point is not:
“The people are so scared of failing that they can’t go and make a big goal. Get up. Losers stay down, but winners get up. And they get up. And they get up. And they get up and they get up. That is the bottom line.”
