The longevity of an NBA player’s career is often based on a variety of factors. Talent is an obvious requirement. Health and durability are necessities. Finding the right team and quickly figuring out how one’s strengths can best help that club win games? Invaluable.
There are countless other factors that can make the difference between having say, a three-year career, or lasting double-digit seasons in the NBA. Are you a good teammate? Can coaches rely on you, whether that’s always being on time, or always knowing the playbook and your assignments on the hardwood?
First-year New Orleans head coach Willie Green was undoubtedly a talented player when he entered the NBA in 2003, but among the many reasons the second-round draft pick’s career stretched all the way to 2015 were an array of intangibles.