Strength Is Confidence

Ask him what changed when he turned pro and he doesn’t talk about speed or spacing. He talks about bodies. “Physicality. Just athleticism. It’s grown men,” he says, and then the schedule: getting used to playing 82 games.

He had always been strong for his age. As a pro he wasn’t, and he had to play around it. “I had to find ways to get what I wanted around that,” he says. “And then eventually my strength caught up and I was able to impose myself the way I wanted to.”

What’s different about his training now isn’t a lift. It’s how deliberately each one is chosen. Five years of trial and error taught him what works for his body and what doesn’t, so the plan is set before the session starts. “Intentionality behind everything is number one.”

The load stays steady all year. No huge spikes that put wear and tear on his tendons, just healthy doses that let him ramp into the season and hold all the way into the playoffs. Diet and sleep are part of the plan, and in the playoffs he locks in on both.

Strength didn’t change his game so much as remove the workarounds. He gets to his spots easier. He finishes through traffic. “Having the confidence in your strength and being able to go at people,” he says, “allows you to make shots more.”

Asked whether he’s making plays now that he couldn’t have made five years ago, he doesn’t hesitate. “Oh, 1,000%. I look at myself younger five years ago and I see a totally different player than I am today.”

“I like to lean on days like today. The days that there’s not thousands of people watching. The behind-the-scenes work.” The summer sessions are what he remembers in May, when the moment comes. “This is all preparation. This is all things that you hope to use whenever the moment comes. That gives you confidence.”

His training started in sixth or seventh grade. What drives it now is closer to home. “My parents being hard workers, that’s the first one. My daughter is a huge inspiration for me, trying to build a great world around her.”