*FAN SUBMISSION by Jason from New York on the most over confident in the NBA. Article submitted from www.sportskings.com and “Like” it on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/
The Irrational Confidence Guy — the guy who isn’t one of the team’s best players, but he’ll have stretches in which he THINKS he is.
-Bill Simmons
To expand on Simmon’s coined phrase, it is also when “said player” can go through stretches actually carrying a team offensively regardless of who’s on the court. It’s fun to watch these type of players. We all know they’re not even the third of fourth best player on the court, let alone their own team’s sometimes! You have to live with the ill-advised shots, but these kind of players are usually present on every contending team. Lets get to the list!
10.) Kemba Walker
I have no idea how good Kemba Walker is, or will be. What I do know is he has all the traits and makings of an eventual irrational confidence guy on a good team. Walker is one of the most exciting young players to watch in the Association. However, he clearly is the recipient of putting up stats on a bad team. He’s got the green light, which surely will carry over to his next team. Despite the numbers Kemba has put up this year, it hasn’t translated to much success, evidence by the 12 wins the team has at the all-star break. With the way things are run in Charlotte, Kemba should be playing his role of the super irrational confidence guy within a couple years!
9.) Jordan Crawford
How many players can say they dunked on LeBron James? Jordan Crawford sure can and while that may be the highlight of his short career, Crawford certainly has a propensity for putting up points in a hurry. He’s been juggled back and forth from the starting lineup to being the sixth man during his short tenure in the NBA. Crawford certainly doesn’t care who’s on the court with him, if he has the ball he believes he will score on anyone.
8.) Lou Williams
Before tearing a ligament in his right knee, Lou Williams was a candidate for sixth man of the year. He was pouring in 14 points a game, while hoisting up 11 attempts per game. From his days in Philadelphia, Williams was that type of player that could score in a hurry. Lou Williams is like a facsimile of Jamal Crawford, who (spoiler alert) will definitely be on this list. Despite playing with guys like Jrue Holiday, Andre Iguodala, Josh Smith and Al Horford, there was no differing when Williams was on the court. Lou is what you’d call uber-confident
7.) Mario Chalmers
I’m not going to say Mario Chalmers thinks he’s as good as Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, but I’m not going to say he doesn’t. Mario Chalmers has not only compared his game to Chris Paul, but also says he’s at the “front end” of the top 10 point guards in the game. Chalmers has no fear, and will take the big shot. Just ask Derrick Rose and Memphis.
I seriously wonder what goes through Chalmers mind at times. Have we ever seen LeBron James yell at another teammate like he does Mario Chalmers? I could seriously see him talking trash to Wade and James during super competitive practices. Nothing like being a high school state champion, college champion and now NBA champion to boost your confidence.
6.) Jeremy Lin
Jeremy Lin proved he’s the ultimate irrational confidence guy with his historic run with the New York Knicks last year. Well Lin has come back to earth, even if he doesn’t think so. Maybe Lin would have put up big stats had the Rockets not made the trade for James Harden. However, the Rockets record surely would be much poorer.
I like Jeremy Lin as a future 6th man, something like a Jason Terry, but if you’re expecting Jeremy Lin to be a starting point guard in this league and go deep, you’re going to be disappointed.
5.) Stephen Jackson
There once was a time that Stephen Jackson would have been a top three player on any irrational confidence list. Jackson, who’s been a shell of himself in recent years partially due to age, still thinks he’s a stud no matter who’s on the court. What makes Jackson good in a lot of ways is his confidence. Call him gritty, call him nutty, Jackson has put together a solid career because of the way he approaches the game.
4.) Nate Robinson
When Nate Robinson is on, he is nearly impossible to defend. Of course you have to put up with the quirky personality and head scratching celebrations. But, if you can get by that, Robinson has all the tools of the perfect irrational confidence guy who can carry a team through droughts at times.
Robinson can fill up it up in a hurry. Nate-Rob being NBA-diminutive, almost has to have that irrational confidence about himself to play at this level. It’s fun to watch the little guy go to work and jack up shots. Is there any doubt that Robinson thinks he’s the best player when he’s on the court?
3.) J.R. Smith
J.R. Smith is so confident, he thinks he should be an all-star this year! He certainly is in the conversation for sixth man of the year, but for him to think he should be an all-star certainly shows his irrational side. Smith has never attempted a shot he didn’t like. For crying out loud, he’ll wave off or possibly ignore Carmelo Anthony and jack up a step-back, 23 foot, heave!
Smith is very talented and doesn’t fear taking the big shot. There is never a dull moment when Smith is on the court and if there is one thing he is an all-star at, it is his highlight reel dunks!
2.) Jason Terry
The “Jet” as Dirk Nowitzki nicknamed him during their time together in Dallas, is quintessential irrational confidence player. If this were an all-time list, he may be number one. Jason Terry really believes he belongs in the upper echelon of the top players in the NBA.
There were plenty of stretches during his time in Dallas that he was the man who would carry them through droughts. In fact at one point, Dirk called him their “closer.”
The best example of Terry having irrational confidence was when the Mavericks took on the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals. LeBron James had shut down Terry during the first two games of the series in which Terry replied, “Let’s see if [James] can defend me like that for seven games.”
I think it’s fair to say Jason Terry should have his picture next to the words, “irrational confidence.”
1.) Jamal Crawford
Not only does Jamal Crawford have one of the slickest crossovers in the NBA, he is one of the best pure scorers in the game. Silky smooth three-point shot combined with great moves to get to the cup and its obvious why Crawford has all the makings of a great scorer. Over the years he’s improved his shot selection, but don’t be fooled, Crawford will take a shot from anywhere on the court regardless of the situation.
Jamal is one of the most exciting players to watch when he’s on his game. I’m not sure if Crawford has the same ego as some of the other players on this list but that doesn’t deter him from taking the big shots. Crawford can carry a team through droughts offensively and he seems to have found the perfect role of coming off the bench the past few years for the Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Clippers.
Could this be the year Crawford plays the irrational confidence role Jason Terry did for the Dallas Mavericks in 2011 when they won the NBA Finals over the Miami Heat? This would be a perfect accolade for the streaky, irrational confident sixth man of the year candidate.
*All Photos courtesy of SportsKings.com.*
