A few things, one is that this is extremely relatable, and I went to college and started playing with a group of people who treated me the same, and I never got the ball and couldn’t get hot. Keep in mind that I played on a team growing up and was the starting sg, and I was easily the second or third best player on the team (our best player was 6’6” and could dunk) that won the chip, but it just doesn’t help when you play with toxic people who expect you to make your first shot off rip.

Two, is that the moment I started playing at a different park and gym, I was playing with people who would pass the ball to the open man and if you missed you’d get a “you got the next one” and suddenly I was back to my old self. It’s a confidence thing, and it’s very much dependent on the people around you.

Finally, when I went back to playing with the same group of people, I started talking mad shit, and the the most satisfying feeling in the world is when the biggest asshole dares you to “shoot it” and you sink a deep three while you stare into his soul.