Elle Leonard Reflects on the Hard Work and Skill of NBA Players

Portland Trail Blazers center Meyers Leonard’s wife, Elle Leonard, published a blog post recently that addressed the hours that NBA players devote to improving their game. Elle elaborates on how players like her husband make their high-paced play look like something anyone could do, yet fans often forget all of the effort players put in to make it appear that way. She explains the hours that go into growth at the highest level of the sport:

At the professional level, noticeable improvements only result from hours and hours of repetition. In order to gain the slightest competitive advantage, these athletes have to obsess over milliseconds.

See, a millisecond could be the difference between a made shot or a blocked shot. A millisecond could also be the difference between finding an open teammate or committing a turnover.

Many NBA players devote entire off-seasons to improving their game, and Meyers Leonard is no exception: he spent the past two summers working with game guru Drew Hanlen. His improvement has shown this season in particular, especially after his recent start against the Utah Jazz where he had a season-high 16 points, six rebounds, and tied his career-high with four assists.

You can read more from Elle’s reflection here.