It’s hard not to be excited about Patrick McCaw. The second-year combo guard for the Golden State Warriors has shown a lot in his short career. While he hasn’t put up gaudy numbers, he’s flashed great potential handling the ball, playmaking, playing defense, and shooting.
Still, it’s been slow in his second NBA season. Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic caught up with the Dubs’ young swingman, and the two had a fascinating conversation. In it, McCaw talks about overthinking when on the court:
Sometimes when I’m just in that mode, you kind of see, “He’s coasting,” or, “He’s not playing to the potential that he’s able to play at. … What’s going on?” So, it’s kind of tough, man, just having that thought process like I do. Cause I think about everything like every second of the game. Even if I’m not in. . .
I’ve always been that way. From high school to college, I’ve always been like that. So it’s something I’m still working on and still continue to (work on). I think that this level, it’s just a totally different type of process. Because the competition is totally different.
. . . I’m so critical of myself because I want to be the best. And being surrounded by the best and seeing how they play, I feel like that’s the level I should be playing at. So when I make a mistake or do something wrong, I feel like, “Wow, Steph wouldn’t do that.” Or, “KD wouldn’t do that.” Or “Klay would make that shot.”
McCaw also talked about how much he’s learned from observing Steph Curry, saying, “I just watch his personality, how he moves, how he prepares for the game, how he comes into the game, how he plays.”
I may be biased, but that seem like a pretty good guy to learn from. The conversation is stellar, and touches on growing pains, McCaw’s father, and how to deal with confidence and overthinking. If you’ve got some spare time, check out the rest of it.