A fascinating aspect of scouting: assessing personality

Opportunity Knocks: The [DeAndre] Jordan Rules
Eric Weiss & Kevin O'Connor – Sports Aptitude
July 4, 2015

DeAndre Jordan is “feeling the love” this morning. His signing with the Dallas Mavericks (Los Angeles Clippers) has signaled the start of a whole new level of adulation, expectation, and scrutiny for the big personality, big man; which is fitting. He's Bold. He's Competitive. He's Nonconforming. He's a Maverick at heart, and now, in practice.

But the path of the Maverick is often marked by the high-stakes gambles they take in order to reach the top. Such was the case of Jordan early on in his career. Despite his status as a physical specimen, standing at 6'11” with a 7'6” wingspan, Jordan's elite measurables were not enough to overcome concerns about his “character”. This is a term as ambiguous as “role player,” for those of us focused on the situation-specific details of “cause and effect”.

After a tumultuous single season at Texas A&M, the once highly recruited big man fell to the second round, where the Los Angeles Clippers took him with the 35th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. While there is no doubt that Jordan's actions may have warranted a level of concern, a more thorough understanding of the cause of those actions could have yielded a “max” level result earlier in the draft.

Social psychology may not be a “magical” solution for unlocking every player's hidden potential. But an understanding of the Fundamental Attribution Error, combined with quality scouting intel, and 1000+ SA player assessment records can certainly help to navigate and separate the “character” risks of Michael Beasley, J.R. Giddens, and DeAndre Jordan more effectively...

Do hit this link for the remainder.