Quote:
Originally Posted by apballin
You need a leader on both sides of the ball
Leonard is clearly the guy on defense
Wentz clearly never should’ve been on offense it should’ve been Taylor from week 1
Being a leader is knowing what’s needed at the right moment Leonard always steps up when the team needs him Wentz seems to fold up and choke when he’s needed the most
That can kill the belief and shatter confidence of wanting to give your all for a guy
Gotta have balance
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We have a fundamental difference on what a leader is. What you describe is, to me anyway, a great player - not necessarily a leader. I think it is great for the team if it’s best players are also leaders, but it isn’t a requirement. Many great players are actually poor leaders because the natural talents they possess don’t transfer to those around them. For example, here is a quote from Leonard on Walker’s departure:
“Now that Anthony Walker is gone, you need that person to take in that leadership role and say, ‘Okay, this is what you have to do,'” Leonard said, via Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star. “‘This is the way that it has to be.’ . . . I’m going to have to quit being this friendly guy, quit being this guy that smiles all the time and goes about doing it his way. Now, it’s about this is the right way, this is how we do it, and hold people accountable that way.”
Notice that Leonard himself said he had been doing things “his way” and now he has to do them “the right way”? Leonard was a great player before this year, but his methods were by his own admission not what you want the majority of the team to emulate. Why? Because it likely won’t work for them.
This quote is just another example of why I don’t see Leonard as a leader. Think about what he actually said here. He basically said: “I anoint myself leader and now I’ll have to start doing things the right way solely so I can start holding others accountable for doing things their own way - as I did prior to declaring myself the leader”. Without a doubt a great player, but that is pretty fucking far from EFFECTIVE leadership.
Taking it to Wentz, he’s not a shitty leader because he isn’t a great player. He’s a shitty leader because he models poor habits. The apparent lack of coachability would get plenty of other guys cut. Wentz is significantly more naturally talented than Jacoby Brissett, but I consider Brissett a leader and Wentz much closer to a cancer. If everyone on the team modeled Jacoby’s work ethic, coachability, and selflessness you’d likely have a pretty decent team (assuming at least average talent). If everyone modeled Wentz you’d be battling for the #1 pick.
I see no indications Leonard is a leader. I see that he feels he should be one. Maybe he’ll become one in time. But to me it doesn’t appear natural to him. Great player though.