This is something I’ve been thinking about for a while. While this team has certainly had some great success this year, they now seem to be showing the mental fatigue or lack of toughness that have often plagued Enfield teams. This is a recurring issue that I believe starts at the top.

Now I am a fan of Enfield, don’t get me wrong. He’s a smart coach who adapts and learns and brings in talented, high character individuals. But - this is my theory - he is a soft spoken guy, not really a strong personality. When he yells or tries to get the team fired up, I’m guessing it sometimes feels like the nice teacher imploring students “come on guys, quit screwing around.” Maybe it rings hollow, or it just lacks oomph.

I believe this also manifests in free throws. Yes, free throws are partly on the players practice habits. But are you telling me Enfield has constructed his roster every single year with a majority of players who are poor FT shooters? That doesn’t pass muster. Someone on here said they saw Shaqquan once make (X exhorbitant number of) FTs in a row in practice while shooting a horrible percentage. This is mental, and it starts at the top. Not necessarily with Enfield’s personal psychology, but with the spirit he imbues the team with.

See also: Noah’s shooting (including ludicrously abysmal FT%), Drew’s inconsistencies. Is some of this on the players? Of course. Is some of it on Enfield - if not the cause, the treatment? Yes.

The history of February losses we’ve all discussed is also probably a symptom. The guys get down on themselves, get bullied, and experience a decrease in self efficacy. This doesn’t have to be a permanent problem. I’d recommend the team employ a sports psychologist. Enfield has some great aspects as a coach but if this is one of his personal blind spots, it would be hard for him to see it.