Jarrett Jack: “Nobody Knows What the Future Holds”
Among the three Nets players to attend the second annual Hamptons Basketball Camp on Tuesday (alongside Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Chris McCullough) was Jarrett Jack — the Nets’ most seasoned point guard (after Deron Williams‘ much-anticipated departure), yet one who the masses hold little faith in.
“The Nets might have the worst point-guard roster in the NBA,” Fox Sports said.
CBS Sports doesn’t seem to think too highly of Brooklyn’s squad either, predicting that this is a good chance for former Knicks guard, Shane Larkin, to shine as “Jarrett Jack [is] the only other viable option on the roster at point guard.”
Not to mention ESPN’s Summer Forecast placing the Nets 12th in the East with a very specific and unflattering 30-52 predicted record.
But what do they know? Speaking as the featured guest at the Southampton Recreation Center, Jack told reporters:
“I don’t really look into it. I don’t put any stock into it. These opinions or whatever — I don’t know what they’re formed off of, but clearly there’s no way to say they’re going to be accurate. So what’s the point in really reading into it?…Nobody knows what’s going to happen anyway, so why put energy into it or pay it any attention?”
To drive his point home, Jack reverted back to his 2012-’13 season with the now reigning champs, the Golden State Warriors.”They gave us zero chance of making the playoffs,” Jack noted. “And they messed around and won a championship.”
Still, that’s no reason to think he lacks ambition; it’s just that he’s more focused on proving himself for his and the team’s sake — not the pessimistic critics. “I like for everybody to come in with a chip on their shoulder,” Jack mentioned. “This is my 11th year and I always have one on my shoulder. It’s something I constantly feel like I (have) to prove to myself.”
Jack also made it a point to add that he’s been in the starting position before, starting in New Orleans, Toronto, and not to mention Brooklyn, so this isn’t exactly new territory for him.
As for the Nets Hamptons Basketball Camp where this interview took place, it’s being powered by DRIBBL — an award-winning, New York-based basketball program — and is designed to help pre-K to 8th grade-level students develop and improve their basketball skills. The camp started on Monday, August 31st and will continue every day until Friday, September 4th, with two sessions per day, according to NBA.com.
(h/t NY Daily News)