Portland Trail Blazers: 3 Things Nolan Smith Can Learn from Brandon Roy

How much do you remember of kindergarten or first grade? Do you remember walking into a bright, rainbow-filled room teaming with kids you had never seen before and feeling a bit weak in the knees? Do you recall the subtle scrambling for supremacy within the class room—who were going to be the leaders and who were going to be the followers?

It happened, whether we realized it or not. I wonder if Nolan Smith feels like a young kindergartner right now, walking into a world that feels much bigger than himself, with all his securities and stabilities left behind? Sure would be nice if Smith were to find an outstanding individual on the Trail Blazers team who could take him under his wing and mentor him; teach him—train him how to rise to the top.

Who would be an ideal candidate for Nolan Smith to latch onto the first day he arrives in Portland? No better answer than Brandon Roy. Here are the top three lessons rookie Nolan Smith can learn from veteran Brandon Roy during his rookie season:

Lesson No. 1: Integrity

Brandon Roy is an old-fashioned individual of sorts, in the sense that he presents himself with class and professionalism. In an era where NBA players are much more frequently skipping their college education and jumping straight to the big leagues, emotional immaturity is often times lagging, running to catch up with the responsibilities immediately thrust upon these young men.

Roy, however, portrays a man of integrity; someone who is calm, cool and collected while in the media spotlight. The big money and screaming fans haven’t seemed to go to his head, but instead he makes one feel that he still knows how to be just a regular guy—no different than one of the fans in the stands. If nothing else, Nolan Smith can latch on to Roy, follow him around and be his shadow—learning how to grow from a boy to a man with class and integrity.

Lesson No. 2: Floor Leadership

Brandon Roy is a leader, on and off the court. He commands attention without uttering a word—both from his own teammates and his opponents. Nolan Smith, especially if he will be groomed to become a standout point guard, must learn to be a floor general—a man who gently commands respect, without being so abrasive that teammates shut him out and eventually fail to listen.

Leadership is a delicate balance—it requires the proper blend of strong authority and gentle compassion. Too much of one and you become a raging dictator who will drive people away and lead to division within the team. Too much of the other and you become a pansy who allows yourself to be walked on and will soon lose any and all authority you once had with your team. But the right balance and you will have a troop of players that will follow you anywhere. Nolan Smith must learn this balance in order to become the floor leader he needs to be.

Lesson No. 3: Team-First Attitude

When Brandon Roy was assigned to the bench after his nagging knee injuries, he politely sat without a grumble. Sure, at one point in the season while being interviewed by the media, Brandon expressed some disappointment about his new role with the team; but he quickly realigned his attitude, changed his demeanor, realizing that such an outburst could damage his team and create a major distraction.

But that only shows that Brandon is human, just like you and I. He has feelings, and no doubt he is heartbroken over being relinquished to the pine after being the heart and soul of the team for the past several years.

The measure of a man's class is not so much if he makes a mistake, but rather how he handles it once he does. Roy handled it just fine. Nolan Smith can learn from Roy how to remain humble and put the team's needs first; be a coach's dream who will sacrifice self in order to edify the team and put W's in the win column.