Q. I had a chance to speak with BK about the dynamic of leadership, and having earned a lot of minutes last year, your core group of rookies and second-year players were on the court a lot. What is that dynamic like as a leader? You have obviously vets on the team, but how is it in terms of utilizing your voice, and is there any hesitation for you in particular in that regard?
BUB CARRINGTON: I'd be lying if I said it wasn't. It's kind of weird being as young as I am but in a situation like you said yourself.
But after Game 4 or 5, it's like, all right, like, you're in it. No time for hesitating. If this is what this team needs to be me, if this is what I know I am anyway, I'm just going to do it. I'm not going to really worry about age. Once I kind of realized that, that I've got to stop worrying about the little things I can't control, I realized that no one else is either. No one else cared how young I was. They're still listening and I'm still listening to what they're telling me. It's not anything different, just to answer your question.
Q. Schematically and skill set-wise and the no fear that you brought to the court last year, what specifically do you want to build upon in that regard?
BUB CARRINGTON: Just being like every night, like, I need to be known as that because I know that's what I am. I know myself as that. So once I know that everyone else knows what Bub Carrington brings to the table every night, then I know that I've taken another step.
Q. I saw you worked out with Collin Sexton over the off-season. What did you take away from that?
BUB CARRINGTON: You don't miss anything. (Laughter).
We were working on just a lot of bump series things, trying to be more creative with getting downhill into the paint, different ways to score. It was just like a one-time session.
Q. What do you think will look different about your game this season?
BUB CARRINGTON: I would say -- I don't think I'm necessarily different. I don't plan on looking really too different. I plan on just being more polished. Everything I do now is more with a sense of purpose. I've just got to do it a little bit more often. I'm going to have those opportunities, too. That hockey assist that I know I'm going to get and that assist I know I can get, that three I know I can get, I'm just going to do that more.
Q. Have you grown or added weight over the off-season? If so, how much?
BUB CARRINGTON: Yeah, what was I, like 103 last year? I'm like 204 right now, I'll probably play at like 200.
Q. I know obviously your relationship with Tre, hyper competitive, you add Cam Whitmore, hyper competitive as well. How is that going to translate to on-court performance when you're attacking the other team?
BUB CARRINGTON: I think it's going to help tremendously because when you get into not only just a life like this but this type of job where you're just practicing every single day against the same people, you've got to find a way to make it not that because you can easily come here and BS one day because you know you're coming back tomorrow. But when you have a lot of guys that want to win every single rep especially because it's you, especially because it's Cam Whitmore, I want to win today, especially because it's against Bub, I want to win. I think it's literally going to get everyone else better.
Once you're against those other guys out there, it's just -- it's nothing.
Q. What did you know you had to work on going into the off-season? How did you attack it? And now that you're here, what coaches or development staff are going to help you keep attacking it?
BUB CARRINGTON: They all know. I noticed that rim attempts, getting downhill and finishing efficiently was probably the weakest part of my game, so definitely attacking that. I attacked it by just obviously working on it every day, but working on one thing at a time, like not just obviously -- there's a million ways I can get downhill and finish but working on just one thing right now, and that's the bump series like I mentioned me working on earlier, that one part of the game, and then my coaches and development team noticing that and putting in a plan for me. That's all I've really been doing all summer.
Q. Last year you couldn't get first dibs at playing point guard a lot because Jordan was here. Now that Jordan is not here anymore, you will probably be able to play on ball a little bit more and get point guard reps. Are you excited for that opportunity, and is that something that you've specifically tried to tailor your workouts around this past off-season?
BUB CARRINGTON: I'm excited to play. I don't even call myself a point guard. I'm a basketball player. I can be a point guard. I can be a pretty good one. But I'm trying to get out there and I'm trying to play. Actually I'm excited to play point guard and I'm excited to play against the Bucks.
Q. I asked CJ about you, and he said that you ask the right questions and you're very inquisitive and he's excited to work with you. How excited are you to work with a guy like him?
BUB CARRINGTON: Super excited. It's crazy that I'm even on the same team with him because he's someone that my whole life I've been compared to and my whole life I've actually looked up to, and I'm excited to see CJ McCollum because he went to Lehigh and my brother went to Lehigh as well. I already knew of him and watched him even when he was in college. It's kind of crazy that he's on my team now, so obviously I annoy him. He's here until 3:00 p.m., I'm here until 3:00 p.m. just talking to him.
I think he loves it, though. I'm starting to realize he likes to talk, too. It's helping both of us, I guess.
Q. What are your impressions -- I assume you've known Cam Whitmore for several years --
BUB CARRINGTON: Yeah, that's my son. (Laughter).
Q. What will he bring to the team, and for those of us who aren't familiar with him, what is he like?
BUB CARRINGTON: Oh, Cam is going to bring a lot of energy, like bring a lot of -- oh, you're going to get up out of your seat a lot watching Cam. He's an ultimate competitor. He's trying to bring it every night. He's trying to bring it straight to your chest. That's one thing that we definitely need and appreciate about him on this team.
Fun fact about him, his dad is Bub Carrington. He's pretty bad at video games as well.
Q. With this being your first official off-season as a pro, when it comes to scheduling, CJ talks a lot about scheduling out your days and being young. How did you challenge yourself to be able to put the work in that you want to, to be where you want to be, to start training camp, but also take that step back and just be Bub?
BUB CARRINGTON: It's difficult, honestly, especially being so young but having a job like I do. You kind of eliminate all the hesitations on thinking that this is what you want to do all your life and now you're here. Like don't get here and start second-guessing things and trying to do things dint. What got me here was putting my all into it, so I'm not going to get here now and try and overcomplicate things.
You've got to hoop every day to be better or to feel like yourself. I know that, so I'm going to do it. I know I've got to sleep, I know I've got to eat, things like that I'm going to just do it. I'm not trying to overcomplicate things and figure out all these different routines. I'm going to do the routine that got me here until it doesn't work.
Q. Your pop sent me a photo of you and Cam draft night when you got drafted and Cam was there showing support. Just to go back to the relationship that you have with him, what do you think it's going to be like when you guys run out on the floor together knowing that you guys have kind of been on a basketball journey and now you're at the ultimate where you guys wanted to be?
BUB CARRINGTON: It's going to look like we've played with each other before. Like people are already saying that in practice. We're already kind of here.
I feel like it'll almost look like we're looking for each other, but I just know him and he just knows me. I think it'll be pretty good for us.
Q. This will be -- in the off-season you watched the Playoffs for the first time as an NBA player. What did you notice when you watched it?
BUB CARRINGTON: I noticed everything they said was really true. I already didn't get nothing last year, but if I was in the Playoffs, I could have attacked (indiscernible). Honestly it's definitely more physical. It's just -- everything is just like that much more serious. There's truly no possessions off. You can just tell like obviously playing against these dudes and now I'm seeing how they play when it's something different on the line, like you weren't just moving like that. It's definitely just another notch, I would say.
Q. The last time you played the game, you ended the season on a game-winning shot in which you played all 82 games. Where is your confidence level today as opposed to when that shot went up in Miami?
BUB CARRINGTON: Okay, so Miami put me like here. I'm probably here. Like there's no reason to go down. I'm super excited for this year. We know we've got a lot of things that we can show people. We've got a lot of things that we can prove and we've got a lot of respect that we want to earn. Ain't nothing but exciting. I'm anxious.
Q. We've heard it mentioned a few times, but Tre Johnson, you two are going to be getting some good on-ball reps in the backcourt. How do you envision working with him as a rookie?
BUB CARRINGTON: How do I envision working with him? Like playing games together?
Q. Yeah.
BUB CARRINGTON: It's going to be good. I don't think it's going to be bad, if that's what you're saying.
Q. How would you work together? How are you envisioning working together?
BUB CARRINGTON: Put it like this, I pass it to him, he'd better shoot it. I envision that we should get a lot of points. Our offense should be a lot more efficient if both of us touch the ball on the same possession.
Q. A lot has been written about Jordan Poole's presence as a veteran on this team. Now that he's gone, what do you think is going to stick with you about him going forward?
BUB CARRINGTON: What's going to stick with me is that JP was a vet and was treated as one here, and vets can kind of get those off times, can chill for certain days, but one thing that will stick with me is the fact that JP was still always the longest -- first one in the gym. We'd go into shootaround on away games after flying in, we'd get there at 2:00 a.m. and have shootaround at 10:00 a.m. JP was there at 8:30. He was doing things I didn't know you could do, just always wanting to be better. That's something that will stick with me.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports