It takes a certain level of maturity to get hit and get knocked down and get back up.

I played with Eddy Curry twice and in New York, the second time, he asked, 'Who are you?' My first to fourth year I was a different person. I started thinking big picture, that maybe I don't have all the answers.

Winning always cures all.

I think when you're starting you have more of a luxury. You know you're going to play 33, 35, 37 minutes per game, so you can kind of feel the game out. When you come off the bench you have to be more in attack mode. You have to make something happen immediately.

My earliest childhood memories are of my dad putting a basketball in my hand and playing with me in our backyard.

I feel like I can get any shot I want. That's not to sound cocky or conceited. It's because I've played basketball basically every day of my life. So at some point, I've taken just about every shot there is. I've figured out the angles, almost like a pool shark. I know where to use the glass, which dribble I need and which spot I want to reach.

There are basically five ways to score in the half court. Layups, mid-range, three-pointers, free throws - and then what I call 'tough shots.' Tough shots come anywhere on the floor, under difficult circumstances. The ability to create that shot is a special skill in the NBA.

One of my big influences as a young player was Allen Iverson. All I wanted to do was the left-to-right crossover, because that's the one he was doing most.

No matter what the trends are in the NBA - teams going big, going small, getting more efficient with analytics - the ability for a player to create his own shot, then convert tough shots, will always be a weapon, particularly when you get to the playoffs.