The NBA’s regular season is a six-month, 82-game grind. The games come one after another, and players can quickly see one bad game turn into a bad week or a bad month.
That was how Josh Childress summarized his dismal season in Phoenix last year, when he finished with averages of 2.9 points and 2.8 rebounds in 34 games before he was amnestied by the Suns this summer.
“People say it all the time,” Childress said after a recent Nets practice. “People say this game is 90 percent mental, but it really is. Every guy out here is talented, and can do things very well. You just have to allow yourself to do it.”
Childress simply couldn’t do that in Phoenix, where he looked like a completely different player from the one who spent four years in Atlanta to begin his career before spending two seasons playing in Greece.
The 6-foot-8 small forward was a force coming off the bench for the Hawks from 2005-08, averaging double-digit points, between five and six rebounds a game — including a couple offensive boards — shooting a high percentage from the field and also shooting well, and often, from the foul line.
But all of that went away last year for Childress, who in addition to the low point and rebound averages, also only attempted two free throws all season — missing them both — despite playing nearly 500 minutes.
“It was me not being as aggressive,” Childress said. “I had an injury my first year in Phoenix. … I broke my finger, and mentally it took a toll on me. I wasn’t able to shoot like I felt like I could.
“It was just an uphill battle for me. Now I’m feeling much better, and I’m looking forward to being more aggressive in the lane and getting to the rack and just overall, being aggressive offensively.”
Childress will get his chance this season with the Nets, who signed him to a non-guaranteed one-year deal last month, and Childress plans to reward them for taking a chance on him.
“It’s obviously a great feeling,” Childress said of making the team. “But we still have a full season ahead. I have to make sure I come in here every day and practice and do what Coach wants me to do.
“This is a great opportunity for me. I’m excited, as well as the team, and we’re just looking forward to a good year.”