It can’t be an easy task for NBA players deep at the end of any team’s bench to stay ready all the time.
They have to keep their minds sharp when the propensity would be for them to wander, not expecting to play or not knowing when they might.
For Raptors centre Alex Len, the solution comes in trying to fool himself, so to speak.
“Every day you’ve got to be ready, and if you don’t expect to play, you’re not going to be ready,” Len said Thursday morning. “So I’m just going in every game like I’m going to get 20 minutes, like I’m going to play, and then just try to stay in the game, cheer for the guys and wait my turn.