Shorts said he knows how to compete against taller players and utilize his lack of basketball height. The guard said he chose Paris Basketball mainly due to head coach Tuomas Iisalo transferring from Bonn.
The performance of TJ Shorts has been the talking point in basketball circles for the second season in a row. Being just 1.75 meters tall, Shorts has been demonstrating tremendous numbers in international competitions.
Shorts averaged 19.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 6.8 assists for 18.9 PIR in the Basketball Champions League (BCL) with Telekom Baskets Bonn last season. This year, he's having an even better year in the EuroCup with Paris Basketball, averaging 17.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 7.2 assists for 20.6 PIR.
The player had multiple offers this past offseason. He ended up choosing Paris Basketball, following head coach Tuomas Iisalo from Bonn.
"We have to go back to last season when he recruited me," Shorts said about Iisalo in an interview with Maxime Bodilis from BeBasket. "He very quickly gave me his trust and allowed me to be myself on the court. This is the main reason why I followed him here, knowing that Paris would have big ambitions this year and the following one, with the EuroLeague in their sights."
"He talks to me a lot during meetings and gives me a lot of instructions. And it's the same off the court. He makes a lot of videos and gives me a lot of advice, even by text. He may also forward articles to me. That's what he did recently, sending me one on Tyrese Haliburton. Clearly, he tries by all means to help me progress, and that is priceless. He's a bit like a mentor to me. He has a lot of knowledge, and I try to take advantage of it as much as possible," Shorts explained.
Even after blossoming in the BCL, Shorts has been written off by some fans and experts as unsuitable for the EuroLeague mainly due to his height, which would primarily expose him on defense.
The guard claims he's battled with this notion his entire career and is now used to it, knowing how to overcome it.
"Growing up, it was always the same thing - 'He's too small.' But as I said, I know what I am capable of on the court, and I have full confidence in myself. My height can be a disadvantage, especially defensively, but I have always played against taller players, so I know how to play against them - pass them on my first step, go around them to steal the ball, etc," Shorts said.
"This is what I tell the young people who ask me the question: the main thing is to succeed in making your size, whatever it is, an advantage and not a disadvantage," the guard explained. "But it requires learning, and you have to be able to learn from your mistakes to achieve this."
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