Marcin Gortat is proud of his screening ability

Most really good NBA players are considered really good because they are good at the things that it is easy for a fan to see just watching the basketball. Scoring, passing, shooting, shot blocking, those are the type of things that fans will go to first when discussing the talent of a player. The unheralded NBA players embrace other aspects of the game though, and while fans don’t realize it often enough, they take great pride in doing the little things to help teams win. Take Marcin Gortat for example, who is one of the best screen setters in all of basketball.

That point was made by Jeff Teague after the Hawks and Wizards played on Monday night and reporter Jorge Castillo tweeted out a Teague quote complimenting Gortat on his screen setting. Gortat, who happens to be one of the best Twitter personalities in the league, responded.

It is fun to see players take pride in their abilities, and even more fun when they accept the praise heaped onto them by other players. Considering how important screening is in getting John Wall free for baskets, it isn’t a surprise that Gortat has made himself one of the best in the league at it and that he takes immense pride in blindsiding people to free his point guard.