What is Holding Le'Bryan Nash Back?

With Marcus Smart out of the picture for the Oklahoma State Cowboys, Travis Ford is going to need Le'Bryan Nash to take a big step forward. Nash is unquestionably a top level player in the country, so why aren't Cowboy's fans seeing top level numbers from Nash. His unwillingness to accept coaching is well documented, but let's take a deeper look at Le'Bryan Nash's struggles.

Turnovers

Passing and decision making is not a flashy area of the game, but it is one of the most important. Nash does not seem to realize that, and it has held him back tremendously. Throughout his career as a Cowboy, Nash has developed a habit of throwing lazy passes, and not making the extra effort to get the pall to the open man. Once Nash learns to take care of the ball, his turnover numbers will go down and his assists will only go up.

Shot Selection

Le'Bryan Nash is an elite finisher at the rim, but fans rarely see a display of this talent. Nash is consistently seen settling for jump shots beyond his range instead of driving past his defender and putting points on the board. By staying out of the paint, Nash is not only hurting his team, but hurting himself as well. In order to be considered a top player in the country, Nash needs to put up the numbers. As soon as Nash stops settling, Cowboy's fans will see wins and an elite Big 12 scorer.

Attitude

As I previously stated, Le'Bryan Nash has a reputation of being unteachable. It has been noted by people surrounding the program that he is not willing to listen to Travis Ford and his assistant coaches. Nash also has a problem with getting back on defense after making a mistake. He is often noticeably frustrated, shaking his head and giving minimum effort on the defensive side of the ball.