Garrett Temple was never an NBA superstar, but he accomplished something arguably more difficult than briefly reaching the league: he found a way to stay there for well over a decade.
During an appearance on the Link with J.B. Podcast, Temple explained that talent alone doesn't determine longevity. For role players in particular, he believes being professional, adaptable, and, most importantly, low maintenance can keep someone employed.
"I did an interview with a lady with The Ringer. She was talking about the term 'nice guy' or, you know what I'm saying? That's a little different than locker room guy, but I think it goes back to what we talked about earlier, um, just understanding your role and it being more difficult for highly touted guys or guys that just are very talented, that can do a lot of good things and don't get that opportunity right away.
"And I think they may, um, not be able to be adaptable. You know what I'm saying? I think about, like, the players I played with. Like, Jordan Crawford was a bucket in D.C. Like, it was crazy what he could do. He got traded, I think, to Boston and won, you know, Player of the Month. He took out his Player of the Month at the point guard. Nobody knew he even played point like that.
"So, like, the talent level is immense, but the ability to be professional—and that's general, but that means be on time, have a work ethic, be low maintenance. I think that's the big thing now.
"And, you know, we talked about the NIL transfer portal, like, being low maintenance, which means not having anybody to have to worry about you or asking for too many things or you being a prima donna or things of that nature. Just being somebody that's under the radar, whatever. I call it the, the 'What do you need, coach?' player.
"When you can be that guy, and then once you get on the court, you produce, um, you know, especially on the defensive end. Offensively, it's, it's, it's—you can make shots, miss shots. But if you produce defensively, um, and you cause no problems, you only bring positivity to the team, it's hard for coaches and GMs to get rid of you. You know what I'm saying? It's very hard.
"Will Smith says something crazy. It's simple, but it's not easy. You know what I'm saying? Because you get in your head. I was, I have his 21, you know what I'm saying? I was, I was this dude, but you go three games without playing, but the dude in front of me not even playing well. What you doing?
"Like, it's all so many things. You know, the ego is so big in professional sports. You have to have one to get to a certain level, but you have to, you literally have to be able to turn it on and off.
"And, uh, once your mindset is about winning, the team winning, you can focus on doing whatever the team needs you to do to win. Um, so that's, I think, that's the biggest thing that allows people to stay in the league.
"Uh, you know what I'm saying? Like, I'm thinking about all the guys that are in the league, Mike Conley, Joe Ingles, you know, the Jrue Holidays. They're really good people, good guys, you know what I'm saying? And if they weren't All-Stars, you would still want them on your team."
Temple's own career is almost a perfect example. After four years at LSU, he went undrafted in the 2009 NBA draft. Instead of immediately receiving the security enjoyed by highly selected prospects, he went to the summer league and the development league before reaching the NBA with the Houston Rockets in 2010.
He then bounced around between organizations and the D-League while simply fighting to establish himself.
Temple eventually found stability with the Washington Wizards , where he developed a reputation as a dependable defensive guard who did not require significant offensive touches. He spent four seasons with the Wizards before beginning the journeyman portion of his career.
Over the years, Temple suited up for 12 different NBA franchises, including the Wizards, Sacramento Kings , Memphis Grizzlies , Los Angeles Clippers , Brooklyn Nets , Chicago Bulls , New Orleans Pelicans, and the Toronto Raptors .
His best statistical season came with the Nets in 2019-20, when he averaged 10.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.
But Temple's larger point is that sustaining a career is not always about stats. He acknowledges how difficult it is to suppress an athlete's ego. It can become difficult when someone isn't playing despite believing he's better than the player who is actually getting the minutes.
And Temple thinks shifting the focus from individual opportunity towards winning makes accepting these situations somewhat easier.
Temple eventually played 17 NBA seasons, averaging 5.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists while earning more than $57 million in salary. After his playing career, he transitioned into coaching as an assistant with the Dallas Mavericks .
For an undrafted player who spent his early career fighting through summer league, the D-League, and short-term deals, that is a very long time to stay in the league.
And according to Temple, much of the formula was very simple: defend, work hard, understand your role, bring positivity, and don't give an organization an unnecessary reason to worry about you.
