clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Kevin Seraphin credits getting off Instagram for his improvement this season

Kevin Seraphin and Marcin Gortat agree that getting rid of social media has helped the Wizards' big man focus this season.

By Jake Whitacre
Rob Carr/Getty Images

Kevin Seraphin is enjoying the best season of his career. Though he may not be playing quite as big of a role as he did in the month following the JaVale McGee trade, he's putting up the most efficient numbers since coming to the NBA. Thanks in part to his trusty hook shot, he's averaging career highs in points per 36 minutes, true shooting percentage and win shares per 48 minutes.

At the same time, Seraphin is also averaging career lows in Tweets per day, Vines and posts to his Instagram account, which he's deleted entirely.

Marcin Gortat thinks there's a correlation between these two phenomenons and said as much during an interview with Kevin Seraphin and Jumoke Davis for Wizards Magazine.

Here's a transcription of what they had to say specifically about Seraphin getting off Instagram:

Gortat: I have to admit, the biggest difference from last year is he actually cancel Instagram. Which is huge improvement. I'm serious. Because you can't post 10 pictures per day like he used to do that. You know what I'm saying?

Seraphin: First of all, that was nine.

Gortat: Okay, over summer it was ten.

Seraphin: [laughs]

Gortat: But the biggest part is, he has more time now to focus on basketball.

Seraphin: I am more focused. I always love social, you know, social media. I don't know, it's something I really like. And that's something I think I also want to work in it. So I keep working on it.

Jumoke Davis: Thinking beyond the game.

Seraphin: Yes, so I keep working on it, for sure. I had to make a decision with Instagram, it's not like that's bad, it's just like, it's a lot of distraction and stuff. I closed my account and you know, being more focused on the court, like...

Davis: More consistent?

Seraphin: More consistent with everything.

Blaming or crediting a player's performance for what happens in their spare time is a card that gets overplayed most of the time, but there might be some real truth this time around. If nothing else, Seraphin has clearly changed his stance on Instagram from where he stood on the subject back in December 2013. Let's go back to what he had to say to Michael Lee at the time:

Seraphin has heard criticism that his desire to share and have a good time has affecting his play on the court, but he disputes such assertions.

"That's a little inappropriate when you say, ‘he should spend more time on the court and not do videos.' It's not like I make a movie every time. It's not like I spend all my day filming. It take 15 seconds," Seraphin said with a laugh. "We don't spend 24 hours on the court. I try to show, every day I come here, I smile every day. I don't want to be negative."

Maybe we should all post on Instagram less, because as we all know, we can say it's "just Instagram" but it's never really "just Instagram."  And of course, if you miss is photographic skills, it's still not that hard to find him.