Expectations are a funny thing. They can be good in that they
set forth an objective measure for expected performance, goals, and
standards of conduct. On the other hand, they can turn bad if they
are unreasonable or prone to differing or subjective
interpretations.
Watching the NBA draft last week, I was struck by how these
young men (most of whom are still teenagers) are immediately
saddled with expectations: expectations from fans, expectations
from the team and its front office, expectations from NBA analysts
and media members, and countless others. Without even having played
a second of professional basketball, Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram
(who went first and second in the draft to Philadelphia and Los
Angeles, respectively) have already been anointed the saviors of
76ers and Lakers basketball for the future. My Boston Celtics
selected Jaylen Brown with the third overall pick and were almost
universally criticized, by fans and pundits alike, for
"reaching" for
