“It’s giving it our all while still trying to develop:” Team Liquid’s Jatt talks about Lock In tournament

Q. How much do you feel like working alongside Cain (Jang Nu-ri), just working in your first year in general, how much do you feel that improved your X’s and O’s for this season?

A. I think it definitely helped. I mean, observing exactly how a team approaches pick and ban and do review and give feedback is always going to be great to inform you for the next year. It lets me know what I liked and lets me know what I didn’t like to keep the former and not do as much of the latter. In the last split, I did consult on draft and participated in reviews, but for the most part, I was trying to facilitate and make sure everyone else was connecting. Whereas this split, I’m still making sure everything is connecting, but I am giving more of my own opinion on these topics

So last year: definitely, definitely very helpful for this year.

Q. I’m curious, is Kold sort of your Tex Winter? Is he the Tex Winter analog to your Phil Jackson here?

A. [Chuckles] I mean, I don’t know if it’s that specific, but he’s been really great.

Q. I did finally manage to watch The Last Dance.

A. Oh, awesome.

Q. Michael Jordan, One of the funniest parts to me was how easily he could be offended at things and how it was almost like a talent for him. Do you have a moment in Worlds, in your coaching career in general, where you took it personally?

A. [Laughs] No, I actually didn’t, but I do love the memes that got generated by Michael Jordan. I feel like my motivation is slightly more intrinsic than trying to prove other people wrong, but for whoever it works for, that’s a great way to go for it.

Lock In starts in 2 hours for us! Excited to show everyone what we've been working on https://t.co/fkIUdKY5Ht

— Josh Leesman (@TL_Jatt) January 15, 2021

Q. If I can ask, what’s the source of motivation for you?

A. I think a lot of what I want to do is trying to excel. Suppose I’m really passionate about something. I want to be able to do it and show that I’m capable of being the best. So like, that’s one of the reasons I got into casting. I saw a space, and I had a bunch of ideas about like, “Oh, you know I could do this, I could do that, I could do that.”

I had somewhat similar coaching thoughts, and I hope to get there - I don’t think I’m there yet. But that’s what motivates me. I want to be the best coach, and I want to win the Worlds.