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Almost a decade later, asked to name his “vet” during his 2013-14 rookie season — the veteran player who takes a rookie under his wing, or, in some cases, makes the rookie his gofer — Giannis Antetokounmpo, instead, smiling, names 11.
“Larry Sanders,” Antetokounmpo begins, and with his mellifluous accent, Sanders’ first name comes out “Lahhreee.”
“O.J. Mayo. Caron Butler. Carlos Delfino. Ekpe Udoh. Luke Ridnour. Zaza Pachulia. Ersan Ilyasova. Gary Neal. Miroslav Raduljica. Ramon Sessions. I think it was the end of the old-school NBA. Then, the Golden State era happened.”
Antetokounmpo’s recall of the roster is remarkable. And, he’s also right about that season being the last before the Warriors established their hegemony over the league, soldering in the modern 3-point era. But it is also telling of how much an NBA player’s rookie season is seared into his soul. You may not remember. They do. It is a whirlwind nine or 10 months of constantly being on roller skates, needing to learn everything, from what clothes to bring on a long road trip to how Kawhi Leonard is so good at drawing fouls.
You don’t know anything about anything.
It is that much more difficult for players who are coming from overseas.
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‘He’s just a different type of talent’: Victor Wembanyama is turning foes into fans
Think of the challenge. The leap in talent is just the start of it. You are living, now, thousands of miles from the people who know you the best, and care about you the most. You’re likely under a microscope, either being taken high in the first round or for being relatively unknown. The NBA game is worlds different from even the best leagues around the globe. You’re likely years away from being strong enough physically to withstand the rigors of an NBA season. In Europe, teams practice a lot and play a little every week. It’s the exact opposite here.
And, while rookie hazing isn’t nearly as bad as it used to be, you may still have to deal with … incidents.
Now, add to all that being the most scrutinized and anticipated rookie to come into the NBA since LeBron James, two decades ago.
This is what Victor Wembanyama faces this holiday season.
The Spurs’ rookie hasn’t had a linear path north in the first quarter of his inaugural season stateside. The Spurs are one of the worst teams in the league, having just snapped an 18-game losing streak. The hype, and hope for immediate renewal that Wembanyama created last year, while playing in France, through this year’s NBA Lottery and draft, along with summer league in Vegas, has dissipated. It’s not that the circus has left town; it’s just looking for another headliner for the big stage.
But that’s the reality for almost everyone in their maiden NBA voyage. Very few rookies bring the kind of ballast necessary for immediate turnarounds.
Lew Alcindor, now Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, was an exception. His presence vaulted the Milwaukee Bucks from a 27-55 season the year before his arrival as the No. 1 pick of the 1969 draft, to a 56-26 record the following season. Larry Bird lifted the Celtics from 29-53 the year before he came from Indiana State to 61-21 in 1979-80. And Tim Duncan’s rookie season saw the Spurs go from 20-62 in 1996-97 to 56-26 the season after they took Duncan No. 1 overall. But, also: San Antonio struggled the year before in large part because David Robinson missed all but six games that season with back and foot injuries, and he returned in ’97 just as Duncan arrived, too.
In fact, Robinson had engineered his own dramatic lift as a rookie.
After two years completing his military obligation to the U.S. Naval Academy, Robinson came to San Antonio, which had taken him first overall in the 1987 draft, for the 1989-90 season. The Spurs went from 21-61 the year before the Admiral’s arrival to 56-26 the following season.
With James, in 1993-94, the Cavaliers improved 22 games from the season before — but still finished just 35-47, and didn’t make the playoffs.
The Athletic spoke with four players who have some idea of what Wembanyama is facing, yet were able to overcome those challenges and become fixtures in the NBA:
• Antetokounmpo, the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, and 2021 NBA Finals MVP, who came to the NBA with little fanfare from a second-league team in Greece;
• Luka Dončić, the Mavs’ superstar, 2018-19 NBA Rookie of the Year and four-time All-NBA First Team selection, who’d been the biggest European prospect in terms of hype coming into the league before Wembanyama;
• Joel Embiid, the reigning NBA MVP, 2022-23 First Team All-NBA selection and six-time All-Star, who’d starred at Kansas his freshman season, but who sat out two years after being taken third overall in the 2014 draft because of multiple surgeries, and was then limited to 31 games as a rookie in 2016-17 after suffering a bone bruise in his left knee and a meniscus tear in his right knee. Unfortunately, Embiid will miss Monday’s game against Miami with a right ankle injury;
• Kristaps Porziņģis, the Celtics’ center, hailed as a “unicorn” by none other than Kevin Durant during Porziņģis’ rookie season with the Knicks, in 2015, but who’d come to the States as one of the most polarizing players in recent memory before the 2015 draft.
It is a testament to both the talent and drawing power of each that all four of their teams are playing on Christmas Day, the unofficial “soft opening” of the NBA season, when the league showcases its best teams and biggest stars on national television.
Wembanyama’s Spurs are not yet in that rarefied air.
The rookie big man has had his moments – a 38-point, 10-rebound game at Phoenix in early November; going for 30 and 13 against the Lakers earlier this month. But he hasn’t dominated every night, and he hasn’t been able to overcome the substantial holes San Antonio still has in its roster. The Spurs have struggled with second-year forward Jeremy Sochan running the point, and while Wembanyama has been sensational, individually, on defense – he’s currently second in the league in blocked shots, at 3.0 per game, and is a top-20 player in Dunks and Three’s Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus — the Spurs as a team still are among the league’s worst at stopping the opposition.
But none of the four stars we spoke with started at the top, either. Each had setbacks and stumbles.
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While Dončić won Rookie of the Year for 2018-19, the Mavericks were a dreary 33-49, and didn’t make the playoffs. At the nadir of “The Process,” Embiid missed two full seasons after being drafted in ’14. He missed the 2014-15 season after suffering a stress fracture in his right foot, and all of 2015-16 when he needed a second surgery on the same foot when it didn’t heal as fast as the 76ers hoped. There was also constant sniping about his conditioning (Google “Joel Embiid Shirley Temple.”).
Porziņģis shone individually out of the gate, but the Knicks were a mess collectively, going 32-50. And after Porziņģis’ rookie season, things went south in a hurry between him and Phil Jackson, who was then running the show in New York.
Antetokounmpo also played on a bad team in Milwaukee, and that first season, the Bucks leaned into the fact that almost none of their fans could pronounce their first-round pick’s name.
“Back in 2013, nobody cared about no rookie from Greece,” Antetokounmpo says now.
So, we asked the four now-veterans, from where they sit now, three questions:
What was the biggest challenge for you in your rookie season?
What, or who, helped you cope and get through it?
And, what advice, if any, would you give Wembanyama about doing the same in his rookie season?
(Answers in alphabetical order)
Caron Butler was one of “11” mentors to Giannis Antetokounmpo in Giannis’ rookie season. (Gary Dineen / NBAE via Getty Images)
What was your biggest challenge in your rookie season?
Antetokounmpo: For me, it was the language barrier. ‘Cause I didn’t understand the terminology, the knowledge that the coaches used in the practices, and the games. The first couple of practices, that was the hardest for me. The NBA doesn’t slow down for the rookies; you’ve got to kind of catch up. So that was the hardest thing. … Nobody cared. I was not a top pick. There was no hype behind me. A lot of people said I was a G League player. Nobody, they didn’t really care about me, until you prove yourself. Just listening, over and over, when they were talking. The lingo they used to use. I tried to focus as much as I can in practices, film sessions. That’s pretty much it.
Dončić: Honestly, I didn’t know what I was getting into. It’s different playing overseas and here. Obviously, I wanted to play in the NBA, but I think the biggest adjustment was just adjusting to the NBA game. There’s different rules, different offense. Just adjusting to it, and believing in myself. It was really fast. I won the championship in Madrid, then I went, the next day was the draft (lottery), and then almost, like, the preseason was here. Everything happened really fast. But I was really enjoying it. We didn’t win a lot of games my first year, I don’t think, but I really enjoyed my first year. I was going at guys like KD (Kevin Durant), LeBron (James), which I never saw in my life, only on TV. So it was a pretty special moment.
Embiid: It was tough. Obviously, those were dark times. I came in and, that was back in the day when I used to be really on Twitter. Everybody used to talk about, I would never play, because that was the same injury that a lot of big men had, and never came back from it. And I was also going through my brother dying. Those were dark times. At the time, honestly, I didn’t care about basketball. I wanted to quit. But I loved the game so much I was like, I always gotta pay attention. One of the things that I’ve always done, and that I’m still doing, and that’s never gonna change, is I just watch a lot of basketball. I always have a basketball game on. It doesn’t matter; any time of the day, any time of the night, if I’m not watching my own games, I’m going to watch any other game. That’s how I learn.
And I think just watching the game, watching a bunch of different players, a bunch of different schemes, I think that’s what kept me from not losing it. Just trying to get myself better prepared for what was going to come. I watched every team — losing teams, winning teams. I just love to watch basketball. There’s always something to learn. Even teams that are losing a lot, there’s always something to learn. I don’t watch basketball just to learn about basketball. I watch basketball to also learn about people’s tendencies. Watch a lot of players, and all of that stuff. Obviously Hakeem (Olajuwon), a few different players. Obviously the top players. But I’m always watching, to try and learn as much as possible.
Porziņģis: It would be, maybe, getting used to the physicality of the game. That was where I felt the biggest difference from Europe, playing pros, to coming here. Skill, all that, those guys, also, in Europe have that. Not as much as here, obviously, but to a good level. But the physicality was the biggest difference.
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Hollis Thompson were part of a young Sixers team in Embiid’s rookie season. (Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBAE via Getty Images)
What, or who, helped you cope and get through it?
Antetokounmpo: My family was everything for me. I tried to talk to them as much as I can. They wasn’t here for the first couple of months. But there was no, I wasn’t feeling bad for myself, or try to baby myself, or ask my mom or dad, ‘Oh, how can I understand the terminology?’ That’s not how I was raised. I had to figure things out on my own. … (I gained) five to eight pounds (of muscle). Of course, it helped. I was getting better. You have to take care of your body. It’s a fact. It doesn’t matter how much talent you have. … very long hours on the plane, shootarounds, practices. I don’t think there’s any player in the history of the NBA that’s able to have longevity and have consistency in the game of basketball without taking care of his body. I take it that serious.
Dončić: I mean, obviously, Dirk (Nowitzki). Dirk was a big part of it. I got to play with him the second half of the season. And J.J. Barea, too, I think he was a big part of it. I had a good relationship with him. So he helped me out, too.
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Embiid: My first year, losing my brother, it was all about family. Just being around my family. So just falling back on my people. I had a bunch of people around me that were helping me. One of the guys, actually, I don’t think many people know about, one of the guys that really helped me learn about the NBA was Quincy Pondexter. He dealt with the same thing. I think we had the same injury. And he dealt with some stuff in his career, too, and we had the same agent. So that’s how we got connected. We used to talk about it. He used to give me advice about what his injury was, and the game and stuff, and obviously to this day, we’re still very close. That was one of the guys that, when I got to the league, he really helped me. …
I think, from my first game, I knew, I never understood what everybody was talking about, the potential, before my first game. After my first game, I was like, (this is) pretty easy. I have a pretty good chance at becoming something in this league. And then I’d have flashes in practices and stuff. NBA talent level is hard to play against, but when I first really started practicing, after my two years (off), I was just dominating in practice. It just seemed so easy. And then the first game, against OKC, I think I played like 24 minutes (Editor’s note: 22 minutes), and I had 20 points. I was like, man, I’ve got a pretty good chance.
Porziņģis: For me, everybody was testing me the first year. Every 4, 5 man there was, was testing if I was going to back down, if I was going to give in. But I think as a young guy, you just cannot back down in any situation. You have to keep fighting. The physicality you have, you have to bring it every night, and you have to fight those guys and let them know that you’re here to stay. … Mostly like box-out situations. Or, offensive boards, defensive boards. Switching, and then having guys like Marcus Smart guard me. It was tough for me at first. Those guards, they get in your legs, try to push you out, try to make you look bad. And you had to figure out ways how to play against them, and play against that kind of physicality.
Jerian Grant and Kristaps Porzingis do it for the ‘Gram during their rookie photo shoot in 2015. (Mike Stobe / NBAE via Getty Images)
What advice would you give Wembanyama?
Antetokounmpo: Take care of his body. Very important. Being healthy. Because there’s a lot of games, a lot of practices, a lot of shootarounds. There’s going to be a lot of wear and tear. Take care of your body. Take care of your mental. Keep working on your game. And if you do all of those things, and you’re disciplined, things will go well. If you have a lot of talent, things will go well. Just (sought) out knowledge anywhere I can. Anywhere I can figure out things that can improve me as a person, as a basketball player. I always tried to listen, tried to learn as much as I can. ‘Cause the potential of learning, it’s unlimited. You can always learn something new. It doesn’t matter what year you’re in the league; it doesn’t matter how old you are. You can always learn something about somebody. You can always learn an interesting thing you had no idea about. Learn about things you’re passionate about.
Dončić: I would just tell him to enjoy the moment. It’s special. It’s the first year of a long career for him. But he don’t need my advice. I think you can see how he plays, and what an unbelievable talent he is. I really enjoy watching him. I remember the first game we played, and it was pretty special to play against him. And then I remember my first game in the NBA. Those moments, you remember for (your) whole life.
Embiid: Not trying to be too critical. Obviously, extremely talented. Right now, there’s so much hype around him, I think he’s trying to live up to the hype. That’s what I see. And I watch a lot of games. I think, first of all, he has to figure out where he wants to play, whether he wants to be a guard or a big or whatever. It’s not necessarily whether he wants to be a guard or a big; it’s what he wants to become. Do you want to become KD, or do you want to become me? Not KD, or like a version of those guys — you want to combine everything. Right now, I just feel like everything kind of feels a little forced, in the way that he’s playing. Which is not bad. Because the only way to get better is to play through it and learn. That’s the only way. You make a lot of mistakes, and you learn.
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Despite Spurs losing streak, Victor Wembanyama sees ‘purpose’ and improvement from team
The one thing that I’m happy about is they’re allowing him to make those mistakes, and learn from it. But I just think there’s a good and bad in that. The good of it is you learn through your mistakes. But then again, the bad of it is, you know, it just feels a little forced. Like, some of the shots. He can make it easy on himself. He can make it easy for himself. Like, he’s 7-5, 7-6. Sometimes, and that’s one thing I’m learning, too. Like, sometimes, just go down there and whatever, just shoot over somebody. Sometimes, you don’t have to (work so hard). I’m still learning it. We all have the same issue. And another issue I have that I see on a lot of people, is that it’s hard to figure out. But you have so much moves and so much game, like myself, sometimes I’m like, I could just jab-step, jumper. But then again, I’m like, I just scored twice, three times in a row, using a jumper. I’ve got this other move that I want to try. Instead of just keep going back to the same thing that’s working over and over. And I struggle with it. I’ve gotten a lot better when it comes to it, but it’s a struggle. We’re all still learning.
Porziņģis: From where I sit, what he has that’s very important is that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to become great, and he’s listening to all the coaches. You can see his interactions with Pop (Spurs coach Gregg Popovich). He’s like, eye contact, listening, doing exactly what they tell him to do. And that’s a huge part of him just keep growing and keep getting better. He’s already making big noise in this league, and it’s his first year, when he’s coming in very skinny, and he still has so much room to grow. But seeing that from him, that just tells me a lot about him, about his personality. And if keeps that mindset, he’ll be fine.
(Photo of Luka Dončić and Victor Wembanyama: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
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