LAIE, Hawaii — College basketball and NBA Summer League are one thing. But an NBA training camp is a completely different beast.
Utah Jazz rookies Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks and Brice Sensabaugh are getting firsthand experience this week in what it means to be humbled.
“I think anybody that wants to get better, they’ve got to go through that moment of, ‘Oh man, I gotta tighten up a little bit.’” — Utah Jazz coach Will Hardy
If a basketball player is able to play college basketball, especially as a starter and especially at a top-tier school, they were more than likely the best basketball player on their high school team. If they’re lucky enough and skilled enough to be drafted into the NBA, that means they were one of the best college players in the world and they are used to being the No. 1 option on a team. They’re used to being able to impose their will on a basketball court.
“I don’t care how good you are in college or what level of college you played in,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “There aren’t 27-year-olds, 28-year-olds, 30-year-olds that you’re playing against and so the physicality can take a minute to adjust to … you’ve got NBA All-Stars out here, you got guys that have been NBA All-Stars, guys that have played in the NBA 10 years and it’s different than Summer League, it’s different than OTAs.”
The runs at an NBA practice facility during the offseason operate more like pickup basketball than anything else. Of course, NBA players are naturally competitive, so it’s not like those workouts are a cake walk, but things kick into another gear once training camp begins.
On Tuesday, the Jazz held their first official practice in gearing up for the 2023-24 season, and it didn’t take long for the team’s rookie class to see that they were in for a different kind of battle.
“For sure, this is way, way, way different,” George said. “I see why everybody says this (is different) from open gym to Summer League to now.”
The physicality and athleticism of experienced NBA players is the first thing that stands out. The rookies know that along with dedication to training and continuing to work on their craft, patience is going to be key. These are young men — literal teenagers — that are still growing and it will take time for their bodies to adapt to this profession.
Then there’s the terminology and language used at the NBA level. Rookies will have some experience with this because learning new systems and terminology is a part of the basketball world at any level. But almost all of their teammates have experience in playing for multiple NBA coaches and learning new systems in preparation for an 82-game season.
But it’s not just the physical side or learning the X’s and O’s that is going to require patience. There is a mental aspect to adapting to the NBA that is incredibly important for rookies to navigate.
“Going from college to this and not being the main guy,” Hendricks said as an example of how this year would be different. “It’s having to sit back and watch a little bit more and learn a little bit more, because it’s so even though it’s basketball, it’s a whole new game.”
And even though these rookies are having to strengthen their bodies and minds and battle, it doesn’t mean that they can’t break into the Jazz’s rotation. Walker Kessler did so early on last season, and although Ochai Agbaji started out the 2022-23 season a little slower, he cemented himself as an important part of this team’s future by the end of the year.
Hardy is a coach that is willing to give young players significant opportunities so long as those opportunities are earned, and just because training camp might be a bit of a wake-up call, that’s not a bad thing.
“It’s good to see them struggle a little bit,” Hardy said. “I think anybody that wants to get better, they’ve got to go through that moment of, ‘Oh man, I gotta tighten up a little bit.’ Nobody comes in and just bullies the NBA. It doesn’t work like that.”
But through hard work and making the right plays and being unselfish, George, Hendricks and Sensabaugh are going to have a chance to prove their mettle this week.
