It’s been nearly two decades since Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka got his first taste of the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers, but it didn’t take long for him to remember advice given to him as a rookie and that he noticed.
“Always be ready,” Udoka said before Houston’s 122-103 preseason victory over the Indiana Pacers. “Always be prepared. You’ll never know when you’re going to get thrown in there, especially in the preseason. For these young guys to continue to watch the game and see how fast the game is and what’s happening out there, you’ll never know when you’re going to get your chance. Be confident, have fun, but do what got you here – understand your strengths and stay away from your weaknesses.”
Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore, drafted with the fourth and 20th picks, respectively, in June’s draft, arrive in Houston with different expectations than previous iterations of the rookie classes. There is no pressing need to throw them in and see if they survive, as was the case with Jalen Green, Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Şengün. The Rockets are in another phase of their rebuild, flanked by seasoned veterans and a restructured coaching staff designed to create order and win-win basketball within the group.
In Houston’s first preseason exhibition, both rookies took the field and were able to show why the organization selected them and highlight clear areas for their development. Thompson had a difficult shooting night (1 of 9), but finished the game with seven points, nine rebounds, three assists and one steal in 21 minutes. Whitmore scored an efficient 21 points on 6 of 10 shooting and four rebounds.
Both are exciting young talents hoping for long NBA careers. However, to get there they will have to listen to their coaches and also get advice from experienced players who have been in the league for much longer. Some advice is better than others.
I asked as many players as I could on Tuesday night about the best — and worst, if they wanted to divulge — advice they received as a rookie. This is what they said:
Fred VanVleet, Grade 8: Do not be late. Do not be late. It’s simple man, there’s no secrets to this thing. I would say just don’t be late.
The worst advice I received? I can’t say I’ve had any, I’ve had some good vets. Kyle Lowry, Demarre Carroll, Corey Joseph, Patrick Patterson, Jonas Valančiūnas. I had all good advice.
Jock Landale, Year 3: Stick to the routine, even through the ups and downs. That’s probably what it will be.
Tyrese Haliburton, Grade 4: When you get to the NBA, I think people get caught up in the lifestyle of these things. Just put your head down and work. At the end of the day, everyone has money, so what differentiates people… the talent gap isn’t that big, from one to two to three to 30, 40. You just have to put your head down and work – there’s no secret recipe to be great .
Alperen Şengün, year 3: I didn’t know much English at the time, but Eric Gordon talked to me all the time. When I was a freshman, there were a lot of other freshmen on the team – we were like a college team. But I can say that EG helped me a lot, went to dinner all the time and hung out together. I can say that.
Dillon Brooks, Grade 7: The best advice I had came from Mike Conley. Take every game as a learning experience. I hope our team doesn’t have to go down this path because at this point we had a lot to lose. When I was a newbie, I was frustrated because I had never lost like that before. He came and told me to look at every game as an experience and that made me a better player by just focusing on each game as such. Don’t focus on what’s going on on the other side of the basketball.
Dillon Brooks credits Mike Conley with the best advice he received as a rookie. (Troy Taormina/USA Today)
Jalen Green, Grade 3: Best advice? Stay consistent with training and other things after games. Don’t miss out on training. Once you have your routine, stick to your routine.
Worst advice? I’m not going to blow anyone up like that.
Jeff Green, Grade 16: Be yourself.
“That’s it? Are you?” – a curious, well-dressed reporter
Green: Mmmmm
Aaron Holiday, Grade 6: The best advice I got? Play your game.
The worst advice I received? They tell you what not to do. For example, I tell you to stop shooting and so on. Just be confident and play your game.
Jarace Walker, year 1: Have fun with the process. Enjoy every moment and don’t take anything for granted.
Worst advice? I can’t say I got bad advice. But if I were to get bad advice, I know who it would come from.
Daniel Theis, year 7: Definitely be like a sponge. Whatever the boys do, be close to them, watch them and watch what they do.
Worst advice? I think I’ve been lucky to never get bad advice. It was always: Do this and don’t do that, be good in the locker room, do your work, and on days off come in, show your face and do extra work.
Jabari Smith Jr., Year 2: Best rookie advice? That it’s just a marathon. As a newbie, you may be in trouble and think you need to work yourself out in the gym, constantly training and trying to improve. But that’s not the biggest thing. It’s mental – you’re going to go through difficulties. You just have to relax and know that it’s hard. There are only so many NBA players in the world and you are one of them, so it’s not easy. You just have to relax, trust your work and trust everything you’ve been through.
Worst advice? I wouldn’t say I haven’t had bad advice. Everything is beneficial, you can take it however you want. Nobody really gave me bad advice.
Boban Marjanović, year 9: Perhaps the worst advice was to be professional. Because every time I was already at the cutting edge of professionalism. In everything I’ve done, there’s been nothing I haven’t done professionally – stretching, listening, respecting, things like that. But I think it was just advice for everyone because back then there were a lot of rookies, a lot of young guys in the locker room and in the meetings.
But the best part? Be yourself. Be who you are and show what you can do on the pitch.
Trevor Hudgins, year 2: The best thing I would say is just be yourself. Do what got you here. That’s the best advice I’ve ever received.
Worst advice? Buy a chain. Buy necklaces and jewelry. A nice watch is good, but I don’t need an icy chain and so on. I think that’s cool.
Tari Eason, Year 2: Worst advice for beginners? That’s a good question. There are just so many things. It’s difficult to say. I didn’t really take advice from many people last year, except EG. Everyone else was my age, so I didn’t take advice from anyone my age.
But good advice? Stay in the training room. Get your body treated.
(Eason leans toward Hudgins) Because you know me, Trev. If I get bad advice, I will ignore the whole thing. Someone tells me some things I don’t need, I’ll ignore them. That’s a fact. Don’t give me bad advice.
Darius days, year 2: Man, just be on time for everything. Don’t be late for anything. Keep your head straight. Have a good family situation where people can tell you what’s going on and make you realize that at the end of the day it’s still about basketball.
Worst advice for beginners? Don’t spend your money too quickly (laughs).
Jermaine Samuels Jr., freshman: I think the best advice is to stay where your feet are. That’s the best advice I’ve ever received. Live in the moment.
(Top photo of Alperen Şengün (28) and Daniel Theis (27): Troy Taormina / USA Today)