It’s generally a good idea to get advice from an older sibling — especially when you’re an NBA rookie and your brother has played over 500 NBA games.
Well, that’s exactly the scenario for Toronto Raptors rookie Delon Wright.
Wright’s older brother, Dorell, penned a letter for the Raptors point guard on The Players Tribune, offering plenty of important tips and life lessons for the first-year NBA player.
Here’s what we learned:
Wright will be well taken care of in Toronto:
Dorell was insistent that Delon ended up in a really solid situation with the Raptors. Not only will he have an opportunity to play for a competitive team as a rookie, but he’ll have a pair of role models he can turn to if he has any problems on or off the court.
“I’m close with Kyle Lowry, going back to those four-star camps, ABCD and AAU,” Dorell wrote. “DeMar DeRozan is somebody who looked up to me in high school, and he played on my team at the Drew League when he was still in eighth and ninth grade. Those are two great dudes, and I know they’re going to look out for you. I didn’t even have to ask. They reached out to me and let me know you’re in great hands.”
Avoid card games on the plane:
It’s a very quick way to lose money, according to Dorell. The NBA veteran insisted that his brother realistically should avoid them entirely but if he wants to partake in the activity, he better be disciplined or it’s easy to fall to peer pressure by his veteran teammates.
“Don’t play,” he wrote. “Don’t sit down at that table. And if you do play, put a limit on your buy-in. Pick a number, and if you lose it, get up. Guys will talk trash and try to keep you in.
“C’mon, man! You’re done?”
Just say, “Yep,” and walk back to your seat.”
Treat the veterans with respect:
Not only will this keep Wright in good standing with the key voices in the locker room, it can sometimes land him some extra money.
“Since you’re a rookie, if you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing and behaving like a pro, on road trips vets like me will throw you their per diem envelope,” Wright said. “Whatever rook looked out for me, bringing in my gear in the morning or doing those small things a vet needs, as soon as we get off the plane, I’ll just hand the envelope over. Those extra per diems are pretty sweet and can go a long way.”
Use your free time wisely:
Wright said one of the biggest adjustments for young NBA players is having way more free time than they’re accustomed to coming from either college or prep school. NBA players are undoubtedly busy, whether it’s working out, refining their skills, studying film, but that still leaves plenty of free time for off-days. Wright cautioned his brother not to get carried away.
“You have all this free time to buy, buy, buy. Really, free time is the root of the trouble you can find as a pro. That’s the hardest thing about the adjustment you’re about to make. When I was at prep school before jumping to the NBA, I had a strict schedule. Be at school at 7:30. Breakfast. Assembly. Class all day, then basketball. Afterwards, it was study hall and maybe one more chance to sneak in some gym time. Most of your days in college were basically planned for you, too.
In the NBA, on non-game days, you’re there at 8 a.m. to get your extra work in and then practice with the team. That takes maybe four hours, tops. Now you’ve got the rest of the day to yourself. You’ll need to learn how to manage your time. My rookie year, after practice, I used to head to 24 Hour Fitness and play even more ball. We used to go to the movies, or just go back to the house, chilling around.
I managed to pull that off … in Miami.”
The Utah product, known for defensive prowess, enters the 2015-16 season third on the Raptors depth chart at point guard behind all-star Kyle Lowry and Canadian Cory Joseph.
