After completing their first offseason, a new class of NBA rookies are ready to step on the court to make their professional debuts.
While nothing can compare with the special moment of hearing their name called in the NBA Draft, it is assuredly a surreal feeling to have your lifelong dreams realized on the hardwood.
We spoke to 10 rookies from the 2023 draft class about all of the emotions they anticipate feeling once they officially begin their professional careers as NBA athletes.
Here is what each prospect said about what they expect when they play on the parquet courts in front of thousands of fans.
These interviews have been condensed and edited for clarity.
1
Jarace Walker (Pacers)
“Just the vibe! The fans, the lights, playing against high-level talent, just the overall feel and the moment of that experience.”
2
Dereck Lively (Mavericks)
“First game, first practice, first whatever, I’m just trying to go out there and be the most coachable player and try to be the best teammate and be able to be the best player on the court. No matter if that’s me diving out of bounds or diving on the floor to save a ball or making an extra pass or making an extra rebound or doing whatever it takes to win, I just want to go out there and show the world that no matter what it is I need to do. I’m going to do whatever it takes.”
RELATED: Meet Mavericks rookie Dereck Lively, the big man from Duke who is going to dominate on defense
3
Keyonte George (Jazz)
“Whether I’m coming off the bench or if I’m starting, I’m going to go in there and be locked in defensively and show people I can guard at this level. Everything else will take care of itself offensively. I know I’m going to make shots. I’m able to create not just for myself but for others as well. Then just have a lot of fun with it. I assume the crowd will have a lot of fans in there because it’s going to be an NBA game and opening night. So it’ll be really fun for me. It’ll be one of those things that I’ll be able to say is a dream come true playing my first NBA game. It’s going to be fun to compete.”
RELATED: Keyonte George says ‘It’s just the beginning, so I’m taking everything in’
4
Brandin Podziemski (Warriors)
“We all have our dreams of what we want it to look like, but in reality, I think the first NBA game, I’ll probably come off the bench and find a way to help the team win in any way possible for as long as I’m out there. That’s all you can really control. You can’t really control if the shot goes in or if it doesn’t. You can control everything else. That’s what I hang my hat on.”
RELATED: Meet Warriors rookie Brandin Podziemski, who used the transfer portal to make himself a pro
5
Noah Clowney (Nets)
“I’ll probably be excited. It’d be fun. It’d be a good experience, obviously. It’s what we’ve been working for all this time. But as far as what I expect to do in the game, it’s hard to say. What comes to you, comes to you. What doesn’t, doesn’t. I don’t want to force it. It’s just playing basketball the right way.”
Related: Meet Nets rookie Noah Clowney, the ‘always overlooked’ Alabama product
6
Kris Murray (Trail Blazers)
“It’ll be kind of a surreal moment as a rookie. All rookies probably feel like this. You dream of being in the NBA — first time putting on a jersey, first time going on a court. But I feel like the biggest thing for me is just not playing tight. That’s the worst thing you can do in those situations, and it was a similar thing when I went to Iowa. It was a dream of mine to play Iowa, so I feel like it will be very similar to that. Just play loose, just play basketball, play how I know how to play. I feel like I’ve grown a lot. I’m a mature person. I know how to handle the moment.”
7
Olivier-Maxence Prosper (Mavericks)
“Obviously, I’m going to be very excited. This is something I’ve dreamed of my whole life. My first game, I feel like I’m going to come in as a rookie and be that guy that’s going to be asked to guard the best player on the other side, and that’s going to be asked to make the hustle plays and contribute to the team rebounds and all of that stuff. I’m just going to go out there and play as long as I can.
“I don’t know how I’m going to feel or whatever, but I’m going to go out there and leave everything on the floor — especially your first game, you don’t know how you’re going to feel out there. But all you can do is right and work as hard as you can out there. I feel like that’s what I’m going to do, and that’s what I can expect from myself. You’ve got to control the controllable. You can’t say, ‘I’m going to make that many shots!’ because you don’t know.
“You can control what you can control, and that’s your energy, your effort, your communication, knowing the scouting report, doing the little things on the floor and owning the details. I can expect myself to do that. That I can tell you from day one and game one. I can’t tell you how many shots I’m going to make or how many minutes I’m going to play because that’s not up to my control. But I can tell you what I’m going to do when I hit that floor and I play.”
RELATED: Meet Mavericks rookie Olivier-Maxence Prosper, who says he is ‘somebody that is electric’
8
Nick Smith Jr. (Hornets)
“A little nerve-wracking on the simple fact that you’re playing against pros now. It’s real. It’s going to get real fast. Just me understanding that, and I take it very seriously. It’s definitely a humbling experience for me just going out there and being on an NBA court for the first time is going to be shocking. But you have to go out there and do what you can, to be honest with you, to try to help the team win. Just go from there.”
RELATED: Meet Hornets rookie Nick Smith Jr., who thinks he can be one of the NBA’s top passers someday
9
Kobe Brown (Clippers)
“I feel like it’s going to be surreal. It’s going to be a surreal moment. Obviously, playing in the NBA is every kid’s dream. But it’s not reachable. …
“Just being able to be one of those people that can actually make that happen is going to be crazy, and it’s going to be real surreal and really emotional. But I think I’m going to have fun. I’m going to enjoy the process. I’m going to enjoy it for sure.”
RELATED: Meet Clippers rookie Kobe Brown, who projects as the perfect ‘glue guy’ at the next level
10
Maxwell Lewis (Lakers)
“I’m not really sure. Who knows? I might be playing. I might be just on the bench learning or in the G League. But whatever team, whatever they want me to do, I’m going to for sure bring it and do. …
“Just making shots consistently. I’m pretty sure they’re just going to have me be a 3-and-D guy once I first get in, so making shots in the corner and doing whatever I got to do. The little things. Just playing defense. That’s really what my team is expecting for me to do because I didn’t do that in my season, so I think they want to see that.”
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