Having a veteran mentor is a timeless tradition in the NBA.
Two weeks ago, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hit his rookie wall. The once named “steal of the NBA draft” found himself averaging season lows (6.0 PPG, 3.6 APG, 1.9 RPG, 25% from three) in over 15 games straight. His early confidence turned into noticeable apprehension. It was a struggle head coach Doc Rivers knew would come.
“You gotta go through stuff to get stuff. I think Shai realizes that, this is a hard league. Today was our 50th game, that’s probably 16 more than his college season last year.