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For some rookies, NBA draft isn’t the start of a pro career

MIAMI — Isaiah Hartenstein’s NBA odyssey will start at the draft.

His pro career started years ago.

Unlike Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball, Josh Jackson, Jayson Tatum and most everyone else who will get their names called at Thursday’s NBA draft — the true start of their pro lives — Hartenstein already knows what playing for a living is like. His pro career started in Germany in 2015, and he helped Zalgiris grab the Lithuanian Basketball League title earlier this month.

And now the NBA awaits the 19-year-old.

“First of all, me playing professional already helps a lot,” Hartenstein said.