ATLANTA _ Listen intensely to what you're instructed.
If you don't understand, ask questions until you do.
Don't stray from what your bosses need.
That all sounds simple, but if you're an NBA rookie flooded with information with stakes high, it can overwhelm.
The Charlotte Hornets selected Jalen McDaniels late in the 2019 draft with no expectations he'd contribute as a rookie. That makes the last 11 games noteworthy even as the team focuses on giving minutes to younger players.
Forward McDaniels has been the first player off the bench of late. He's had a 10-rebound game and a five-assist game. He's shooting 37% from 3-point range. Those numbers suggest he's a keeper, and he has done enough to impress coach James Borrego.
"We've said, 'Here's your role, here's what we need from you. Go execute it'. And he's doing that right now," Borrego said.
McDaniels was the 52nd pick (out of 60) in June. A 6-foot-10 forward out of San Diego State, the Hornets saw potential in his 7-foot wingspan and defensive ability. However, general manager Mitch Kupchak tempered expectations, saying he anticipated McDaniels playing mostly, if not entirely, for the G-League Greensboro Swarm as a rookie.
But the Hornets buying out the contracts of veterans Marvin Williams and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist created opportunity. McDaniels took full advantage in a way that dramatically accelerated his development.
"I know when I mess up something, and they tell me about it in a game, the next day I'll just do it repeatedly the right way," McDaniels said. "Like, 'Oh, we just went over that, and he did it. That's good carryover.'
"I feel like I have good retention. I just hear it, see how it is, and I do it: I guess that's a talent."
It's no given young players will process NBA nuances at a rapid pace. Noah Vonleh, the Hornets' lottery pick in 2014 (ninth overall) was traded after one season in part because he struggled absorbing concepts. Malik Monk, the 11th pick in 2017, was just finding how to be efficient as a pro 2 { seasons into his career when he was suspended under the NBA's anti-drug policy last month.
