SALT LAKE CITY — Boris Diaw arrived at his favorite Salt Lake City coffeehouse expecting to meet fellow Frenchman Rudy Gobert, and just smirked when told Gobert was running late.
The two have a big brother-little brother relationship, a bond many international players seek.
"For me it's been better, for sure," Gobert said of Diaw's arrival in Utah. "Just speaking French, makes me feel better. It's a stupid thing, but I needed a French player on the team."
The 7-foot Jazz center is not alone.
A record 113 international players from 41 countries were on opening-day rosters this season and many, from Manu Ginobili to Nikola Mirotic to Patty Mills, go through a significant adjustment playing in a foreign country, speaking a different language and just trying to fit in.