Sacramento Kings forward Skal Labissiere spent his first couple of seasons in the NBA learning the speed of the game while head coach Dave Joerger looked for favorable matchups for him.
With his slim frame, the physicality of the NBA was going to be a challenge. During one sequence in Labissiere’s rookie season, the 268-pound Brook Lopez backed him all the way down to within four feet of the basket, called for the ball and easily dumped it into the basket. Joerger would later comment on how Labissiere had to figure out a way to fight against that or front big guys like that.