During a normal NBA season, it might take an entire year for a rookie to fully grasp the speed, size and schedule of the professional game. Often sophomores, like in the case of Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, are more comfortable in year two and display significant jumps from their first pro season. But the nearly four-month hiatus from gameplay for the league’s 22 best teams could impact rookie development as much as any other group of players.
While some rookies, like R.J. Barrett, the No. 3 pick in the 2019 NBA draft, and 2019 No. 4 overall pick De’Andre Hunter will not return to regular season action until next December at the earliest, other first-year players could see more traditional sophomore jumps during the league’s resumption of play in late-July.