Over the next few weeks for our “24 Seconds” Q&A series, Pelicans.com plans to check in with New Orleans’ rookies to ask them about their adjustment to the pro level, at the halfway mark of the 2021-22 regular season. First up is University of Virginia product Trey Murphy, the No. 17 pick in last year’s NBA draft:
Pelicans.com: What has the adjustment been like for you from college to the NBA in terms of the game schedule?
Murphy: Well, right now we’re at what? Game 35-something-plus? That’s a full college season. You have to get adjusted to the travel schedule, being away every other day. You have to make sure you get your sleep in, rest and recovery.
Pelicans.com: Do you prefer this schedule of playing an average of four games a week, as opposed to college where you usually play twice?
Murphy: I definitely like it a lot. It’s a lot of fun playing against a bunch of different guys and competing at a high level.
Pelicans.com: How much of a change are the travel demands in the NBA compared to college?
Murphy: It’s very different. In college, you’re traveling two or three times a month maybe. Here you’re traveling two or three times a week sometimes. It just depends on the week of the schedule (in terms of how hectic it is).
Pelicans.com: A lot of young players talk about how time management is very different in the pros. Is that something you’re still getting used to here?
Murphy: A little bit. I’m an only child, so I’m pretty good at figuring out what to do when I’m by myself. I’ve been playing a lot of video games, chilling, watching a lot of basketball, things of that nature.