Roby Eager For NBA Return After Rookie 'Grind'

Sometimes, unexpected events happen when a guy goes shopping for suits.
 
For Isaiah Roby, a significant change in his career.
 
The former Nebraska basketball player, in his rookie season with the Dallas Mavericks, received a text from his agent while trying on fancy threads in downtown Dallas in January.
 
Call me ASAP.
 
"I was like, 'Aw, this isn't good,' " Roby said.
 
Actually, the news that Dallas had traded Roby to the Oklahoma City Thunder turned into a perfect fit, one for which Roby is grateful.
 
"I kind of started all the trading deadline craziness," Roby said, laughing. "I think I was the first trade to go through."
 
Roby, selected by Detroit as the No. 45 pick overall in the 2019 NBA Draft, and traded immediately to Dallas, had actually received more interested in the pre-draft process from Oklahoma City than any other organization, he said. A dinner with general manager Sam Presti after Roby's workout with the Thunder solidified that thought.
 
"Usually when you go on a visit with a team, or go for a workout, you go out with dinner with someone. Most teams I visited with, they'll send somebody like a video coordinator or a coach," Roby said. "But when I went out to dinner with Oklahoma City, I went out with Sam Presti. The fact they did that, I knew they had a big interest in me.
 
"Dinner went great. They just didn't have a pick in my draft range. Talking with my agent, they were actually looking to trade for me in the draft. So, it worked out really well I got traded to a team that believes in me and believes in developing players. I'm glad to be here in OKC."
 
When Dallas center Dwight Powell suffered a season-ending torn right Achilles tendon on Jan. 21, players in the Mavericks' organization knew a transaction would be imminent. Dallas had positioned itself for a playoff push but would need a center.
 
"We all had an idea somebody was going to move," Roby said. "We didn't know who it was going to be. I didn't think it was going to be me, but everybody in this business is up for a trade, except for a select few guys."
 
After receiving the surprising text from his agent, Roby heard from many of his Dallas teammates and coaches, via text or call, wishing him well. He then had a couple of hours to pack up and make the 3-hour drive north to Oklahoma City.
 
The Thunder's opponent that next day?

Dallas.
 
Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban approached Roby during pregame warmups and shook his hand.
 
"He talked to me, 'Hey, it's just a business. If Dwight's injury doesn't happen, this trade doesn't happen. We had faith in your abilities, but we just needed somebody right now,' " Roby said.
 
"But there were no hard feelings. That's just part of the business. It's something you know going into this business. You don't really see it happen until it happens to you."
 
The 6-foot-8, 230-pound Roby – the first Nebraska player selected in the NBA Draft since Venson Hamilton in 1999 – made his NBA debut with the Thunder on Jan 29, late in a lopsided win over the Kings. He played in three games with the Thunder and logged a total of 11 minutes, attempting one field goal.
 
"I know a lot of people are like, 'Man, you should've come back to Nebraska!' " said Roby, who declared for the draft after his junior season. "And I love Nebraska. I loved my time at Nebraska. I will always speak highly about it.
 
"But this is what my dream has always been, to be here. And I still don't feel like I've really made it. I haven't really gotten an opportunity to play. I'm just trying to do everything I can to get that opportunity."
 
Yes, his NBA debut was exciting, "but nothing I want to hang my hat on," Roby said.
 
"From the moment you pick up a basketball, everybody's dream is to be at this level. So I'll take it. Those games were cool to get in and stuff, but I want to be able to make a bigger impact on this level."


 
Roby played in eight games with the Blue, the G-League team of the Thunder, before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down operations. In that time, Roby had developed a bench role, averaging 6.9 points and 4.8 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.3 steals over 19 minutes per game. He was shooting 48.8 percent from the field, and 45.5 percent on 3-pointers.
 
Before the trade, Roby averaged 9.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals over 21 minutes with the Texas Legends, the G-League team of the Mavericks.
 
"The number one thing I learned is I do belong," Roby said. "I make plays that only guys at this level make. I've done that a lot."
 
Roby is confident he could have done it more if he hadn't been battling an undisclosed injury throughout his shortened rookie season.

"This spring, I'm taking it as a blessing in disguise," Roby said of the current shutdown. "I was on restrictions the whole season, so I'm taking this break as a time to get healthy and get ready for next year."
 
Roby said he'd been playing basketball non-stop since reporting for his junior season at Nebraska in June of 2018 until this February.
 
"That takes a toll on your body," Roby said. "They always say your rookie season is a grind, the longest, hardest summer. The fact I made it through without making my injury any worse and kind of just managing it throughout the season … now I have that time to get back to 100 percent healthy."
 
Coaches and players had warned Roby of the rookie "grind," and it lived up to its billing.
 
"Just the summer alone was a grind," Roby said, beginning with the pre-draft process. "I think I did 16 or 17 workouts, so that means 32, 34 flights in a matter of a month and a half. That alone takes a toll on you.
 
"It's kind of like an initiation. It's something you go through, and it's very hard, and while you're in it you're like, 'Man, this is hard, it's testing me mentally, testing my physically, all that.' And once you get it done, 'Oh God, I made it through that.'
 
"It's kind of like a rite of passage. I feel I made it through that. And once you get done with that, you go right into training camp. You get maybe a week off after the draft, and right into training camp and summer league right into the season."
 
Roby also said he's been keeping track of Nebraska.
 
"I followed last year," he said. "Me and Thor (Thorbjarnarson) are really good friends, so we talk all the time. Just the guys I was there with during my time, and a few managers I talk to, also. I keep in touch with those guys."
 
After the initial shutdown, Roby returned to his home in Dixon, Illinois, to spend time with family and friends. He's since returned to Oklahoma City, awaiting for what appears to be a May 8 return to team facilities.
 
"Just trying to find ways to work out and get some type of workout in," Roby said. "Everybody's in the same boat."
 
Reach Brian at brosenthal@huskers.com or follow him on Twitter @GBRosenthal.