Royce White Joins Rockets’ Camp
Royce White finally got to focus on basketball Monday, joining the Houston Rockets after he missed the first week of training camp to form a long-term plan for his anxiety issues.
White, the 16th overall pick in the draft, has a deal with the team to travel by bus to some games this season, a compromise he says will help him cope with his anxiety, fear of flying and obsessive compulsive disorder over the long term.
He was happy to just be back on the court after the swell of national media attention sparked by his request to the team.
“He’s got to catch up on what we’re doing,” McHale said. “It’s always hard when you’re a young guy and you miss early camp practice, when you’re trying to establish your principles and what you’re doing. But he’ll be fine.”
White’s off-the-court issues were no secret. NBA teams still wanted to talk to him after his one spectacular season at Iowa State. White was the only Division I player to lead his team in scoring (13.4 points per game), rebounds (9.3 per game), assists (five per game), steals (1.2 per game) and blocks (0.9 per game) and led the Cyclones to their first NCAA tournament appearance in seven years.
The Rockets decided he was too good to pass up. And over the summer, White flew with the team to Las Vegas and to the rookie orientation in New York City, suggesting that he had a handle on his aerophobia.
“Royce is going to have a little bit of a different path in the NBA,” McHale said. “If your choice is to have a 10-hour bus ride, or an hour flight, everyone would want to take an hour flight. He’s just going to have to work his way through all that stuff.
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