Arizona: The Brooklyn product would be spending another nine months in Tucson. “I love it there,” Alkins said at the Combine. He’ll also have a structured life with classwork, academic advisors, team meals and no fear of being cut or traded. For road games, he’ll fly charter almost exclusively.
Professional: Alkins could be anywhere. If he isn’t on an NBA roster, he’ll head overseas or to an often-smaller city in the D-League such as Prescott (Suns), Reno (Kings) or Erie, Pennsylvania (Hawks). D-League teams will provide a shared apartment, but they fly commercially with rare exceptions. Pros at all levels, of course, don’t have to attend class, as former UA commit Terrance Ferguson noted after playing in Australia instead of for the Wildcats last season. “If you want to just focus on basketball… school is definitely going to weigh you down most days,” Ferguson said.
