DALLAS, Texas – Now _this_ was a homecoming.
A month after swinging through his native Texas with Long Island of the G League, Drew Timme came roaring back through Dallas on Monday as a member of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets.
Timme, the former Gonzaga big man who last week signed a two-year contract with the Nets, scored nine points and grabbed three rebounds in his third NBA game – a 113-109 victory over Dallas at American Airlines Center, a building he knows well from attending countless Mavericks and Dallas Stars hockey games while growing up in nearby Richardson.
“It’s great. Crazy how the scheduling worked out,” Timme said before the game. “Obviously, it’s been a dream of mine to play in this arena since I was a little kid and started following basketball. It’s great for everything to come full circle.”
A die-hard Mavs fan growing up who idolized former franchise icon Dirk Nowitzki, Timme finished 4 of 8 from the floor for the Nets and came up with a terrific blocked shot on Dallas’ Anthony Davis. Every time Timme’s name was announced when he entered or exited the game, he received large ovations from the crowd – with the biggest roar coming when he drained a 3-pointer in the opening period off the bench and pointed to his parents in the stands.
Timme made his NBA debut last Friday against the Los Angeles Clippers, delivering a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. The following night against Washington, he scored 19 points.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” Timme said of his first few days with Brooklyn. “I’ve been a deer in headlights trying to get up to speed with everything, learn everything. But the staff’s been very good and patient with me, they understand I’m just coming up and the guys have been great, too, helping me because it is a lot to learn on the fly.”
Just three games in, first-year Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez is already impressed with what he’s seen.
“Yeah, I don’t think the moment’s ever been big for him,” Fernandez said prior to the win at Dallas. “He has a good feel (for the game), never looks rushed. Everybody loves him and he’s got good energy. I know it’s only been (three) games, but it seems like he’s done this at this level for a long time.”
Fernandez has also been impressed with how seamlessly Timme has integrated himself into his first NBA locker room.
“It helps that he’s been in our club and there is familiarity with some of the guys already knowing him personally,” Fernandez said. “But then the guys that he didn’t know right away, he walks into the room and talks to everybody. (With) the way he plays, how he shares the ball, how he sees the game, he just makes it easy.”
Since landing his first NBA contract, Timme said he’s received well wishes from many in the Gonzaga family, including head coach Mark Few and several former teammates.
“Yeah, all the guys (have reached out),” he said. “Got to see Corey (Kispert) last game (against the Wizards). He didn’t play, but that was cool to get to see him, that was super fun. And we played Anton (Watson) our last game (with Long Island). There’s Zags everywhere so it’s always fun.”
For Timme, 24, joining the ranks of former Zags in the NBA was a long-time coming.
“Yeah, facts, seeing all those guys’ jerseys up on the wall, I (said I) have to get mine up there,” said Timme, a two-time WCC player of the year and GU’s all-time leading scorer. “There’s no way I can be one of the guys that’s not on there. So, it feels great to be part of that now.”
And you can bet Timme is going to enjoy every bit of time he has in the league.
“To me, this stuff’s a game. Games are fun and games are meant to be enjoyed,” Timme said. “Obviously, it’s stressful and crazy, but at the end of the day I try to have as much fun as possible and let the rest happen. I always say I could miss all my shots and not get one rebound, but as long as I play hard, good things usually happen, especially now the lights get a little brighter.”
_Stephen Hunt is a freelance writer based in Frisco, Texas._