Word of the Day: rookie wall

rookie wall (rook'-e wol) noun The point of time during a basketball player's rookie season in which the mental and physical toll of playing at the professional level causes a notable decline in productivity.

Usage example: Atlanta's Josh Smith slammed right into the rookie wall last year. Fortunately for him, it didn't really matter...his team already sucked.

Word Trivia: The rookie wall doesn't affect NBA players the way it used to. With improved training techniques, chartered flights, and a full-time staff of personal trainers and massage therapists, rookies just don't face much in the way of hardships anymore. In act, if you do a Google search for "NBA rookie wall", you'll find story afte story about how rookies are "running through" or "climbing over" the rookie wall.

Here, rookie. Run into this.