There's a lot more that goes into making the jump from college basketball to the NBA than just preparing to face a higher level of competition. Incoming rookies find themselves faced with a host of new issues and challenges that have nothing to do with defending Kevin Durant or beating a Tom Thibodeau strong-side overload — they must also acclimate to a longer, more grueling work schedule, adjust to a wide array of public engagements and new demands on their time, sift through scores of people who want to pitch them on a business idea or help them manage their newfound fortune, and so on.

Preventing yourself from becoming the latest player to fall prey to some scheme or swindle is a tough gig that requires open eyes and vigilance; this, in part, is why the league hosts its annual Rookie Transition Program, a series of talks designed to prepare new pros for what life in the league will look like. (Even getting through the three days proves too challenging for some.) But three days of cautionary tales and resource-sharing can only go so far; it's helpful to have someone you can trust keeping an eye out for you, too, and aiding you in navigating the choppy waters of a first trip through the professional wringer.

[Yahoo Sports Fantasy Basketball is open for business]

Like a lot of rookies, Philadelphia 76ers point guard Michael Carter-Williams is leaning heavily on his family as he makes his transition. The specifics of his situation are a bit different, though, according to Dan Duggan of the Boston Herald:

With the tales of professional athletes going broke within a few years of signing multi-million dollar contracts well-documented, Carter-Williams’ parents have taken a proactive approach to prevent that fate for their son. They are determined to do whatever is necessary to allow Carter-Williams to reach his full potential, which appears limitless for this late-bloomer, who [...] earned Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors after his first three games in the NBA.

To ease Carter-Williams’ transition to the 76ers on and off the court, his stepfather Zach Zegarowski, who is responsible for the Halloween decorations and most other daily tasks, is living with him.

“It’s going to be a tough year for him physically and emotionally,” Zegarowski said. “I’m really more of a support system and a sounding board — on top of a cook, a chauffeur, a maid and all that stuff. I just want him to concentrate on basketball.” [...]

Zegarowski, who began dating [Carter-Williams' mother] Mandy when Michael was 18 months old, provides stability.

“He’s been dealing with me with basketball my whole life,” Carter-Williams said. “To have him is great. It’s a comfortable thing.”

Duggan notes that Carter-Williams "remains close with his biological father Earl Williams," whom his mother met while the two were student-athletes at Salem State University in Salem, Mass., just north of Boston. When it comes to the day-to-day, minute-to-minute work of getting and keeping Carter-Williams on track, though — shuttling MCW between their suburban Philly apartment and the team's practice facility, rebounding for him during late-night shooting sessions, making sure he doesn't blow his paychecks, etc. — the responsibility falls to Zegarowski.

The broader design here is to keep Carter-Williams fiscally solvent well into the future — while the rook can spend his endorsement money as he sees fit, the $4.5 million he's guaranteed over the next two years is getting deposited into a trust that the 22-year-old point guard can't touch for three years, giving him a nest egg to fall back on should something go awry with his burgeoning career. In the short term, though, the hope is that by taking some of the logistical elements of life in the big leagues off MCW's plate, Zegarowski can help the Syracuse product spend more time, energy and focus on the already daunting-enough challenges of adjusting to the NBA game:

“I told Michael he’s probably fine without me,” Zegarowski said. “But if there’s a chance I can make it 1 percent better by being here, I’m doing it. Maybe it’s 2 percent, maybe it’s 3 percent, maybe it’s 80 percent — I don’t know the percentage — but it’s just always worked. I’m telling him the same things today that I was telling him when he was 10 years old.”

Story continues