Which Utah Jazz Training Camp Invitee Could Make the Roster?
The plight of an NBA training camp invitee is that almost nothing, outside of a long shot at a dream, is guaranteed.
On a team as young as the Utah Jazz, though, the chances of such a player making the final roster are understandably higher than the league average.
Utah's entering just the second year of a complete overhaul. An unknown like Brock Motum or Jack Cooley could wind up playing a few regular-season minutes. Toure' Murry could be a third point guard behind Trey Burke and combo guard Dante Exum. Veteran Dahntay Jones could be another stabilizing presence along with Steve Novak.
All four can't make the team, though.
Utah currently has 13 players with guaranteed contracts this season. That puts them right at the NBA minimum. The league max is 15.
| 2014-15 | |
| Gordon Hayward | $14,746,000 |
| Derrick Favors | $12,950,000 |
| Enes Kanter | $5,694,674 |
| Trevor Booker | $5,000,000 |
| Dante Exum | $3,615,000 |
| Steve Novak | $3,445,947 |
| Alec Burks | $3,034,356 |
| Trey Burke | $2,548,560 |
| Jeremy Evans | $1,794,872 |
| Rodney Hood | $1,290,360 |
| Rudy Gobert | $1,127,400 |
| Ian Clark | $816,482 |
| Carrick Felix | $816,482 |
| Brock Motum | Camp Invite |
| Jack Cooley | Camp Invite |
| Toure' Murry | Camp Invite |
| Dahntay Jones | Camp Invite |
| Dee Bost | Already Cut |
| Kevin Murphy | Already Cut |
Jazz brass has yet to make a peep about how many players the team intends to carry into the regular season. That means there are four guys—Motum, Cooley, Murry and Jones—competing for two potential roster spots.
There are cases, both positive and negative, to be made for all four.
Brock Motum, PF, 6'10"
To fans who didn't follow Utah's summer league, Motum is likely the biggest unknown of this group. The Australian forward played four years of college ball at Washington State, then spent the 2013-14 campaign in Italy with Granarolo Bologna.
During his senior campaign with the Cougars, Motum led the Pac-12 in both usage (30.6) and points per game (18.7). His success there didn't translate to an NBA deal, but he was solid enough in Italy to grab the attention of the Jazz.
Utah picked up Motum before the 2014 summer league, where he quickly became a fan favorite due to his energy and basketball IQ.
His averages of eight points and 4.6 rebounds in 17.2 minutes don't jump off the page, but hustle plays like this leapt off computer and television screens.
Motum has also shown hints of stretch-4 capabilities, something Jazz coach Quin Snyder would love for his free-flowing, space-oriented motion offense. In college, he made 88 threes and shot 35.3 percent from downtown.
Finally, Motum's cultural connection to Exum can't be ignored.
The rookie point guard will be adjusting to more than just the NBA game. He's in a new country, one in which his Aussie teammate has spent over four years. The experience Motum has gained could be passed on to Exum, slightly speeding up his acclimation to his new life.
On the flip side, the team already has plenty of big men with guaranteed contracts on the roster, which is partly why he's yet to log a single minute of preseason action. The other factor is that he's not terribly skilled, or at least not at anything that isn't already provided by at least one of the other bigs.
Jack Cooley, PF, 6'9"
Like Motum, Cooley spent his first season of professional basketball overseas. After four years at Notre Dame, he spent the 2013-14 season in Turkey with Trabzonspor, where he averaged 12.6 points and 6.9 rebounds in 22.9 minutes.
He does a lot of the same things Motum does, without quite the same range. Cooley's biggest advantage in that head-to-head comparison is his rebounding prowess.
| Jack Cooley | 2012-13 | Notre Dame | 35 | 1026 | 1 | 2 | 141 | 213 | 354 |
| Brock Motum | 2012-13 | Washington State | 32 | 1131 | 45 | 134 | 61 | 140 | 201 |
What it ultimately comes down to is who the coaching staff thinks will make the regular bigs better in practice. If Snyder thinks Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter and Rudy Gobert need to work on covering a slightly more perimeter-oriented player, he'll go with Motum. If he wants someone who will bang inside, Cooley would probably get the nod.
The argument against adding Cooley is similar to Motum as well. In addition to the aforementioned bigs, Utah also has Trevor Booker, Jeremy Evans and Steve Novak fighting for minutes inside.
Tour'e Murry, PG, 6'5"
As a rookie last season, Murry appeared 51 times, averaging 2.7 points in 7.3 minutes for the New York Knicks.
Again, the numbers don't exactly stand out, but Murry has the advantage of playing point guard. While Utah's roster is fairly crowded up front, there's plenty of room for a 1.
Burke and Exum are the only two point guards on the roster right now, and the latter figures to spend some of his time at shooting guard this season. A third guard gives the Jazz some insurance in the backcourt.
If he does make the roster, Murry isn't likely to have a role bigger than Diante Garrett did last season (14.8 minutes per game for the Jazz). Still, he could be the guy to push the rotation guards in practice.
Dahntay Jones, SG/SF, 6'6"
Following Utah's first preseason victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, Dahntay Jones had this to say about his role on the team, per Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune:
"I’m here to work. I’m here to defend, and bring leadership. I’m here to keep the ball moving and to make sure guys are talking on defense and to be a part of this developing team...
I definitely feel like I can lead these guys in the right direction. I feel like I’ve been on too many good teams to not be able to share my experience.
"
Jones' view of himself as a member of the Jazz is spot on. He won't need to provide much, if anything, beyond the intangibles listed above.
On the youngest team in the NBA, one more veteran could be a great asset for Snyder, someone who can be an extension of the coach in huddles and on the bench.
What's working against Jones is the same thing Cooley and Motum are fighting. Utah already has solid wings on the roster in Gordon Hayward, Alec Burks and Rodney Hood. The wing isn't quite as crowded as the frontcourt, but it's also not as open as the backcourt.
Verdict
Based on team needs, Murry seems the likeliest candidate for a spot on the final roster. If Utah ends up carrying 15 guys, Jones could join him.
The problem for Motum and Cooley, as stated above, is that Utah simply has too many players in front of them. Both do nice things on the floor but nothing that sets them apart from the rest of the bigs.
Murry gives the team a third point guard, and Jones is a wing who may provide tougher defense than the rotation players.
Whoever gets the eventual nod will be living out a dream, whether it's the realization, continuation or resurrection of it.
Unless otherwise noted, all stats and salary figures are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and RealGM.
Andy Bailey covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him @AndrewDBailey.
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