Close to this time last season, the leadership in the Utah Jazz organization sat down with Joe Ingles to tell him a hard truth: He was penciled in as the fifth wing in the rotation.
A year later, Ingles has a starting role and a new expensive contract.
So no: Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey doesn’t always see what’s coming.
“We think we know some things about our team,” he said, “But for any person in sports to say they have a crystal ball and know how it’s all going to roll out wouldn’t be accurate.”
That being said, Lindsey has seen Utah’s training camp and preseason, and in a small roundtable with local media, the fifth-year GM talked primarily about the plan for the latest thing he didn’t see coming — Dante Exum’s shoulder injury. But he also made some other observations about his roster so far:
• Since acquiring Ricky Rubio from the Minnesota Timberwolves, Lindsey said he’s had every reason to be pleased with the acquisition.
Rubio has altered the way the Jazz play on the court with his speed and passing, and while he’s still working on his jump shot, the way he’s approached his workload gives Utah every confidence that the 26-year-old will continue to improve.
“Far surpassed my expectations,” Lindsey said. “And all of our intel was excellent with Ricky.”
While Rubio’s prodogy following since he was 14 may have made some question how he handled the attention, Lindsey said Rubio has made clear since arriving in Salt Lake City that “he’s a serious basketball player.” There’s nothing the Jazz have asked him to do that he won’t tackle.
“The development that we do is very collegiate in nature — [Rubio] hasn’t been above that,” he said. “He’s been very open-minded. With his mindset, he’ll continue to move forward as a player.”
While Lindsey said he wasn’t aware that Rubio apparently did pre-camp studying on his new teammates, he added that didn’t surprise him to hear. Everything about Rubio’s attitude reflects a level of preparation that he’s come to respect, he said. While it remains to be seen how the point guard blends into the Jazz — and it’s worth noting that Lindsey still expects growing pains — the front office is very optimistic.
• Lindsey said he’s as curious as anyone to see what hyped rookie Donovan Mitchell can do this year.
Coach Quin Snyder has said several times in preseason he doesn’t want Mitchell to narrow himself to either a point guard or shooting guard, and Lindsey seems to be of the same mind. Right now, the Jazz are looking at what he’s able to do as a rookie before they try to hone in on more specific roles he can occupy.
“Donovan’s like any first-year player,” he said. “We think we know some things, but a lot of it right now is just a projection.”
Like Rubio, the Jazz are pleased with Mitchell since bringing him into the organization. He appears to have some early credibility with team veterans for his tough-nosed defense and overall energy. Some of his preseason performances, particularly in the finale against the Lakers, has only drummed up more excitement for his rookie year.
But Lindsey said he’s looking forward to learning much more about Mitchell in the season when the competition grade starts rising.
“His makeup is what we thought it would be, and where that goes coupled with his talent and intelligence, I think as much as anything with Donovan in particular, it’s just experiential,” Lindsey said. “He needs to see a lot of different coverages, and he needs to go through the league and face great players night-in and night-out.”
• Monday was a tough day personally for Lindsey, who made the call to waive former second-round pick Joel Bolomboy to finalize the 15-man roster.
He made several calls: to Bolomboy and his agent, as well as Weber State coach Randy Rahe to offer feedback. In many ways, the Jazz liked the potential of the 6-foot-9 forward, with unique production as both a relentless rebounder and a long-range shooter. But for the structure of the Jazz roster, Bolomboy was not a fit.
“Sometimes timing is everything in this league and in life,” Lindsey said. “If he joined our club three years ago, we’d be this young, developing team. But we’re not that, at least we’re not that for right now.”
Lindsey pointed out some of the things he really appreciated about Bolomboy’s improvements: his better court understanding, passing, smoothing out a hitch in his shot. But it seemed also that Bolomboy’s upbeatness and energy seemed to endear him personally to those within the Jazz.
“There’s a freshness and energy and — I say this in a positive way, but — a naive way about him and his character,” he said. “You become quite protective of him. You certainly don’t want to hurt him.”
And yet, Lindsey had to cut Bolomboy in favor of Royce O’Neale, a player who seems to be a better fit at a position of need and might better complement a veteran team.
Said Lindsey: “We’re paid to make tough decisions, and that was a very tough one.”