Looking back on the career of DeShawn Stevenson

                                         (Credit: jazzbasketball.wordpress.com) 

Earlier this week, DeShawn Stevenson officially retired from pro basketball after having not played in the NBA since the 2012-13 season with the Atlanta Hawks. I thought that with him officially hanging up his sneakers, it would be good to reflect on his career.

When I think of DeShawn Stevenson, I still think of his early days with the Utah Jazz, who drafted him with the 23rd overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft. When the Jazz drafted him, they were hoping he would become their franchise player for the future due to his athleticism and upside.

To give you a sense of how much upside he had, NBADraft.net compared DeShawn Stevenson to Michael Jordan: "Special player. Extremely gifted athlete. Great ball handler. Very advanced shooter and scorer for his age. A showstopper. Can play the 1 or 2. Won the McDonald's High School dunk contest. Super character. As NBA ready as any HS player in his class." 

While he never lived up to the hype that NBADraft.net created, DeShawn Stevenson still had a very good NBA career. Defense became his calling card and he was more than ok with that. He didn't care that he wasn't the star of the team. He took great pride in defending at a high level and making things as tough as possible on the opposing team's star player.

DeShawn Stevenson's defense was so good that it gave LeBron James fits back when the Cleveland Cavaliers would battle the Washington Wizards in the mid-late 2000s and once again when the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals. DeShawn Stevenson's defense was a major reason for why the Mavericks won that series over the Heat. His ability to defend LeBron James at a high level and get in his head gave the Mavericks a significant advantage in that series that other teams didn't have when facing the Heat.

                                         (Credit: Keith Allison. Click here  for source). 

During the 2011 NBA Finals, DeShawn Stevenson was a bit of a crazy guy and in a good way. He had a Dennis Rodman like edge to him to accompany his stellar defense, which really made him a series changer. The fact that DeShawn Stevenson could defend LeBron James so well is reason enough to say he had a great NBA career and then when you consider that he lasted for 13 seasons and picked up an NBA championship ring along the way, his career suddenly appears to be a very good one.

If there is anything that DeShawn Stevenson exemplifies it is toughness. You have to be tough to play in the NBA for 13 seasons, especially if defense is your calling card. His career averages of 7.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game don't do a very good job at telling the story of his career. DeShawn Stevenson at his best was a game changer on the defensive end of the floor and he took great pride in being just that. He was selfless and put his team first. He's a player who more NBA players should exemplify from the standpoint that he was totally content with doing his job in the background.

In a league where too many players are concerned with how many points they score or how many all-star teams they make, DeShawn Stevenson was worried about how many points he allowed his man to score and whether or not he was getting inside the heads of his opponents. Guys like DeShawn Stevenson are hard to come by because what they do isn't glamorous and it takes a lot of hard work.

DeShawn Stevenson showed up every night and played elite defense night in and night out. That says a lot about the kind of player he was and the amount of character he had on the basketball court. More basketball players should try to emulate that same kind of character on the floor. If they did, they too would have productive and long careers in the NBA.

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Utah Jazz rookies developing with the Salt Lake City Stars

Joel Bolomboy, Marcus Paige, and Tyrone Wallace, the three rookies for the Utah Jazz, are all currently playing for the Salt Lake City Stars, the D-League affiliate of the Utah Jazz organization. Here is  an update on how all three players are developing and what their outlook is at the moment.

Joel Bolomboy: Joel Bolomboy is a 6'9", 235 pound power forward out of Weber State up in Ogden, Utah. Bolomboy averaged 17.1 points and 12.6 rebounds per game in his senior season at Weber State and is the only Jazz rookie to actually get minutes in the NBA, playing in 8 games for the Utah Jazz, averaging 0.9 points and 1.0 rebounds per game.

In the D-League with the Salt Lake City Stars, Joel Bolomboy has been averaging 15 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 1 block per game. He's been putting up respectable numbers and has really been thriving in the pick and roll, getting easy buckets inside due to his length and explosive athleticism. His teammates are finding him inside and he is taking full advantage.

As far as his outlook is concerned, it's hard to see Joel Bolomboy getting very many minutes with the Utah Jazz this season due to the presence of Rudy Gobert, Derrick Favors, and Trey Lyles. But, with Derrick Favors battling some knee issues, it is possible that Joel Bolomboy sees some more action this season. He's a talented big that can provide some energy off the bench and provide some relief to some of the Utah Jazz big men. In the meantime, look for Joel Bolomboy to continue to benefit from playing in the D-League. He's definitely a guy who could undergo a transformation playing for the Salt Lake City Stars.

Marcus Paige: Marcus Paige is a 6'1", 175 pound point guard out of North Carolina, who played four years in a Tar Heel uniform. Through 11 D-League games, Paige has been averaging 11.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. His season high is 24 points against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers back on December 5.

Marcus Paige has been shooting the rock well for the Stars, coming off screens and popping off threes with his quick left-handed release. He's been shooting 33.3% from 3-point range, which could definitely be better, but isn't bad, either. When given daylight, he has proven himself to be very effective from beyond the arc.

In regards to his outlook, the Utah Jazz have a ton of guards, so it stands to reason that he won't see any minutes with the Utah Jazz this season. But, if he does well in the D-League, he should expect to get another training camp invite and perhaps make another guard in the organization expendable like Raul Neto.

Tyrone Wallace: Tyrone Wallace is a 6'5", 205 pound point guard out of Cal. I got to know Tyrone Wallace well during his senior season at Cal since I cover the team for Rivals.com over at GoldenBearReport.com. Tyrone Wallace has a ton of talent due to his size, ability to score around the rim, and versatility. Tyrone Wallace is a guard who can do a little bit of everything. He can defend, rebound, and facilitate in addition to scoring, so he's very much a multi-dimensional guard.

Through four games with the Salt Lake City Stars, Tyrone Wallace has averaged 18.25 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2.5 steals per game on 24-50 (48%) shooting from the field,  2-9 (22.2%) shooting from 3-point range, and 23-29 (79.3%) shooting from the foul line.

What's most encouraging from these numbers is his foul shooting. Tyrone Wallace struggled with his foul shooting during his time at Cal (61.3%) and I know for a fact that NBA scouts were hesitant to draft him as a result. They liked everything about his game, but they were unsure about his foul shooting and ability to shoot the ball in general.

With his foul shooting improving dramatically from last season, Tyrone Wallace's stock is going up considerably. The plan is for him to spend the entire season with the Salt Lake City Stars as a draft and stash kinda guy. But, should he continue to shoot well from the foul line like he is, he'll certainly get a training camp spot with the Jazz next season and figure to likely get a few minutes with the Utah Jazz in the NBA. The Utah Jazz still have a lot of depth at guard, so it's way too early to project him as a rotation player for them next season, but if he can find his way onto the training camp roster and make the team, he'll put himself in a position where cracking the rotation is possible.

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How dangerous are the Utah Jazz?

     If there is a team that will make a huge jump in the 2016-17 season, many people are expecting that team to be the Utah Jazz, who are coached by Quin Snyder. The Jazz added George Hill and Joe Johnson in the off season and expect to have Dante Exum and Alec Burks at full strength come opening night to round out a roster that consists of Gordon Hayward, Rudy Gobert, Rodney Hood, and Derrick Favors.

      Due to their talent, youth, and upside, there is tons of chatter of the Utah Jazz being a top 10 team in the NBA and a team that can threaten to reach the Western Conference Finals. Considering that the Utah Jazz went 40-42 and finished 9th in the Western Conference last season, to call them contenders this season feels to be a bit of stretch to me.  I don't deny the talent level that is there and the upside that this team has. Dante Exum very well become one of the top players in the NBA and Rudy Gobert likewise has all the tools to be the next dominant big man in the NBA. In addition, Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward, while not all-stars, are getting better every season and establishing themselves as one of the best players in the league.

     But with that all being true, I don't see them as a team that will threaten to come out of the Western Conference. They're just not there yet and that's ok. They're right where they should expect and hope to be, which is to be a team that people are looking at and saying, "Those guys are gonna be really good in a couple of seasons."

     Jazz Nation will say that the future is now and that this team is gonna make serious noise due to their off-season acquisitions, health, and one more year of seasoning. While I do think that all of those things bode very well for the Jazz, I still think the Jazz will be in a dogfight to make the playoffs and win a series. The Warriors and Spurs will be the top two teams in the Western Conference again and the Thunder with Russell Westbrook will still be very dangerous even with Kevin Durant jumping ship. As for the rest of the conference, the Clippers, Grizzlies, and Trail Blazers should prove to be competitive. Even the Timberwolves should be a team that people keep an eye on.

     The Western Conference is still loaded and the Jazz have to go out and prove that they are one of the best teams in the conference. If there is anything that should worry the Jazz it is their lack of a true superstar. Rudy Gobert and Dante Exum have superstar potential, but they aren't there yet. Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors, while being very good players, don't have superstar potential.  They have all-star potential, but not the potential to be guys who lead a team to a championship. They can help a team win a title, but they can't be the centerpieces of a championship team like John Stockton and Karl Malone proved themselves to be.

     As for what type of expectations we should have for this Utah Jazz team, I think we should expect them to make the playoffs with the hopes that they find a way to win a series. If they do that, they should be very happy with how they are progressing. I love the direction that this team is going and I have no doubt that a championship may be coming to Utah in the near future, but I don't think they will make the huge leap that other people are expecting.

Note: This blog post appeared on nbalord.blogspot.com back on September 27. Click here to check it out. Also, click here to check out my rapid preview of all 30 NBA teams to see what I said about the Jazz. Finally, this blog is back! Going forward, every blog post I do on the Utah Jazz on nbalord.blogspot.com will get reprinted on here. So, if you are just interested in my Jazz coverage, this place will have you covered.  

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