Learning curve: Jazz rookies tackle early NBA challenges in summer league

Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes

LAS VEGAS — Everything has gone fast for Utah's three rookies.

One moment, they were celebrating in New York City a life-long ambition. The next, the work started. The press conferences, meeting coaches, flying to their new home, training with a new team, and then making their quasi-NBA debut.

"Yeah, it's been a whirlwind for sure," Kyle Filipwoski said. "This is probably the biggest change I've had in my life, as well as other rookies going through this. A lot of ups and downs and trying to learn from each situation; just grow from that experience and try to make the most of it."

The Utah rookies will inch closer to center stage this weekend in Las Vegas. In unsurprising news, the team announced that Keyonte George and Walker Kessler — both had strong showings this week in Salt Lake City — won't play for the Jazz during the Las Vegas 2K Summer League.

That will move the rookies up the rotation, and all three could be in line to start next when Utah plays its first game in Vegas on Saturday. That will give a bigger platform for some show-stopping moments like George delivered last year in Sin City. That, though, isn't their goal.

"I don't think it's about showing, it's just about getting better every day. That's all it is," said guard Isaiah Collier, who averaged 11.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists in three games in Salt Lake City. "I don't think it's a big deal showing out or having good or bad days in summer league, this is a learning process for all of us."

That process includes plenty of struggles — something Filipwoski and Williams now know about firsthand.

Filipowski went 0-for-9 from 3-point range in SLC, and Williams shot 26% from the field and 9% from 3. While it's far too early to say that either player will struggle to adjust to the NBA 3-point line, it still wasn't the best of signs.

"When I was first starting to train to get ready for the NBA, it was an adjustment, but I think I've gotten pretty comfortable with it," Filipowski said before quickly added: "That hasn't really shown these last few days."

In college, Filipowski's game looked more NBA-ready than Utah's other two draft picks. He was a jack-of-all-trades big man who had a mature game. While the results have been lacking in his first quasi-NBA stint, the process that made him so effective in college is still there.

He's taken good shots, he's tried to set up teammates, and he's attempted to play a smart defensive game. In between, there have been plenty of mistakes, but it does feel like his game has been better than the results have shown.

"This is the time to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes," he said. "So I'm not getting too hard on myself and just giving myself some grace in those difficult moments."

That's been the attitude of all Jazz draftees as they begin to navigate the NBA waters.

"I'm just learning from this whole experience," Williams said. "So I get to go into practice every day, I get to play games, get kind of my first NBA experience. I'm just learning every day, learning new concepts, learning new schemes. So that's really the one goal for me."

The Jazz would likely echo that statement.

Utah summer league coach Sean Sheldon said the best thing about Williams' game on Wednesday was that he brought the ball up court late in the game and initiated offense. That showed comfort and growth for the young player, no matter how he shot the ball. Those types of moments will be what he and the Jazz are looking for in Vegas.

"Cody made some plays with the ball in his hands, and that's what we love to see," Sheldon said. "Can he do it with the ball in his hands? He's a good cutter, so we're just trying to mix it up and put some of our guys in different situations for the next 10 days."