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SALT LAKE CITY — Jazz coach WIll Hardy couldn't help but smile. Walker Kessler had the same reaction. So, too, did Micah Potter. That's the common response when asked about Oscar Tshiebwe.
"I love everything about Oscar. He just makes you feel good," Hardy said. "He's such a good human being. I wish I was more like Oscar."
The Utah Jazz had a unique challenge on Wednesday.
Even at full strength, no one would claim the Jazz are among the most talented groups in the NBA. They were far from that against the Denver Nuggets.
Utah was without its regular starting forward duo of Lauri Markkanen (personal reasons) and John Collins (left knee contusion), along with Jordan Clarkson (left plantar fasciitis) and Kyle Filipowski (lower leg inflammation).
"We will play some lineups tonight that none of us in this room have seen," Jazz coach Will Hardy said. "We will play some lineups tonight that maybe none of us in this room had even thought about. But in some ways, these nights are fun because we get to lean into our creativity as a staff and as a team."
Those lineups didn't lead to a win — the Denver Nuggets predictably pulled away from the Jazz for a 122-103 victory Wednesday at the Delta Center — but it did provide some interesting twists.
Utah started Potter (playing in his first game of the year and making his first NBA start) and Svi Mykhailiuk. Meanwhile, to the joy of just about everyone, Tshiebwe got in his first game as a member of the Utah Jazz.
Even in a loss, that was something the team could smile about.
Tshiebwe scored 3 points and finished with a career-high nine rebounds in 16 minutes in his Jazz debut. But he could have recorded zero across the board and he still would have left his teammates happy.
"Oscar is a phenomenal human being," Kessler said. "He's such a good dude, works his tail off, just an upstanding dude. He's a great guy. I love talking with him."
Added Potter: "He's one of a kind. He's an amazing human being."
Why is that? For that, we turn to the source himself.
"I always tell people I'm the light," Tshiebwe said, a bit sheepishly. "So I'll bring a light to try to make everybody happy, motivate them, make sure they are doing good. Sometimes you can help somebody just by smiling."
He said he learned that from his father while growing up in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Life wasn't easy, but his dad told him that it doesn't matter how dark things would look, the sun will come up the next day. A smile made that next day feel brighter — for him and everyone else.
Wednesday turned out to be pretty bright for him.
Tshiebwe woke up not expecting to be playing at the Delta Center. He went through a weightlifting session with the Salt Lake City Stars and was warming up for practice when he was pulled off the practice court.
With Markkanen and Collins out, the Jazz needed some extra bigs. He quickly called his mom (she was concerned about why her son was calling during practice time) and then quickly prepared for his first NBA game of the season. It was a special moment — and it didn't hurt that it was his birthday, either.
"There were some moments of chaos that were to be expected, but I just love his willingness to do the dirty work," Hardy said. "Crashes every time, blocks out every time, is a physical player on both sides of the ball. I think the rebounding speaks for itself."
He was part of a makeshift group that provided some interesting moments — the Jazz jumped out to a 12-point lead in the first quarter and made a semi-comeback late — but couldn't stay in contact with the Nuggets.
Led by reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, who finished with 30 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, the Nuggets then went on a 21-4 run between the end of the first half and the start of the second to pull away for good.
That stretch spotlighted a common issue for the Jazz this season — a failure to continue to do what actually works. The Jazz began the game by making simple reads, which led to quality shots. They went away from that during those critical moments and suddenly trailed by nearly 20 points.
"We still have these little windows of the game that turn into kind of like a little disaster," Hardy said. "That four-to-five-minute window is really where the game was decided."
That dampened some of the fun and creativity — but it's hard to get too down when Tshiebwe is involved.
"He's like the sweetest human being of all time," Hardy said. "He plays in the game, and he's one of the most physical people you've ever been around. He just smiles and gives you a hug and makes you feel good. He's hard not to like."
