Being a rookie in the NBA is one thing. Being a rookie point guard who’s been tasked with leading a team is quite another.
Three months ago, Raul Neto hadn’t even met all of his eventual teammates. He was a fresh-faced guy on the Jazz and simply wanted to work hard and prove that he belonged in the NBA.
“I came in and just wanted to go to work,” Neto said. “[The coaching staff] didn’t owe me anything, and I knew I needed to earn my minutes.”
Early on in training camp, Neto made an impression on his teammates—and, specifically, on guys with whom he’d be battling for playing time.
“I learned a lot by just watching him play,” Trey Burke said. “The way he’d pass or the way he’d take it to the basket, it helped me and made me work harder.”
Neto began his professional career at 16 when he played in his native Brazil for Minas Tenis Clube. He later went to Europe and played several seasons in the Spanish league, where he really began to hone his craft.
“For me, playing in Spain was a chance to work and improve on my game,” Neto said. “I wanted to learn as much as I could so I can make my dream of playing in the NBA.”
Now, 18 games into his professional career, Neto has started every game and is trying to improve every day.
“Every day. Every game. Every practice. There’s always something new I need to learn or something I need to work on, but I think everything is going great,” he said.
The learning curve for a rookie point guard is pretty steep. Much like a quarterback in football, point guards need to know the entire playbook and make sure everyone on the team is where they need to be.
“I’ve always been the kind of guy that knows all the plays and all the spots,” he said. “I like to know everything so I can talk to my guys and put them in the right spots.”
That attitude will help Neto succeed in the league. He’s not the most athletic guy, but he knows his preparation and focus on the game will help him improve day in and day out—and those attributes are not being lost on his coach.
“Raul has an attention to detail that’s rare in rookies,” Jazz head coach Quin Snyder said. “He’s an extremely focused guy, and he wants to make the right plays and wants to help the team win however he can.”
Neto does the little things that don’t necessarily show up in a box score, and he’s ok with it. He wants to be a leader, and he wants to establish great rapport with his teammates.
While his stats don’t pop off the page, you can see improvement in his game and in his decision-making.
Against the Pacers last Saturday night, Neto scored a career-high 13 points (and made one of the best trick shots you’ll ever see) on 5-for-8 from the field in only 18 minutes. He wasn’t afraid to go at veteran George Hill, and he sparked a second half run that helped the Jazz win the game 122-119.
Raul Neto is still a work in progress. He knows it and he accepts it. What makes him stand out is that he wants to work and can’t wait to get in the gym and continue to prove that he belongs.