When Rayjon Tucker called his mother three times. And over the span of about 12 hours late Monday and into early Tuesday, the 22-year-old got three different responses.
The first time she was calm. “Yeah, you worked hard. You deserve this,” the mother told her son. Then Tucker called again after eating dinner. This time, she was “really happy, geeked up, laughing, yelling.”
Tucker went to sleep on Monday night and called his mother again in the morning.
“That’s when the tears came,” he said. “That’s what I was waiting on the first time. It didn’t quite happen the way I thought it would.”
Tucker knows as well as anyone that the wait can pay off.
After going undrafted last June, working his way onto a summer league squad and then into a G League, Rayjon Tucker has arrived in the NBA, signing a multi-year deal with the Utah Jazz this week.
“I can say this week has definitely been a blessing,” he said Thursday morning after going through shootaround with his new team. “Probably the best Christmas gift I’ve ever gotten.”
The 6-foot-3 guard out of Arkansas-Little Rock had been turning heads with his performances in the G League. Tucker averaged 23.8 points on 49.4 percent from the field in 16 starts for the Wisconsin Herd. Still, he wasn’t sure when he’d get that call from his agent.
“I hoped for it,” he said. “I didn’t know really when it was going to come.”
The phone rang on Monday night.
“I was kind of in shock,” Tucker said. “I was amazed. I didn’t know what to say.”
By Tuesday, a deal had been formalized. Tucker arrived in Salt Lake City about 10 p.m. on Christmas night. And on Thursday morning, Tucker was preparing for a game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
“I’m a quick learner. I’ve just got to get into the system for a couple of days, watch a lot of film, get work on the court before the game,” Tucker said. “I bring energy, defense. I’m a slasher. Just being a good role player on a team and trying to get wins. That’s what it’s all about.”
DUNK CONTEST
Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell was one of the first people to reach out to Tucker when news of his deal with the Jazz broke.
“That’s my guy for sure,” Tucker said. “I love watching his highlights. I keep up with him all the time.”
Mitchell and Tucker have known each other since high school, when they competed in a prep slam dunk contest. Derrick Jones Jr., now of the Miami Heat, won that contest. Tucker finished second and Mitchell third.
“He jumps higher than me for sure. I’ll give him that,” Mitchell admitted. But the former NBA Dunk Contest winner might ask for a rematch.
“We’ll have to run that back for sure,” Mitchell said.
That two guards promised to recreate some of those high-flying moments during pregame warmups this season.
“We’ll put on a show for sure,” Tucker said.
JORDAN CLARKSON UPDATE
New Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson was completing a physical on Thursday morning, and could be available to play Thursday night.
Clarkson was averaging 14.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game for the Cleveland Cavaliers when the Jazz acquired him via trade this week.
“We all know what he can do on the offensive end,” Mitchell said of Clarkson. “Adding another threat off the bench is really huge, really key. He’s a tough cover. He can get a bucket on three different levels. Being able to not guard him is pretty good for me.”