When Joe Ingles suffered a season-ending injury back in January, Utah was faced with questions about its impending depth at the guard position. After all, Ingles had served as the team's backup point guard, a dead-eye shooter capable of initiating the offense with precision.
So when he was sent to the Portland Trailblazers at the trade deadline to improve the Jazz's depth, the initial reaction from Utah's passionate fanbase wasn't joy and happiness. It was anger and sorrow, as one of the long-lasting and most-beloved pieces of the franchise would no longer be residing in the snowy mountains along the Wasatch Front.
While Jazz fans dealt with the turmoil, lost among the emotions and tears was the acquisition of guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker. As he's commonly referred to by teammates and coaches, NAW was the critical piece in the trade, a young player with great size and skillset who appeared to be coming into his own this season.
Over the first month since being acquired, Alexander-Walker had scored nine points over seven games, totaling 40 minutes of court time. With Utah already loaded in the backcourt with Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson, and Trent Forrest, Alexander-Walker's development would come primarily through practice and towards the end of blowouts.
That all changed Wednesday night against Chicago.
With Bojan Bogdanovic, Danuel House Jr., and Forrest all out and the Jazz trying to limit the minutes on Conley to make him as fresh as possible for the postseason, Alexander-Walker was thrust into his most action since joining the organization — and he responded with a breakout performance.
He finished with 14 points in the fourth quarter on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc. He totaled 16 points and four rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench, finishing with a +15 rating, serving as an ideal complement to the high-scoring Clarkson to make a formidable duo in the backcourt.
"I've been forced to rely on myself a lot more and trust my work a lot more," Alexander-Walker said. "I have to trust in what's to come, whether I'm in a game for a minute or a minute and a half. I can't tell you how much my teammates and my coaches have helped me to acclimate. They've been there for me the whole time, telling me to stay ready and to be ready when my opportunity came."
While Alexander-Walker stayed ready offensively, his defense allowed him to finish the game on the court. Going up against Chicago stars Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, Alexander-Walker's length bothered the all-star duo late in the game.
"He came into the game defending," Utah head coach Quin Snyder said. "How hard he was able to play and how he was able to stay in front of people on the perimeter, that was really impressive. I thought he was playing pretty well before he made shots. He found a way to get comfortable, and he was terrific from there."
Utah will need more Alexander-Walker on Friday night when the extremely shorthanded Jazz face the LA Clippers, a rematch of last season's second round of the playoffs. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MST
The Jazz will be without Bogdanovic, House, and Mitchell — all of whom are dealing with nagging injuries — while Forrest will be a game-time decision. That means that Alexander-Walker should once again see a significant amount of time on the court and prove his case to be a part of Snyder's postseason rotation.
"It means I'm fitting in, and that's a good feeling to be a part of a winning team and a winning organization," Alexander-Walker said. "Continuously working every day, back-to-back no matter what, just staying ready and trying to get better each day. … Just the work, and trusting that God would give me an opportunity."
STATSUtah (43-26, 25-11 home / No. 4 Western Conference)Offense*114.0 Points Per Game (No. 6 in NBA)*116.1 Offensive Rating (No. 1 in NBA)
Defense*107.7 Points Per Game (No. 10 in NBA)*109.8 Defensive Rating (No. 11 in NBA)
*Jordan Clarkson: 16.0 points / 3.3 rebonds / 2.2 assists*Rudy Gobert: 15.4 points / 14.8 rebounds / 2.2 blocks / 71.1% shooting *Mike Conley: 13.5 points / 5.3 assists / 40.7% 3P-shooting*Hassan Whiteside: 8.3 points / 7.8 rebonds / 1.5 blocks / 18.2 minutes
LA Clippers (36-36, 16-21 away / No. 8 Western Conference)Offense*106.9 Points Per Game (No. 25 in NBA)*108.0 Offensive Rating (No. 26 in NBA)
Defense*107.7 Points Per Game (No. 11 in NBA)*108.9 Defensive Rating (No. 8 in NBA)
*Reggie Jackson: 17.1 points / 4.9 assists / 3.7 rebounds*Marcus Morris Sr.: 16.2 points / 4.7 rebounds / 38.8% 3P-shooting*Luke Kennard: 11.7 points / 3.4 rebounds / 45.5% 3P-shooting
MATCHUP TO WATCH*Mike Conley vs. Reggie Jackson— Both the Jazz and Clippers enter Friday’s game missing key players (Bojan Bogdanovic, Donovan Mitchell, Utah / Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, LA), so that means more of the burden will fall on the starting point guards. Fortunately for both teams, Conley and Jackson are capable of taking over a game, making this matchup one to watch
INJURY REPORTUtahQUESTIONABLE — Trent Forrest (right wrist sprain)OUT — Udoka Azubuike (right ankle sprain)OUT — Bojan Bogdanovic (left calf strain)OUT — Danuel House (left knee bone bruise)OUT — Donovan Mitchell (right calf contusion)
LAOUT — Brandon Boston Jr. (G League - On Assignment)OUT — Paul George (Right Elbow Ulnar Collateral Ligament Tear)OUT — Kawhi Leonard (Right Knee ACL Injury Recovery)OUT — Norman Powell (Left Foot Fractured Medial Sesamoid Bone)OUT — Jason Preston (Right Foot Injury Recovery)OUT — Jay Scrubb (Right Foot Injury Recovery)
BROADCAST INFORMATIONTime: 7:00 p.m. MSTLocation: Vivint Arena / Salt Lake City, UTTV: AT&T SportsNetRadio: 1280 The Zone