Utah Jazz: Rookies Maynor, Matthews step up

Utah Jazz's Wes Matthews, right, tries to get a shot past Philadelphia 76ers' Willie Green in the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Nov. 13, 2009, in Philadelphia. Utah won 112-90. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) (The Associated Press)

As they walked off the court following Saturday's loss to Cleveland, Eric Maynor and Wesley Matthews could be forgiven for feeling as if they'd officially arrived in the NBA, with LeBron James stopping each to offer encouragement.

Matthews had met James before, having worked one of his camps while in college at Marquette. It was a first, though, for Maynor, the Virginia Commonwealth product who made an impression on the league MVP with his 24-point effort.

"I told him first of all, he's in a great position," James said. "He's got a great coach, who's a great leader, and he's also backing up one of the best point guards that we have in our league in D-Will, so success is surrounding him.

"He had an unbelievable game, and continue the success and stay healthy. He's a great young point guard -- I watched him a lot in college.

"Being at a small college, he did a lot of things in the [NCAA] Tournament, did a lot of things to help their team win in college, and he's a really good player."

The two rookies emerged as revelations on the Jazz's four-game trip. With Deron Williams returning home as one of his daughters underwent medical testing, Maynor and Matthews made their first career starts over the weekend.

It marked the first time since Nov. 15, 2005, that the Jazz had started a pair of rookies, but Maynor and Matthews played beyond their years, combining to score 29 points in Friday's victory over Philadelphia and 37 points

"They are unbelievable," Andrei Kirilenko said. "They really step up. All I can wish them before the seasons is, 'Don't be afraid to play.' That's how they play, like they're not afraid to play. They're unbelievable."

Maynor, in particular, impressed after scoring just 14 points and playing 31 minutes in the Jazz's first eight games.

He finished with 13 points and 11 assists Friday -- joking afterward that it felt like college, playing 36 minutes, finishing with a double-double and having the ball in his hands all night -- and didn't fade in the second game of the back-to-back set.

Maynor served as the Jazz's top offensive threat much of the Cleveland loss, getting into the lane, hitting bank shots off the pick-and-roll, drilling jumpers over Anderson Varejao and driving for the layup that put the Jazz ahead 101-100 in the final minute.

"It just boosts my confidence just to be able to come on the road two nights in a row and play the way I played," Maynor said. "I think coach, I think I gave him more confidence in me. I guess we'll see how that goes."

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan had been using Maynor as the No. 3 point guard behind Williams and Ronnie Price, who missed the final three games of the trip with a sprained left big toe. He could reconsider that role once Price returns.

Talking about Maynor, Sloan claimed he "probably cost him a little bit" when he used him situationally earlier in the season and the rookie struggled.

"Now he got a chance to play some minutes and showed what he could do," Sloan said. "At least you have a chance for these guys to grow and get better and it gives us a number of opportunities to make a change if we have to."

Matthews, meanwhile, has scored in double figures in four of the Jazz's 10 games so far, making his case to stick this season on a nonguaranteed contract and compete for minutes even after C.J. Miles and Kyle Korver return from injuries.

He hit 6 of 7 three-pointers in his two starts and is now averaging 7.6 points in 20.1 minutes for the season while shooting 46.7 percent from long range.

Matthews was a perfect 3-for-3 against the Cavaliers -- the rest of the Jazz went 0-for-9 -- and was given consideration to take the final shot as Utah inbounded trailing 106-103 with 9.9 seconds remaining.

Instead, Kirilenko looked to Mehmet Okur, who missed a contested three-pointer over Varejao. Matthews missed out on the perfect ending to a memorable weekend, but came away having learned a lesson.

"Be ready," he said. "All of a sudden, I'm thrown into a starting lineup. All of a sudden, I'm playing big-time minutes. Sometimes I'm bringing the ball up the court, asked to run the offense. Just be ready, be prepared, and I feel good about that."

rsiler@sltrib.com