This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A discussion with or about Trevor Booker will include the following words: energy, hustle, toughness, no-nonsense, desire, defense, blue-collar, and cereal.
And all those words (minus the last one) are why the Utah Jazz's new breakfast-obsessed power forward tends to draw comparisons with one who used dive for loose balls at EnergySolutions Arena.
We're talking, of course, about Paul Millsap.
"I do think there are some similarities," said Jazz coach Quin Snyder, who worked with Millsap as an assistant last year in Atlanta. "Aside from the size and those things, they're both very versatile players. I think Paul really became a very willing passer to go with his ability to score. I see Trevor being able to do those things as well. Handle the ball in transition Be efficient. … Those are things that Paul could do as well."
Booker sees it, too.
"He's a hard worker," he said of Millsap. "When he's on the court, he brings a lot of energy. I'm that type of player. I would say I'm a mix between Paul and Reggie Evans."
As for Millsap's 3-point shot, something he showcased after leaving Utah, Snyder said it didn't take much coaching.
"I worked with him by telling him to do what coach [Mike Budenholzer] said and shoot it," Snyder said. "That was the extent of my work with Paul. Paul and I talked basketball a lot. That was the main thing we did. He's a smart guy. I feel like I could learn a lot from him. And I tried to help him every now and then. But his 3 was his 3. I can't purport to have any impact on that. If he wants to give me credit, though, I'll take it."
Time will tell if Booker also adds that to his game.
"I'm working on it. I'm working on it," he said. "[Snyder] wants me to work on my corner-3 right now. He told me if I have the shot, take it."
Heating up
Alec Burks torched the nets in practice Saturday, second-year guard Ian Clark told reporters, before adding, "I'm not going to tell him that to his face, though."
Snyder, however, might compliment the man.
"The biggest thing he's doing is he's not taking plays off," the coach said of Burks. "Two days ago, he didn't get a lot of looks. But he was patient. Then there's a day like today, all of a sudden the ball is coming his way more. That's how we want to play. It's just flow. The ball is going to find who's hot and the ball is going to find who's open."
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