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Indianapolis • Trey Lyles was in familiar territory on Saturday night. The Indianapolis product won a state championship at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse as a prep star — and maybe that's why he waited until his third game and a trip back home to score his first points as a pro.
In a limited appearance in his homecoming, the Jazz rookie converted a pair of free throws and grabbed four rebounds in Saturday's 97-76 win over the Pacers.
"I've been waiting for a long time to be able to play in that arena on an NBA team," the 19-year-old said.
Of course, there was a decent chance he might have ended up playing all of his home games here.
"Loved him," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "If we ended up with him I would have been really happy. He's a big-time talent, good guy, local guy. It was just a matter of we liked Myles Turner a little better."
So on draft night, the Pacers grabbed Turner with the 11th overall pick, letting Lyles fall to the Jazz at No. 12.
"I thought all my workouts were pretty good," Lyles said. "I did what I could in each of them. But I ended up here, so I'm happy about that."
At 6-foot-10 with some small forward skills, Lyles is a versatile player, but still a project who can be developed slowly in the Jazz system.
"I'm getting a lot more comfortable," he said. "The guys are welcoming so that makes it a lot easier. The guys kind of know what I can do somewhat and they trust me somewhat. … That just comes from me working hard in practice and staying after and getting extra work on stuff, because I want to be better and I want to be a key player on the team."
Lyles said he was looking forward to facing off against Turner, a former AAU opponent, in Indianapolis.
"It's a fun thing," Lyles said. "We've been playing against each other since we were younger. Now we're in the NBA, so it's a cool experience."
On Saturday, the Pacers rookie had the bigger night, finishing with 10 points and four rebounds. Lyles and the Jazz, meanwhile, notched the win.
Developing talent
With the first pick in this year's D-League draft, the Idaho Stampede — the Jazz's affiliate team — grabbed former San Antonio Spurs big man Jeff Ayres. The 6-9 Ayres has played more than 200 NBA games over five seasons, averaging 3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.
Grand Rapids nabbed former Westminster guard Michael Stockton, son of the legendary Jazz point guard John Stockton, in the second round. The Santa Cruz Warriors took former Jazzman Ronnie Brewer, also in the second round.
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