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The Utah Jazz's trade for Shelvin Mack was no one's idea of a blockbuster. SportsCenter doesn't interrupt itself when a team swaps a second-round pick for a third-string point guard.
But what appeared to be a minor move at least week's trade deadline is shaping up to have a significant impact for a team trying to stake its claim in the Western Conference playoff picture.
On the day he arrived, Mack became the Jazz's tallest, strongest and most experienced point guard. And, on Tuesday night, Mack's name was called as the Jazz's starting point guard, a position he may well have claimed for the remainder of this season.
"We traded for him," said Jazz coach Quin Snyder, "because we thought he could help us."
He's helping more than most imagined.
Mack put up 16 points and six assists in his first game, a defeat on Sunday night at Portland. Then he followed that performance with 17 points and two assists in an overtime win against the Houston Rockets on Tuesday.
Already, Mack is garnering praise from his new teammates.
"He's a solid point guard with a lot of size," said forward Trevor Booker, who played alongside Mack with the Washington Wizards. "He's very smart. He makes great decisions. He sees the floor and can knock down the open jumper. He's just solid."
And after he threw an unsolicited lob to center Rudy Gobert in their first game together, Mack got an endorsement from the Jazz center.
"I didn't even tell him," Gobert said. "It's great that he's looking for me."
Mack's game may not be flashy, but it has been effective for a Jazz team in search of consistent play at the point guard position.
"I think the guys trust me, understand that I'm going to come out and help, try to do the things I can do," Mack said. "I'm not going to try to do the things I can't do. Just put them in a position to be successful."
Mack's rapid rise to the starting lineup will have a ripple effect on the Jazz's other point guards, though how that will impact the rotation remains to be seen.
"I won't say it's by committee, but there are going to be guys that have opportunities based on the game," Snyder said.
On Tuesday, rookie Raul Neto — who had started in all but two of the Jazz's games this season coming into the night — was the first point guard off the bench, but only logged eight minutes. Trey Burke, meanwhile, as the third point guard to hear his name called and played 28.5 minutes, scoring 15 points. Burke, whose name appeared in more trade rumors than any other Jazzman before the deadline, seemed unfazed by the lineup change Tuesday.
"I'll do what the team asks me to do," he said. "Coach, he makes the decision, so for me it's just about staying positive, coming in and doing what I did tonight."
Burke has been one of the Jazz's most consistent scoring threats off the bench this season, something they desperately need, which might make him less affected by Mack's arrival than Neto.
Mack, meanwhile, is experiencing a dramatic change in roles as well. The fifth-year point guard logged 179 minutes of action and scored 93 points this season with the Hawks before being traded. In two games with the Jazz, he has scored 33 points and played 56 minutes.
"Just continue to work," Mack said. "The way the league is set up, you're going to get your opportunity. You just have to stay ready. You're opportunity could be real quick. You just have to take advantage of it."
Mack, of course, still has adjustments to make.
After sitting behind point guards Jeff Teague and Dennis Schröder in Atlanta, Mack is getting used to playing starter's minutes in Utah. He was "a little sore," he said after playing extended minutes on Sunday night, "but that comes with it. I'd rather be sore than not playing."
He's also trying to get acclimated to Salt Lake City's altitude; he woke up his first night in town needing water and he felt it squeezing on him again as he played 32 minutes Tuesday night.
Against the Rockets, Mack's unfamiliarity with his new teammates showed at times, too, as he turned the ball over six times.
"It was just me, just trying to figure things out," Mack said afterward. "I can do a better job of making better passes. It shouldn't happen again."
Snyder, however, appreciated the effort.
"I thought he was aggressive," the coach said. "I thought he had a number of really good passes early in the game that we didn't handle that would have been buckets. I like the creativity offensively for our group. I think our players have confidence in him even though it's been a short stay."
Twitter: @tribjazz —
Spurs at Jazz
P At Vivint Smart Home Arena
Tipoff • Thursday, 8:30 p.m.
TV • ROOT
Radio • 1280 AM, 97.5 FM
About the Jazz • Own a half-game lead over the Houston Rockets for eighth place in the West. … Gordon Hayward scored 28 points on seven shots Tuesday, something only one other player has done ever before. … The Jazz have played in eight overtime games this season, tying a franchise record set in 2005-06.
About the Spurs • Have beaten the Jazz twice this season by a combined 62 points. … Leading scorer Kawhi Leonard has been dealing with a calf injury.