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"No pressure."

Heading into the Las Vegas summer league, that's the mantra a number of Utah Jazz players will take with them, despite all evidence to the contrary.

Tibor Pleiss, Joel Bolomboy, Marcus Paige and Tyrone Wallace came into Utah's summer league this week knowing the projected opening night roster had limited room. And then, the Jazz signed Joe Johnson and traded for Boris Diaw to go along with the pre-draft trade for George Hill.

Suddenly, a roster that already seemed difficult to infiltrate before suddenly looks impossible. Pleiss is probably good to go, bolstered by a guaranteed contract next season. But he, Bolomboy, Paige and Wallace could use a good showing in Vegas, regardless.

They say there's no pressure. But playing for your basketball future certainly makes every shot and every possession as big as they come.

"I try not to play basketball with pressure," Pleiss said. "That's when you make mistakes, and I want to go out and play hard and play well. You just have to focus and give your best. Putting pressure on yourself is never the right way to go about playing basketball."

So, going into Las Vegas, where the Jazz are guaranteed to play at least five games in the heat of the desert, the summer league roster projects to have just two players who look to be on the opening night roster — Pleiss and second-year power forward Trey Lyles.

Bolomboy is the one with the most to lose, as Paige and Wallace faced an uphill climb from the moment they became second-round draft picks. The former Weber State star seemingly had an opportunity to crack the roster as an athletic energy guy, someone who could perhaps replace what Trevor Booker took with him to the Brooklyn Nets as free agent.

But the 6-foot-9 power forward simply didn't play well this week. He's struggled to find a rhythm on either end of the floor. He's clearly pressed a bit offensively, and he's had a difficult time making any kind of impact.

Utah summer league coach Johnnie Bryant said Bolomboy will play more minutes this coming week in the Las Vegas summer league, something that could help the rookie. As of now, Bolomboy's path to the opening night roster is pretty narrow. The Jazz have six big men, depending on what the front office decides to do with Jeff Withey's contract.

But Bolomboy needs to make an impression. More minutes, which means more opportunities on both ends, could jump-start him into playing well.

"I think with everyone, we just have to stick to our defensive principles," Bryant said. "We have to get back on defense and keep the other teams out of the paint. We have to contest shots and rebound. I think we struggled here to get five guys on the glass. We have to play together, let the ball find you. We have to let the offense get us open."

Lyles will be on the roster heading into Las Vegas, but he may not play in all five games. In the Utah summer league, the rising second-year player showed well, even if he struggled with his offensive efficiency for most of the week. He didn't shoot as well as he wanted to, but he created good shots for himself and his teammates. More important, he got into the paint off the dribble consistently, and got himself to the free-throw line. He rebounded the ball well and was without question the best player on the team, which is what the Jazz wanted to see out of him.

If Lyles works on anything in Vegas, his shot going into the basket with more frequency rises to the top of the list. He's solidly made a case for more minutes once the regular season starts. At this point, he could be Utah's third big man, behind Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert.

"I just have to keep working hard," Lyles said earlier in the week. "I just have to keep shooting the ball and being aggressive."

The Jazz are headed into Las Vegas in search of their first summer league win, as they went 0-3 in Salt Lake City this week. Utah will play three games over the next four days, starting with the Washington Wizards on Saturday afternoon. Then, the Jazz will head into tournament play, where they are guaranteed two games.

Twitter: @tjonessltrib —

Utah Jazz Las Vegas summer league schedule

Saturday • vs. Washington, 4:30 p.m. MDT

Sunday • vs. New Orleans, 6 p.m. MDT

Tuesday • vs. Portland, 2:30 p.m. MDT

Wednesday • Tournament play begins