This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Raul Neto played a total of only 29 minutes for Brazil's basketball team in the 2012 Olympics. Neto will have a much bigger role for the host country in this year's tournament, and that's not the only way his life has changed in four years.
In those days, nobody could have imagined Neto's becoming the Jazz's starting point guard for much of the 2015-16 season as a rookie, two years after the team acquired his rights. The future is unclear for Neto in Utah, with Dante Exum returning from a knee injury and the Jazz roster overstocked with point guards, but he's thrilled about playing for Brazil in Rio de Janeiro next month.
Brazil is in Group B for preliminary play, so Neto would meet the United States, Australia (with Jazz teammate Joe Ingles) or France (with Rudy Gobert and Boris Diaw) only in the quarterfinals or later.
Amid all of the turmoil in the country and the problems associated with staging the Games, Neto spoke hopefully during the Jazz's exit interviews in April about the Olympics becoming a positive development for the country.
"It's more than just sports, more than just basketball," he said. "I think Brazil is going through a bad moment — politics, everything. The Olympics is going to be a way for people to forget about things and just focus on all the sports. I think it's going to be great for our people."
That might be a naive view of the circumstances in Brazil and the impact of the Games, but Neto can be forgiven for his optimistic approach. The Olympics are important to him, personally and patriotically. From a competitive perspective, Brazil's success or failure will be judged by what happens in men's and women's soccer, but basketball also matters. And much is expected from Neto as he shares the point guard position with 33-year-old Marcelo Huertas, a European basketball veteran who played for the Los Angeles Lakers as a rookie this past season.
"Down there, they have a lot of respect for [Neto]," said former BYU forward Jonathan Tavernari, a Brazil native. "They have really high hopes for him."
Tavernari witnessed Neto's development from the time his mother, Thelma, a legendary youth coach in Brazil, faced Neto's team. "It was crazy to see that every year, he got better," Tavernari said. "You could see his progress."
Neto essentially replaced Tavernari on the national team roster in 2010, although that had more to do more with NBA players at Tavernari's position joining the program. Although he was deep on the bench in London in 2012, when Brazil reached the Olympic quarterfinals, Neto emerged as an important player in the 2014 FIBA World Championship. He scored 21 points on 9-of-10 shooting in a victory over Argentina in the round of 16.
NBA veterans including Nene, Leandro Barbosa, Alex Garcia and Anderson Varejao will join Huertas and Neto in Rio, hoping to produce Brazil's first basketball medal since a bronze effort in 1964. And then Neto will fight for a roster spot and playing time with the Jazz, after averaging 5.9 points and 2.1 assists in 18.5 minutes last season, appearing in 81 games (53 starts).
Neto performed "beyond our expectations," said Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey, crediting Neto's pro experience in Spain as "a very good training ground."
Through his work with assistant coach Igor Kokoskov, Neto impressed the Jazz by shooting 39.5 percent from 3-point range. He also blended in well with the team as a 23-year-old rookie. Lindsey cited Neto's "great spirit … as far as being a professional."
Neto's role changed in late February when the Jazz acquired point guard Shelvin Mack in a trade with Atlanta — just before Neto scored a season-high 15 points in a win over Boston, with Mack on his way to Utah. Neto stayed in the rotation ahead of Trey Burke, who was traded to Washington in July.
Neto figures to play behind the newly acquired George Hill, Exum and Mack in 2016-17, and the Jazz also drafted guards Marcus Paige and Tyrone Wallace in June. More moves are possible, and some combination of Neto, Paige and Wallace could play for the D-League's Salt Lake City Stars at various times.
First comes the Olympic tournament. Neto enjoyed the London opportunity, but playing at home and having greater value to his team will make Rio more meaningful to him. "It's going to be a great experience," he said.
Twitter: @tribkurt —
Brazil's Olympic basketball schedule for preliminary play (all tipoffs at 11:15 a.m. MDT):
Aug. 7 - vs. Lithuania
Aug. 9 - vs. Spain
Aug. 11 - vs. Croatia
Aug. 13 - vs. Argentina
Aug. 15 - vs. Nigeria