Naz Mitrou-Long saw his former Iowa State teammate and best friend Georges Niang go from fringe NBA roster guy to two-way contract signee to G League riser to summer league standout to — finally — full-time Utah Jazz rotational piece.
Mitrou-Long was hoping to follow in his BFF’s footsteps, noting after the Jazz’s season ended, “He’s a living testament to the exact same journey that I’m on.”
Mitrou-Long’s journey has taken a slightly different path, though. A two-way player a year ago for the Jazz and Salt Lake City Stars, he’s now playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers’ entry in the Salt Lake City Summer League.
The NBA being the bastion of recurring narratives that it is, though, Utah’s roster now features Justin Wright-Foreman playing a role similar to what Mitrou-Long once did.
So, seeing the mirror images (down to the hyphenated surnames) go at each other, trading buckets throughout the second half of the Jazz’s eventual 86-71 win on Tuesday night at Vivint Smart Home Arena evoked an equal sense of what might have been and what may yet be.
Wright-Foreman, after a rough first game Monday and another slow start Tuesday, came on strong late.
An out-of-timeout play saw him curl around a screen, catch a lob from forward Tanner McGrew, and throw down a lefty dunk. As the game went on, he increasingly found the ability to turn the corner on his man and get into the lane. With about two and a half minutes remaining, he took the ball in the left corner, drove right, and lofted in a floater that effectively put the game away.
“Definitely nervous [on Monday]. It was my first game, so I had to get adjusted to the NBA speed, NBA length,” Wright-Foreman said. “Today, I felt way more comfortable at shootaround. My shot felt good — I missed a couple, but my teammates kept me going. When a shot went up, I just tried to stay positive and do whatever I could do.”
Wright-Foreman finished with 20 points (on 8-for-13 shooting), four assists and a whole lot more self-belief.
“I’m just at a loss for words. My confidence is gonna be a lot higher now,” he said. “I’m definitely looking for my shot more, definitely looking for my teammates more.”
Mitrou-Long, meanwhile, in his maroon-and-yellow No. 15 Cavs jersey, was a steadying presence all night for an otherwise out-of-sync Cleveland squad. He knew the spots he needed to get to, knew how to exploit his matchups, and frequently directed traffic.
And after his second strong night in a row saw him finish with 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting for a team that figures to need talent anywhere it can get it, he is perhaps closer to his NBA dream than ever before.
“Experience is definitely the best teacher. I’ve been through this twice now — this is my third time,” Mitrou-Long said. “… Being along guys who also need help and the experience, it kind of puts me to a new level. It’s pushing me to help guys get better.”
Tony Bradley had his second straight strong game for Utah, dominating down low on both ends to finish with 26 points and 16 rebounds.
Spurs 99, Grizzlies 84
First-round draft pick Keldon Johnson bounced back from a rough summer league debut to score 29 points for San Antonio on Tuesday, as he hit 10 of 17 shots — including a halfcourt shot to beat the third-quarter buzzer.
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