Raul Neto’s had a difficult basketball season.
His play has been good. With Dante Exum hurt, he’s established himself as an integral part of Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder’s rotation. Once thought to be a fringe NBA player when he came into the league, Neto’s worked hard on his craft. There’s little doubt that he has an NBA future.
But, he hasn’t been able to stay on the floor this season, and that’s been his frustration. A foray into the paint against the Milwaukee Bucks early in December resulted in a concussion, a bone bruise in his knee and significant time on the bench. A sprained ankle in shootaround resulted in missed games after the All-Star break. Neto returned to action on Friday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He didn’t make a huge impact in the first half, especially not on the scoreboard. But just his presence was a welcome addition for a Jazz team that’s had its issues staying healthy.
“I think, if you’ve watched us play, you know how solid he’s been for us,” Snyder said. “He’s made shots for us. He’s defended for us. He’s gotten so much better going to the basket. And he has the confidence to attack and create plays for himself and for others.”
The Jazz need Neto as the playoff race progresses simply because they need the sum of their parts. Neto’s presence has enabled Donovan Mitchell to play more off the ball and to concentrate on scoring.
In the three games previous games, the Jazz have failed to score 100 points. They’ve failed to reach even 90 points twice. And a significant reason is a second unit that’s struggled to score.
That’s something the Jazz need to change, if they are going to make an honest run at the postseason. They are still trying to adjust to life without Rodney Hood and Joe Johnson off the bench. That means, they need as much normalcy as possible.
“Donovan having to play more minutes at the point changes the game a bit for him,” Snyder said. “So, Raul kind of stabilizes in a lot of ways. Our rotations have been so different over the course of the season. Raul’s a guy who’s been consistent through all of that.”
Neto gets people in the right spots off the bench. He’s a good pick and roll player, and Jazz coaches hope that ability allows for some off the bench, such as Jae Crowder and Royce O’Neale, to have easier looks at the basket and to not have to work as hard to create their own offense.
And, of course, the Jazz need Neto to stay healthy.
“It feels good to be back on the court,” Neto told The Tribune on Friday night. “I think I can bring a lot of energy to the second unit. My job is to make the team take good shots and move the ball and communicate with my teammates.”
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