It’s been a year since Ty Wallace lived in Salt Lake City, and at this point, Utah feels simply like a stop in his life. There’s not a deep attachment, he said prior to suiting up in the Clippers’ starting lineup.
But the Jazz — that will always be the franchise that called his name on draft night.
“It does mean something to me,” Wallace said. “being able to hear my name called was a blessing.”
Wallace didn’t work out with Utah, being waived after spending last season with the Salt Lake City Stars in the G League. But this season has turned into a breakout year: He’s averaging 9.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists while playing stalwart defense for the injury-ravaged Clippers on a two-way contract.
Los Angeles coach Doc Rivers talked about having pride in his young, hungry roster, stocked with players who aren’t just fighting for the playoffs, but also their careers. Wallace is certainly among that group. And Rivers is a believer that sometimes, it takes one opportunity to slip by for the next to be seized.
“Sometimes they’re just not ready, sometime it just doesn’t fit — there’s a lot of reasons for it,” Rivers said. “But the bottom line is the second time may be your last time. You gotta get it going, and Ty is doing that.”
The nature of Wallace’s contract meant that he had limitations during the G League season, and when his 45 days in the NBA were up, he had to head back to the Agua Caliente Clippers, even though he was a starter. But now that that the G League season has ended, he’s been able to play up without restrictions.
It’s all part of the journey, Wallace said.
“I understand that’s the contract, so I wasn’t pissed or anything,” he said. “I’m just trying to maximize my time, down there and here.”
Practices tailing off for Jazz
Quin Snyder may have been listening to some Trey Lyles podcasts lately. When asked Thursday why he’s tapering down practices toward the end of the season, the Jazz coach quipped back: “Well we have three-hour practices, right?”
But the reality lately is that the Jazz are resting their legs. Utah hasn’t practiced since last week, and Thursday was the first team shootaround in nearly two weeks. Snyder may be known for running long, detailed practices, but he’s taken plenty of feedback from players this season on what is working for them. Utah has still done “pro days,” which consist of individually doing treatment and perhaps some shooting, but things are definitely getting lighter.
“We talked about time and again what we can do to keep them [fresh],” Snyder said. “I think it’s mental and physical as much as emotional.”
Briefly
Joe Ingles was able to start after being listed as probable earlier in the day with a knee bruise. … The Jazz distributed media packets on Thursday to stump for Rudy Gobert (Defensive Player of the Year) and Donovan Mitchell (Rookie of the Year) in postseason awards.
