Utah Jazz Training Camp Battles: Back-Up Wing

Apr 5, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz guard Shelvin Mack (8) dribbles the ball during the first quarter against the San Antonio Spurs at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Versatile Point Guards

The final piece of the Jazz’s roster that could potentially clutter up the depth chart and minutes for reserve wings is the versatility of Utah’s point guards. While Hill will likely be the starter and Dante Exum should be the first point guard off the bench, the Jazz also have two former starters at the position in Shelvin Mack and Raul Neto.

In the right situations depending on the opponent, chemistry and who has the hot hand, one of these players could potentially slide to the two while the other plays the one. In Indiana, George Hill often played more of a two-guard position with the likes of Lance Stephenson or Monta Ellis taking charge of the ball handling.

If Exum shows significant improvement, he could very well earn additional playing time while George Hill fills in for some of the reserve shooting guard minutes. Similarly, Shelvin Mack logged a considerable amount of minutes at the two-guard position alongside Dennis Schroder during the 2014-15 season in Atlanta.

Therefore, it goes without saying that whether the Jazz use a healthy Burks, the savvy veteran newcomer Johnson, the “old reliable” Ingles, or one of their versatile point guards such as Hill or Mack, there will be plenty of depth at the wing positions this upcoming season.

Even though the likes of Ingles, Mack and Neto will more than likely see significantly less playing time than Burks and Johnson, having such reliable options ready and waiting to check in will be a vital luxury for the Jazz.

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And with so many viable options fighting to prove their worth on the court, the training camp battle for the back-up wing positions should be a thrilling one to follow.

All stats courtesy of NBA.com/stats and basketball-reference.com