Utah Jazz Training Camp Battles: Back-Up Bigs

Boris Diaw

The addition of Boris Diaw will likely turn out to be a very savvy move for the Jazz. He brings veteran and playoff experience as well as a high basketball IQ and solid locker room presence to a notoriously young team. His French roots will help him have great chemistry with Rudy Gobert and his similar body type and playing style should allow him to be a great mentor to Trey Lyles.

But his role on the court in terms of actual playing time is a little tricky to predict. Boris Diaw has been known to play both the power forward and the center position, depending on the style of lineup and the strategy of the opponent. The question is where exactly he will be most used and most effective for the Jazz.

While he’s undoubtedly a more talented and versatile overall player than center Jeff Withey, he isn’t nearly as formidable of a rim protector. In a stingy defense that relies heavily on defensive anchors such as Favors and Gobert, it’s hard to see Diaw putting in a lot of time at the center position.

However, similarly to how Lyles and Booker shared minutes at back-up power forward last season, it’s very likely that we could see something like that this year with Lyles and Diaw. Diaw has built a reputation as a formidable three-point shooter and crafty passer, so in certain situations Diaw could be the better fit against veteran squads.

Yet in other cases, Lyles’ youth and athleticism could make him a tougher match-up. I suspect that while Lyles will likely see more minutes throughout the course of the season, Coach Snyder will insert Diaw when he sees fit and the veteran out of France could see more time than Lyles in certain situations. If the Jazz choose to go small, there is also the possibility that the two could log a few minutes on the court together as well.

Nevertheless, there’s also the chance that one of these players over or underperforms. If Lyles’ inexperience hinders him this season, Snyder may choose to hand over a larger role to Diaw. On the flip side, if Diaw’s age and newness with the team becomes problematic, he may be used less consistently.

Either way, both players have shown a willingness to do whatever is best for the team, so while they may be locked in a tight competition for playing time as the season opener draws nearer, once the regular season is underway, you can count on both players settling into their required roles without complaint.

Next: Joel Bolomboy