Iowa State alums and best friends Naz-Mitrou Long and Georges Niang look to be spending another year together with the Utah Jazz.
Dennis Lindsey and the Utah Jazz continue to put the finishing touches on their 2018-19 roster. To that end, they made another move on Saturday.
Per an announcement from the team, guard Naz Mitrou-Long has been signed to a two-way contract. The former Iowa State Cyclone showed quite a lot of improvement throughout his rookie season, where he mostly played for Utah’s G-League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars.
We’ve signed Naz to a two-way contract.
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) July 14, 2018
>> https://t.co/smh27MpnJP
He also spent some time with the Jazz, but only appeared in one game: December 26 in Denver. During the game, he came in and knocked down a 3-pointer before banging heads with Nuggets forward Trey Lyles, forcing him to leave and receive nine stitches.
With the Stars, Mitrou-Long averaged 18.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per cotnest. He also set a Stars record for points scored in a game, dropping 37 points against the Rio Grande Vipers.
After signing Mitrou-Long, the Jazz roster currently stands at 18 players. They still have one two-way slot open, and will also likely bring another player to training camp. You can bring a maximum of 20 players to camp.
Mitrou-Long has also been playing in Summer League with the Jazz, both in Utah and Las Vegas, where he is averaging 9.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists across the board.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlOcXlOg-PT/?taken-by=nvzml
The first thing that stands out when watching Mitrou-Long is his impressive shooting ability. He’s got a smooth form and quick release. He shot 38 percent from downtown in the G-League last season.
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Aside from his shooting, he has shown the ability to play either guard spot. He can play off the ball and spot up or run the offense. He’s impressed me with his all-around game, and he certainly looks like an NBA-caliber player in my eyes.
Utah clearly likes him; he has already signed with the Jazz multiple times. Last season, he was on a two-way contract with the Jazz at one point, and also got two ten-day contracts from the Jazz. They are clearly motivated to develop the 24-year-old Canadian.
Mitrou-Long played with Georges Niang, who recently signed a three-year deal with the Jazz, in college at Iowa State. The two are best friends, and have got to be happy to continue playing with one another.
The Jazz roster is beginning to take shape, and I’m excited to have Naz in the fold once again. His development will be a fun story to track during the regular season.