Former Utah Jazz second-round draft pick Olivier Hanlan has signed a contract with the San Antonio Spurs, according to The Athletic.
The former Boston College scoring machine, Olivier Hanlan, may finally have gotten his NBA chance with the San Antonio Spurs. Now, it’s only a training camp deal, but Hanlan definitely has a chance to make the Spurs roster. He’ll be fighting with a guy like Quincy Pondexter for the 15th roster spot.
Hanlan was drafted 42nd overall by the Utah Jazz in the 2015 NBA Draft. Hanlan had a pre-draft workout with the Jazz, so they were familiar with him. During the 2015 NBA Summer League, Hanlan averaged just four points per game on poor shooting splits. Like he’s doing right now, Hanlan was fighting for a spot on the Jazz at that time. Ultimately, he was stashed overseas.
During the 2015-16 season, Hanlan played in Lithuania for the club Žalgiris. He averaged seven points per game and shot 37 percent from deep. He returned to the Jazz for the 2016 Summer League, where he’d fight for his spot again. After just one game played for the Jazz, Hanlan was involved in a trade that netted Utah Boris Diaw. It’s rare to see a player have to switch teams via trade during the Summer League.
Since then, Hanlan’s draft rights have been in San Antonio’s hands. Like the Jazz did, the Spurs also stashed Hanlan overseas for a year. Most recently, he played for the Austin Spurs of the NBA G-League, averaging about 15 points per game.
While Hanlan never played for the Utah Jazz outside of the NBA Summer League, he’ll always be a Jazzman. Once a Jazzman, always a Jazzman. I think he could have developed nicely for Utah, but they had every reason to trade him considering they got Boris Diaw in return.
I’d like to wish Hanlan the best of luck during camp. Jazz Nation is rooting for you, Olivier!