Jazz alumni: Raul Neto, Utah’s most beloved third-string PG, returns as a 76er

Sixers PG Raul Neto was always ready when Jazz coach Quin Snyder called his number in Utah. He should get a warm welcome in his return to Vivint Arena.

There will be no shortage of spotlight action for Utah Jazz fans when they host the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. In addition to two headline player match-ups and a good test for the Jazz against the Eastern elite, the game features the return of arguably the best third-string point guard the Jazz will ever see, Raul Neto.

The main event will be former “Rookie?” of the Year, Ben Simmons as he strives to prove himself against the best real rookie of the 2017-18 season, Jazzman Donovan Mitchell. Yet those two won’t even be the best players on their own teams. Two multiple-time All-NBA centers, Joel Embiid and Rudy Gobert, will be going toe-to-toe as well.

It’s not just a game of individual match-ups, either. It’s quite possible that Wednesday’s game will be a preview of the 2020 NBA Finals. In fact, with such great competition and recent comparisons over the past couple of years, this match-up has all the makings of a potential East/West rivalry.

However, among so many blinding spotlights, I am hoping that a relatively minor one does not go entirely overlooked. Again, Wednesday’s game marks the return of ever-ready relief man and Gobert’s former sidekick in Neto.

Raul Neto

Neto was drafted in 2013 by Atlanta as the 47th overall pick, but Utah immediately traded for him, despite already having four point guards on their roster that season. Dennis Lindsey, still relatively new as the team’s GM, understood that Neto was an investment they wanted to make. Now that the Jazz had the rights to the Brazilian point man, Neto traveled back to Spain for two more seasons, both developing and waiting for the right opportunity to join his squad in the U.S.

When Neto finally joined the team in 2015, he found himself starting 53 games during his rookie campaign, mostly due to a combination of injuries to senior players and lesser talent competing for the position, such as Trey Burke (who eventually fell out of favor with head coach Quin Snyder).

In his starting role, Neto performed quite admirably, considering that he was only a rookie picked 47th and going head to head with the best point guards in the world. He made up for his lack of size and athleticism through cerebral play and tenacity.

Like a hungry bulldog, he took pride in picking up opposing point guards at full court, along with anything else that made his opponents uncomfortable. Being a student of his father (a huge John Stockton fan), Neto’s game was built upon traditional point guard skills, passing, ball-handling and being able to score when necessary.

Yet Neto’s most impressive strength was that he was always ready to play. Throughout his time in Utah, Neto’s minutes were anything but consistent. Instead of complaining and creating drama (at least publicly), Neto simply played his role to the best of his ability.

On those rare occasions when his number was called (after having not played for two or three weeks) Neto comfortably took control of the game, manning tempo, delivering the ball into the waiting hands of shooters, annoying opposing players, and sparking the offense with a driving lay-up or nailing a corner three.

After his rookie campaign, Neto never got as many minutes as he deserved. Injuries and an influx of talent at the point guard spot took their respective tolls. Despite limited playing time, he chose to return as a Jazzman with each opportunity — and it wasn’t because he didn’t have other options.

Every year there are a handful of teams looking for a competent, professional, experienced point guard that can steady the ship for short stints while their starting point guard takes a breather. Neto is just that. Never too high, never too low, he has a way of bringing stability to the court when his team needed it most.

Although stability was his forte, he wasn’t opposed to making other teams pay for having not scouted him properly, either.

Whether it was the security of a loyal and winning franchise, a quiet guy feeling at home in Utah, or his best friend being Rudy Gobert, Neto had multiple opportunities to go elsewhere and never did.

Rumor had it that the feeling was mutual. In all the wheeling and dealing the Jazz brass accomplished this past offseason, it all seemed to be done in a way that would have allowed Utah to opt into the final year of Neto’s contract. Unfortunately, the league’s hard cap came in lower than anticipated and the Jazz were forced to pick between finalizing the trade for Conley or extending Neto’s contract.

Of course, we know which option they landed on. If you’re a fan of Neto, however, fear not — he only signed with Philly for one year. It’s entirely conceivable that the Jazz could look his way in the future;  we may even him in the new purple mountain jerseys next season!

OK, maybe I’m being a little too optimistic. Still, it’s not impossible.

Unfortunately, Neto hasn’t seen much playing time in Philadelphia yet. However, he recently played a major role in a late-game comeback victory against a Blazers squad featuring Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum and another former Jazzman, Rodney Hood.

Whether he earns minutes due to his recent late-game heroics or because the Jazz end up commanding a 30 -oint lead with only five minutes left in the game, I sincerely hope Neto sees some playing time in Salt Lake City. When he does, Jazz Nation, be sure to give him the warm welcome he deserves. Once a Jazzman, always a Jazzman (as long as they didn’t burn us on the way out. Right, Gordon Hayward?)

No matter what team he is on, I will be rooting for Raul Neto 100 percent of the way, along with my foolish hopes of him finding his way back into a Jazz jersey before too long.