The Utah Jazz have signed Oscar Tshiebwe. Now that the fate of Lauri Markkanen has been determined, the Utah Jazz look to shape their team before the new season. As of Monday, the Jazz have grown their roster with Tshiebwe, who boasts a fantastic resume. His history, 6-foot-9 height, and 260-pound frame under the hoop are great assets. It was also announced that to make space for him, Taevion Kinsey was waived. Coming from the Pacers and having a deep heritage from the Congo, let’s see how he fairs in Utah and with his new team.
Tshiebwe Comes To The Utah Jazz
Tshiebwe didn’t start out being almost seven feet tall and weighing 260 pounds. He came from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the United States during high school. Not soon after he attended college at West Virginia to play basketball before transferring to Kentucky.
While he spent two seasons with Kentucky, Tshiebwe led the nation in rebounds per game. He was awarded the John R. Wooden Award two years ago for the nation’s best player. He averaged just over 15 rebounds along with 17 points per game.
For some reason, he wasn’t drafted last year but did sign a two-way contract with the Indiana Pacers. With them, he was named the NBA G League Rookie of the Year which was well earned as he set a new G League record averaging 16 rebounds with the Indiana Mad Ants.
More Changes Coming For Utah
Along with Tshiebwe, the Jazz have signed this year’s second round pick, former Duke Forward Kyle Filipowski, and former UCLA Guard Johnny Juzang. This is an interesting move for the Jazz as they didn’t use their second round pick exception and went with Filipowski and Juzang instead.
When looking into Filipowski’s four-year contract, it’s for $12 million and includes a $three million salary in his rookie season. If the Utah Jazz went with their second-round exception path, its maximum worth would have been just over $9 million over four years with another $2 million in rookie salary.
This will change things for the Jazz, as Tshiebwe is a great rebounder, offering up opportunities for Markkanen and others to score more points. However, his contract also means he no longer plays in the G League. Now that he is playing for the Utah Jazz, will they have enough time to build their team chemistry, and know how they will coexist with one another?
What This Means For The Jazz
Is this another attempt to build a centerpiece for the Jazz, only to have him later traded for future endeavors? There are also Filipowski’s hands on the ball, moving around the hoop. Where does he fit in within all this? His first two years with the Jazz are guaranteed, but there are no more guarantees after that. It’s not often that a second round pick gets such a deal, but he did work up an impressive Summer League resume.
Compared to every other NBA team, each of these young players is a newcomer as the Utah Jazz rebuild in hopes of becoming a contender for the NBA Playoffs. Juzang, Tshiebwe, and Filipowski will have to work twice as hard to deal with what other veteran teams have waiting for them.
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