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It is the best of times for Jazz rookie Jeremy Evans and it is the worst of times for Gordon Hayward.
This past summer, Evans was drafted with the 55th pick. That was chapter one of the best of times, since the 6' 9" rail thin forward was not even expected to be drafted. No expectations, no pressure.
Gordon Hayward was drafted with the 9th overall pick. It seemed at first to be a best of times scenario. Hayward was coming off a Cinderella run in the NCAA tournament with Butler. One mid-court shot away from immortality. The Jazz were so confident with their pick that they allowed undrafted free-agent Wesley Matthews to walk, with a max mid-level deal with the Blazers. Huge expectations, huge pressure.
However, these players are not rivals. They are good friends who hang out off the court. According to Jerry Sloan, they work hard in practice and try to improve every day.
What has transpired through almost a third of the season has been interesting. Hayward averages about 2 points and 1 rebounds in 9 minutes a game. Evan averages 3 points and 1 rebound in 5 minutes. Low impact numbers on both accounts.
But when Evans gets in the game, magic happens. Every ball seems to bounce his way, every lob pass is just right and he makes the most of his opportunities. His highlight dunks and $473,604 smile has endeared him to Jazz fans and coaches.
"Don't put your head up too high in the air, somebody will knock it off your shoulders."
After the Warriors game on Monday, Sloan said, "I was really happy for him. He did a nice job. He executed what we were trying to do. He's a very smart person, he listens to what is being said. His abilities show up when he does things he's supposed to do, plus you throw the ball up in the air a couple of times, he goes after it."
And go after it he does. Evans has nearly perfected the art of the alley-oop with teammate Earl Watson.
Watson handed out a pair of alley-oop dunks to the springy Evans, "With a player like Jeremy and him being a rookie, you just want him in situations where it's really easy for him. Catch and lobs for him and dunking in transition is really easy."
"We always work on it. We get it in just about every game that I play in." said Evans. " Earl know that if (the defender) is overplaying... I just spin and Earl tells me to go, so he'll throw it."
And Watson has received some special and unlikely instruction from the rookie. "He tells me I throw it too low. I don't know if he's serious or what, but if he wants me to throw it higher... we'll see."
Watson knows it's not the most difficult play in the playbook. "It's easy once you see it open, but it opens so quick you have to make the right pass, but with him you just put it up in the air and 99 per cent of the time he's going to go get it."
Sloan recognizes it as well, "He can get up in the air and go get the ball. You just throw it up in the air and he can go get it. And he's worked really hard."
Big Al Jefferson has seen the bottom of those sneakers more than once, "We see it everyday in practice. He be dunking on me all the time, but I'm glad to see him dunking on somebody else."
After playing to the small crowds of Western Kentucky, Evans can't help but notice the reaction of 19,911 at EnergySolutions Arena after one of his thunderous jams.
"When your in the zone you really can't hear too much, but you always hear the crowd." the smiling Evans responded.
But while teammates and coaches gush over Evans, Hayward suffers in silence. Given the chance to start the last three games (with Raja Bell out with a groin strain) Hayward has been saddled with early foul trouble (9 in the last 40 minutes) and has scored only 1 point.
"It's tough for those young guys. Gordon struggled a little bit, going through tough times, he just has to fight and work himself out of it. The only way you do it is when you get out on the floor, you get 10 minutes of practice that has to be your game time. You have to work to make yourself better."
When Sloan speaks, Evans listens, "Coach always says be ready to play. So we come into every game, me and Gordon thinking that we might get the chance."
There may still be room for two protagonists?
Coach Sloan and his 60 years of experience has advice for his rookies, "Put everything they have into it... and if things don't go well, you have to fight back. If they go well, then don't put your head up too high in the air, somebody will knock it off your shoulders."
Here's to hoping the guillotine remains far away in the Parisian streets and that both rookies can find a way to play well and hold their heads up high.
But not too high.
