In Weber State's Joel Bolomboy, the Utah Jazz got their man


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SALT LAKE CITY — It took the Utah Jazz 52 picks into the 2016 NBA draft to make a selection after trades pushed them further and further into the second round.

But when the Jazz finally got on the clock to grab an impact player, they got exactly what they were looking for — in a standout post player who spent four years just up the road.

Barring injuries or another unforeseen circumstance, Weber State power forward Joel Bolomboy will begin training camp and the Utah Jazz Summer League with his new NBA team in Salt Lake City, where he will hope to cement himself into the Jazz’s rotation that includes posts like Derrick Favors, Trevor Booker, Jeff Withey and Tibor Pleiss competing for similar minutes.

Bolomboy’s agent initially told him he wouldn’t be around by the time the Jazz picked in the second round. But when he was still on the board, the decision was easy for Utah.

Now it’s up to Bolomboy to prove to other teams that they shouldn’t have let him fall so far.

“It’s kind of like in high school: I was overlooked, and I see it as a scenario right now,” said Bolomboy, who averaged 17.1 points and 12.6 rebounds as a senior. “I’m going to make the most of it. I can’t change where I got drafted … but I know I am going to come here to play, and show all those people who passed up on me why they are going to regret it.”

Coming into an organization like the Jazz with an established power forward like Favors gives Bolomboy a chance to stick in the league, too.

Photo: Robert Casey, Weber State Athletics
Photo: Robert Casey, Weber State Athletics

“In my prime, I just see myself getting better every year and being in the NBA for a long time,” he told local media during a post-draft conference call. “I want to be a great player for 10 years, and I have great strengths right now and I’m going to expand my weaknesses and take it to another level.”

With the addition of Bolomboy, as well as second-round picks Marcus Paige from UNC and Tyrone Wallace from Cal (both point guards), the Jazz and general manager Dennis Lindsey sent a clear message to their current roster: 40-42 isn’t good enough, and the Jazz intend to make the playoffs — sooner rather than later.

“We saw what happened last year, and we were very proud of our young group and how well we developed,” Lindsey said. “But we fell short of one of our goals to reach the second season. Because of that, we expect that there will be a lot of competition on our roster.

“The players are like everybody else: they saw what happened last season, and they know we need some reinforcements. Come early July, we plan on being very active in the free-agent market.”

Lindsey sees Bolomboy as a major piece of the franchise going forward. He praised Weber State coach Randy Rahe and the program he has built in Ogden and implied heavily that Bolomboy is here to stay.

“I can’t say enough about Weber State and Randy and that program, and Joel is the latest example of their development," Lindsey said. "Certainly that is what we have to do here, as well. We identify with that, and we are very happy to bring him into the program for a lot of different reasons.

“We sure are glad he was there (at No. 52).”

The Jazz also turned a lottery pick into acquiring 30-year-old veteran point guard George Hill, who has played in 75 playoff games over an eight-year career. Lindsey can’t comment on the proposed trade until it becomes official, but he seemed to agree the Jazz needed a veteran presence like the one the former Indiana guard brings to Salt Lake City.

“We want serious players, two-way players and guys who can shoot the ball,” Lindsey said. “Experience is certainly something we are looking at.”

Bolomboy brings plenty to the Jazz roster, as well. He left Weber State as the school’s all-time rebounding leader with 1,312 boards in his four-year career — also a Big Sky Conference record. He also finished as the Wildcats’ all-time leader with 179 blocked shots, and set a school record with 651 free-throw attempts.

The native of Kiev, Ukraine, who grew up near Dallas was the Big Sky MVP and defensive player of the year in 2016, when he led the Wildcats to regular-season and conference tournament titles and their second berth in the NCAA Tournament in three years.

The Jazz need an inside presence to back up Favors, and Bolomboy can be that guy. Trevor Booker will be a free agent this summer, and Withey’s contract is non-guaranteed until Jan. 10. Pliess, who spent a significant portion of the 2015-16 season with the Idaho Stampede (now SLC Stars) in the D-League, didn’t show much to guarantee his roster spot going into next season.

That leaves Bolomboy, a 6-foot-9, 215-pound rookie who brings energy off the bench and an outside shot that helped contribute to 26 double-doubles last season.

Jazz coaches and executives even compared him to former Utah big man Paul Millsap when they called him following the draft — and Utahns know how well that worked out for the Jazz.

“I’m going to come in from day one and be a great rebounder and a great defender,” Bolomboy said. “I’ll play hard, hit my shots, be a great teammate, and what happens, happens.

“I have a great opportunity, and I’m going to make the most of it.”

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