SALT LAKE CITY — We're starting a new feature here at KSL.com for the 2017-18 Jazz season: The Jazz Daily. Here, we're going to keep you updated on a daily basis about all of the things happening around the Jazz. That will include news (like injury updates, trades, player signings, call-ups and send-downs), quotes and observations from practices and shootarounds, social media happenings and analysis on what's going on around the team.

Tuesday, the media spoke with rookie guard Donovan Mitchell and head coach Quin Snyder.

First practice

Tuesday featured the first practice of the new season, but it wasn't the first time the players had played together. Everyone on the roster except Ricky Rubio, who had international duty with Spain, and new signing Taylor Braun had played with the team before. That meant more comfort for players, even rookies like Mitchell.

"I kind of feel the way I did during summer league: surprisingly calm," Mitchell said. "I'm just good. I'm just ready to get started with the games now."

Snyder said the first day was primarily about re-establishing the Jazz's defensive identity, with a lot of drills on that end. Practice lasted nearly two hours, and the team wanted to save much of the work for Tuesday night's session. The Jazz will practice twice per day until Friday when they'll play a scrimmage at Hill Air Force Base.

Upping the pace?

Snyder has been the Jazz's coach for the last three seasons, and in all of them, he's led the slowest team in the NBA: dead last in pace, No. 30 since 2014.

That might change somewhat this year, thanks to changes in player personnel. "I think talking about playing to our strengths, we have to take advantage of getting stops," Snyder said. "We've run opportunistically (in the past), but mostly off of turnovers."

It's true: the Jazz weren't the slowest team last year after turnovers. They were instead 24th and took an average of 10.1 seconds per possession after the other team turned the ball over, according to Inpredictable. That's not as fast as the John Wall-led Washington Wizards (average: 8.5 seconds), but it's not the slow-and-old Dallas Mavericks (average: 11.6 seconds) either.

"A lot of us are used to and like that kind of basketball, getting up and down the floor and making plays," Mitchell said.

It's a strategy that makes sense given the type of defensive players the Jazz have. With Thabo Sefolosha, Ricky Rubio and Joe Ingles, the Jazz have three of the top 20 steal-percentage players in the NBA. Mitchell, who had more steals than anyone in recorded summer league history, should help too.

Mitch Kupchak visits

Former Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak was at Jazz practice Tuesday. Kupchak has been out of a job since Magic Johnson replaced him in February.

Snyder explained why Kupchak was hanging around. "He's very close to Kevin O'Connor, and he's been a mentor to me when I was in L.A. He was there with the Lakers, obviously, and he's always open to talking to me as a coach from a GM's perspective," Snyder said. "Anyone who has had that storied of a career and now has an opportunity to come watch practice, to pick his brain and get his views is great."

Kupchak isn't the first former NBA coach or GM to visit Jazz training camp over the last few years. For example, Tom Thibodeau visited for a few days two seasons ago before taking over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Ricky Rubio's first time with the team

While everyone else has had the chance to get to know everyone else thanks to the optional training activities that the Jazz held throughout September, Rubio's international duties meant that he was a fresh face to the program Tuesday. But his performance got Mitchell talking about him after just one practice.

"He's an underrated defender, I'll tell you that much," Mitchell exclaimed. "He has a high IQ. I was talking to him about certain pick and rolls today, and he's giving me stuff I didn't even think about. It's good to have someone like that on the team."

On media day Monday, Rubio mentioned how he's been already talked to Snyder more than any other head coach he's played for, even though Rubio's been on the team for just a few months.

"I hope that's a good thing," Snyder said Tuesday. "He's a guy that I've watched for a while, and I think is a good fit for us and what we want to do.

"I think this situation for him is one that I'd like to see him have fun playing. On Day 1, he's a guy who's going to be up to speed in no time as far as how we want to play on the court. He's got some charisma, which I think from a leadership point will be good, and on a personal level, we've connected."

The hope is that the connection between Snyder and Rubio off the court will help the Jazz on it. David Locke pointed out to Snyder that Rubio had five coaches in his last five training camps, a trend both would like to see come to an end.

"Hopefully that won't be the case next year because that will mean I'm gone or he's gone," Snyder said. "And he's not going anywhere, and hopefully neither am I."

New addition

Taylor Braun signed with the Jazz on Tuesday morning, giving the Jazz their 20th player. He's a North Dakota State alum, who most recently played with ratiopharm Ulm of the German Bundesliga. That Bundesliga tie, and the overwhelming likelihood that Braun is cut and is sent to the SLC Stars, means that new Stars head coach (and former Bundesliga head coach) Martin Schiller has his fingerprints all over this move.

Braun is a 6-foot-7 wing with a great shooting stroke coming out of North Dakota State, but lacked defensive energy there, according to DraftExpress. He struggled from deep this year, though, shooting just 30.9 percent. Still, given the dearth of shooting on the SLC Stars roster last year, it may be worth a flier to see what Braun can do.

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