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SALT LAKE CITY — One chance. That’s all former Utah Ute shooting guard Dakarai Tucker was looking for. An opportunity to prove he could play basketball professionally.
Tucker wasn’t taken in the first round of the NBA draft like former college teammates Jakob Poeltl or Delon Wright, nor did he sign a contract to play in Europe like fellow Ute guard Brandon Taylor. He didn’t even start one game his senior year for the Utes and averaged only six points a game for his college career.
But all he has to do is look to San Antonio, Texas for inspiration.
That’s where Spurs forward Jonathan Simmons currently resides. He’s the NBA D-League poster boy for hope.
Simmons actually tried out for the Spurs affiliate team in Austin in 2013 and is now a regular rotation member with the big club in the Alamo City. In fact, Simmons started against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night and scored a career-high 20 points against the Golden State Warriors in the first game of the regular season.
Tucker can only hope that the same happens for him. He currently is one of 18 guys in camp with the Jazz’s D-League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars. Tucker received an invite to play with the team after an open tryout, but he was invited by the team to show off his skills because of one decision: he found a good agent.
“I was trying to find an agent to get me somewhere and it wasn’t really working out that good,” Tucker said after the Stars first practice. “I ended up running into a new agent (who) helped me out and got me connected with the Jazz.”
The Jazz invited Tucker to a pre-draft workout with former BYU Cougar Kyle Collinsworth, former SLCC Bruin Gary Payton II and current Chicago Bulls guard Denzel Valentine back in June.
“I met all of the coaches and that’s when they started to like me. I started coming in every day, just shooting and working out,” Tucker said. “I wasn’t promised anything.”
Then it was off to summer league, but not one sanctioned by the NBA. Tucker played with a bunch of ex-college basketball players with Beehive State ties in The Basketball Tournament. Team Utah made the round of 8 and he scored 15 points in their elimination game. Tucker also mentored two young players this summer to make some extra money.
Finally, in September, he was invited to participate in the Stars' open tryout for anyone who wanted to attempt to become a professional basketball player.
“I’ve never been through anything like that except for going through high school,” Tucker said.
The lithe swingman was good enough to be invited to the Stars camp which began on Nov. 1. And Salt Lake head coach Dean Cooper smiled big when he said Tucker had the talent to make this team.
“He can really shoot and he can really guard,” Cooper said. “He knows who he is and he doesn’t play outside of his box. And he guarded some of the best players in the Pac-12 so he’s kind of a 3-and-D guy.”
Just like there were no guarantees with the Jazz during workouts, there are no promises Tucker will make the team. Some players, like Marcus Paige and Joel Bolomboy, were drafted by the Jazz and others, like J.J. O’Brien, are returning to the team. Only 12 spots are open and cuts will come on Nov. 9th.
“I have 17 guys (now 18 after Bolomboy was assigned to the team by the Jazz) in camp who can play in this league,” Cooper said. “Hopefully, the guys we cut we can help them hook on elsewhere.”
The ever-optimistic Tucker is only thinking about making the team.
“(I’m) staying positive and if I mess up, dust it off and come back and get stronger each day,” said Tucker. “Show them I’m a hard worker…and pay attention. It’s the little things.”
Right now, Tucker doesn’t have a backup plan.
“You know I have nothing really planned. This is my first and only option,” Tucker said, smiling. “I’m going to make this my first priority and do whatever I do to get it. If it happens it happens.”
Cleon is a reporter and producer for KSL Newsradio. He is also a studio host for BYU football and basketball game son KSL Newsradio. He's worked at KSL since August of 2001.
