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SALT LAKE CITY — Micah Potter didn't get a heads-up.
The two-way forward had played in all of three games this season before Friday, and he had played rotation minutes in just one of those. So you could forgive him if he didn't expect to be the first player off the bench.
"Whenever your name gets called, you gotta go," Potter said. "It can be the last minute of the game or the first minute of the game, you've just got to make sure you stay ready and come out ready to play."
With Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson and Kris Dunn all out on Friday, the Jazz went to the youngsters. Utah coach Will Hardy started the three rookies (Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks and Brice Sensabaugh) and gave rotation minutes to the Jazz's three two-way players (Potter, Johnny Juzang, and Jason Preston).
The result? A somewhat surprising 124-122 win over the Atlanta Hawks in Quin Snyder's first trip back to Utah.
George led the way with 25 points, six assists and four rebounds, excelling in his role as Utah's defacto No. 1 option. Sensabaugh added 14 points and four rebounds, while Hendricks had 10 rebounds and three blocks in his first game back from a toe sprain.
"They exude a lot of confidence in themselves," Hardy said. "They're not scared of the moment. They have the utmost belief in their ability."
He was talking about the rookies, but he could have been referencing Potter and Juzang, too. It was a career-nights for both Juzang and Potter Friday.
Juzang hit five 3-pointers on his way to 19 points, and Potter scored a career-high 11.
"That's the product of a year and a half of really hard work and staying ready," Hardy said. "They've done everything and more in terms of what we've asked them to do."
On Friday, they finally got their chance. Juzang played 25 minutes and Potter played 14 in an NBA win. The two players have spent the better part of two seasons playing together in front of small G League crowds. That all paid off in front of a sold-out Delta Center.
Juzang scored 7 points in the fourth quarter, and hit a 3-pointer during a late 8-0 run that pushed the Jazz in front by 10.
"I've been with Johnny for two years now, and we have gotten very close on the court, always cheering each other on. So to see him play well ... it's a lot of fun," Potter said. "It's kind of one of those things where you grow up together in a way. It's a very short time, but still you kind of grew up together; and just to see those guys have success and be able to be on the floor at the same time in the NBA, not the G League, it's a lot of fun. It's pretty special."
Added Hendricks: "It was definitely cool, because all these guys could hoop, all these guys are really good. So to watch them play really well tonight, it made me smile."
Especially because it came in a win — something that has become quite rare after the Jazz sent three rotation players out at the deadline. Friday's win was just Utah's third since those trades.
How they did it — via a major youth movement (Collin Sexton and John Collins had big games, as well) — made it that much more rewarding.
"Not a lot of teams are starting three rookies, and not a lot of rookies are getting an opportunity," George said. "So it's great that we're getting live-action reps all together right now. It's only gonna get better."
