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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Jazz rookie Joel Bolomboy replaced Rudy Gobert in game four of the NBA Conference Semifinals against the Golden State Warriors, with under four minutes remaining on the clock.
While there wasn’t a lot of time to make any drastic changes to the 25-point deficit, Bolomboy was determined to make an impact.
With under 30 seconds to play, Bolomboy blocked Zaza Pachulia's shot, snatched the rebound and just missed a power slam dunk that could have been Utah’s final points against the Warriors.
The former Weber State University forward was selected by the Utah Jazz as the 52nd pick in the second round of the 2016 NBA Draft.
“I have a great opportunity, and I am going to make the most of it,” Bolomboy told the media after being drafted by the Jazz.
Bolomboy went on to have a slow performance in the Utah Jazz Summer League in Salt Lake City, scoring only 11 points in the three games.
The team then traveled to Las Vegas, where Bolomboy had an explosive performance in a 92–88 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. He had a team-high of 20 points and snatched seven rebounds. In the six Las Vegas Summer League games, Bolomboy averaged 9.5 points and 7.5 rebounds.
After those performances, Bolomboy was offered a three-year contract with the Jazz, guaranteeing the rookie over $1 million in the first two years.
After playing in a limited number of games with the Jazz, Bolomboy was sent to work with the Salt Lake City Stars in the NBA Development League.
"The main difference between the D-League and the NBA is the size and talent that you see every night in the NBA," Bolomboy said in his end of season interview.
In his 26 games with the Stars, he averaged 16.5 points and 13.3 rebounds per game.
"I think I have improved so much," Bolomboy said. "I have learned a lot playing with the Stars this past season. I am learning how to be consistent and how to be better every single day."
Bolomboy was recalled by the Utah Jazz toward the end of the season, after head coach Quin Snyder saw his raw talents improve.
"We got to the end of the year where there were some situations where we felt Joel could really help," Snyder said in his end of season interview. "We were prepared to play him, but it didn't turn out that I did."
Despite not seeing much playing time with the Jazz, Snyder saw Bolomboy develop over the season.
"I think his progress has been good," Snyder said. "The time he spent in the D-League was really important, and I was glad he had the opportunity to play with the Stars, and I thought it served him well."
Heading into the off-season, Bolomboy plans to continue to work on his skills with the trainers and take it day by day. Although not yet confirmed, Bolomboy thinks he will participate in the Summer League again this year.
"My main goals for the summer are to continue to develop, kill it in the Summer League, get into the rotation next year and continue to help my team be successful."
The Utah Jazz Summer League will take place on July 3–6 at the Huntsman Center. Cydnee is a senior at Weber State University studying multimedia journalism. Contact her at cydneegreen@mail.weber.edu or on Twitter, @TheCydneeGreen.
