Jazz's Booker becoming the glue for developing team

Jazz's Booker becoming the glue for developing team

(Deseret News)


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SALT LAKE CITY—When the Utah Jazz signed Trevor Booker in July, the team was picking up a free agent who had played under the radar for four seasons with the Washington Wizards.

Booker wasn’t great, but he wasn’t bad; his averages of 6.4 points and 5.1 rebounds a game showcased a usable role player that could work into many different NBA rosters.

Booker was a proven but not overwhelming commodity. When he signed a two-year deal, he looked like a young veteran who could guide a roster short on experience. The Jazz would use him to get through the next stage of the franchise’s rebuild.

Jazz fans expected a serviceable player with Booker. However, what they likely didn’t expect was a player full of energy: a living, breathing energy drink on the court who isn’t afraid to throw both hands in the air to celebrate a rim-shattering fast-break dunk.

Fans are jumping back on the Jazz bandwagon as the franchise has gone 11-3 since the All-Star break. It appears Utah has found its Big Three—Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert—to lead the franchise, and the three are earning praise from sources around the league.

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Great teams need role players, though, and it appears the Jazz have found that in Booker. This season, he’s averaging 6.8 points and 4.7 rebounds a game, but his energy has provided a big lift to the team as it fights through its growth spurts.

The former Clemson star said the Jazz are a fun group to play basketball with.

“I love being a part of this team,” Booker said. “We’re playing well. We’re playing great ball and keep improving every game. The chemistry is great right now. To be a part of this team is a great feeling.”

Jazz coach Quin Snyder said Booker has been an important part of Utah’s recent growth.

“We all respect hard work, and emotion is contagious,” Snyder said. “When you see someone who’s passionate about their play—their job—it is contagious, and it’s appreciated. That’s a strength of (Trevor’s).”

Entering this past offseason, there were a number of unknowns with the team, including how the players would adapt to Snyder’s system. However, he said Booker was a key to getting the team to make the transition.

“We have a guy in Trevor, along with (former Jazz small forward Steve Novak), really helped their commitment to what we were doing with a young team,” the first-year coach said. “That leadership was a big part of our improvement and progress.”

Booker’s role on the team has been that of a leader and also a friend. The Jazz are the youngest team in the league, making the 27-year-old Booker a grizzled veteran.

Booker said it’s been different being a leader with the Jazz, whereas he was an up-and-comer with the Wizards.

“It’s something new to me—being vocal—coming from Washington where we had so many older guys,” he said. “Me being one of the oldest guys here, I have to be more vocal, and that’s how I make my presence felt.”

Jazz fans have long enjoyed players that have energy on the court, but they also have enjoyed players eager to give back to the community. Booker, a self-professed cereal lover, has bought meals for local families for holidays and taken part in several of the team’s community ventures.

To Booker, his energy as an NBA player isn’t contrived or phony; it’s just who he’s always been.

“I just go out and play the way I do,” he said. “I’m just a passionate player; I’ve always been that way, and the fans have always loved it.”


"I think Trevor Booker is going to continue to have a really good, long career in the league. I think the world of him," said Jazz coach Quin Snyder said.

Booker’s initial two-year contract signaled he was a semi-permanent fit for the team. However, his recent success has created a social media surge of support for him to be a long-term addition to the team.

With improvement being the team’s primary goal, especially as they continue to gain confidence going forward, every member of the roster will have to refine his game, including Booker, to compete for spots in the franchise’s future.

NBA scouts have noted Booker’s energy and versatility. He makes just enough jump shots to be effective and combines that with his attitude and energy for the game.

While all players stand to improve their game, Snyder said the best way for Booker to improve is to build on his strengths.

“His challenge is to be that way even when some of the opportunities aren’t presenting themselves, for him to still maintain that intensity," Snyder said. "He and I have talked about that, and by and large, I think he’s done a terrific job.”

While no one can say for certain what Booker’s future will be after his contract ends in 2016, Snyder said he will be a contributing player for years to come in the league.

“I think Trevor Booker is going to continue to have a really good, long career in the league,” he said. “I think the world of him. I know what he does for us, and appreciate and value that. He’s been another guy that’s been such a positive force in our locker room.”

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