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Why Raul Neto Is Jazz’s PG Of The Future

By DJoumbarey A. Moreau

Dec 21, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz guard Raul Neto (25) passes the ball against Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) and center Tyson Chandler (4) in the first quarter at vivint.SmartHome Arena Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 21, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz guard Raul Neto (25) passes the ball against Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) and center Tyson Chandler (4) in the first quarter at vivint.SmartHome Arena Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Utah Jazz have seen tremendous strides from their point guard Raul Neto. Is it time for the organization to put their trust in his development?

It happens in a blink of an eye.

You need to get ready for a change even if you don’t expect it to happen.

For Raul Neto, he is no stranger to change. Last year around this time Neto was competing overseas for UCAM Murcia in Spain, where the beautiful beaches, beautiful weather and most importantly the beautiful women, would never make you want to leave.

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Neto’s life living in Spain would take a turn for the better as he saw his opportunity to play professionally in the United States manifest.

When the Utah Jazz came calling, Neto had no other choice than to accept their offer and see how he would fare in the league. The 23-year-old point guard came into the NBA with a lot of question marks surrounding his game, including how would his ability translate to the league.

Would he be able to compete with the athletes, and could his jump shot improve enough to become a decent player? Nevertheless, three months later, with a selection in the Rising Stars Challenge and a lot more hype attached to his name, it’s easy to say that Neto is well on his way to becoming a decent starting point guard in the league.

Regardless of drafting Dante Exum two years ago with the No. 5 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, is it time Utah stop looking for their point guard of the future and start putting most of their eggs in the Neto basket?

Feb 6, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Utah Jazz guard Raul Neto (25) is congratulated by teammates during the game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Utah Jazz won 98 - 89. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 6, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Utah Jazz guard Raul Neto (25) is congratulated by teammates during the game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Utah Jazz won 98 – 89. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports /

Turning The Corner

For point guards, one of the most important abilities they can possess is turning the corner when they use the screen and roll.

Needless to say, with this pass to Gobert, Neto’s already made that turn.

When Neto played against the Chicago Bulls, it marked the first night in a lot of people’s eyes that he was starting to truly get better. The most interesting match-up of the night went to Gordon Hayward and Jimmy Butler as they both play the same position and both are similar in talent and game with each other.

For as many eyeballs that were glued in to see those two play, Neto wouldn’t be outdone. The rookie who is more well known for his ability to play defense had an awesome game defensively. Neto was able to hold the 2010-11 Most Valuable Player, Derrick Rose, to a bad shooting night as he only scored 14 points.

Additionally, not known for his offense, Neto scored a career-high 14 points, including making a number of important shots down the stretch to help Utah get the 105-96 overtime win.

"“He doesn’t need to define himself by how many points he has, he needs to define himself by all the little things he does to help our team win. What ends up happening is you end up scoring, you’re not overthinking things, you’re taking shots when you’re open, and that’s what happened” said Quin Snyder."

Just Getting Started

What’s been encouraging for Utah to see is the way that Neto’s started to pick up on offense.

Last season Utah’s starting point guard, Exum, scored in double-figures a grand total of 13 times in the 82 games that he played in. Neto has only played in 49 games this year and has already scored in double-figures nine times.

Additionally, it’s been a huge surprise the way that Neto’s started to come on strong in the month where rookies are normally hitting the rookie wall. Where most rookies start to breakdown around the All-Star break because the grind of the long season, Neto is actually getting better.

In the month of February, Neto has hit his stride as an NBA player and is averaging 11.3 points on 48 percent shooting, 3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game.

Furthermore, the jump shot that many people didn’t believe could develop quickly, has developed. Neto this year is shooting 39 percent from the three-point line and in the last week alone he’s shot lights connecting on 58 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.

Last year Utah needed a point guard with a semi-reliable shot, great defensive abilities, and the creativity to get others involved on offense. It might be a year later, but Neto has all of the checkmarks Utah was looking for. This year they could end up in the playoffs with a rookie point guard.

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It might be time Utah start looking forward and continue to develop Neto.

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