Jazz’s Jason Preston strives to stay ‘consistent’ in his role

With the final month of the regular season underway, the name of the game for the Utah Jazz it’s development. With a lot of potential long term outlook on the list of Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George and Brice Sensabaugh among others, the last weeks of the season are for them to show what they are capable of. But there is one player Jazz fans haven’t seen much this season, Jason Preston, who should be included in this group.

Jason Preston signed a two-way contract with the Jazz in January, but he has only appeared in one game this season. He spent the majority of his time playing in the G League with the Jazz affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars.

Preston joined the Jazz with two years of NBA experience already. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers with the 33rd overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, but missed his entire rookie season due to a foot injury. He made his NBA debut with the Clippers during the 2022-23 season, but was never able to succeed in a veteran-heavy rotation.

Faced with a crisis in their workforce, the Clippers removed Preston before the start of this season. After a brief training camp appearance with the Memphis Grizzlies, Preston was playing in the G League when the Jazz picked him up. Even though his first two seasons in the NBA didn’t go as planned, he was still able to learn a lot.

“There were a lot of ups and downs,” Preston told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview. “A lot of things off the field like preparation, taking care of your body, eating well, especially missing that whole first year. I’m just maximizing my time off the field to perfect my time on the field.

The majority of Jason Preston’s opportunities to perfect his time on the field have been spent in the G League. When he was healthy last year, the Clippers assigned him to the Ontario Clippers for the majority of the season. The situation is similar with the Jazz this year.

Overall, Preston has only appeared in 15 NBA games in his career. He played 14 for the Clippers last year and one for the Jazz this year. But he has appeared in a total of 45 G League games over the past two seasons. He holds G League career averages of 14.7 points per game, 8.2 rebounds and 9.0 assists.

Based on his experience, Preston believes the G League is a great place to develop your game if regular NBA minutes are scarce.

“Yeah, it’s a really great place, it’s a place where you can focus on exactly what you need to get better at,” Preston said. “People are going to challenge you every day, you’re working on your game, so it’s a really good opportunity to work on what you need to work on, so when you go to the next level, you’re already getting better at that that you must do. learn to better.”

The one area of ​​Jason Preston’s game that really stood out during his stint for the Jazz in the G League was his playmaking. Since his college days, he has always been a good playmaker. his last two seasons in Ohio, he averaged 7.4 and 7.3 assists, respectively.

Now as a professional, his passing could be the key to seeing an NBA court regularly. He is a pure leader with a gift for setting up his teammates. He has a total of six triple-doubles this season, most recently on March 6 where he dropped 30 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists.

While it’s obviously been an adjustment from college to the pros in terms of quarterbacking a team, Preston believes it all comes down to being able to read, react and adapt.

“It’s always been something I’ve had. It’s just about trying to pick my spots based on the offense I’m in,” Preston said. “It’s also adjusting to my size and playing with the ball, being a catch and shoot shooter whenever I’m ready.”

Looking at the Jazz depth chart, it is possible that Jason Preston will get an opportunity to play next season. Keyonte George appears to be the starting point guard of the future for the Jazz. But with Kris Dunn set to enter unrestricted free agency, the Jazz could be in the market for a backup point guard.

When Preston signed with the Jazz, he signed a two-year, two-way contract. This shows that the team thinks highly enough of him to think he’s worth keeping around. Nothing is ever guaranteed on a two-way contract, but that’s a good sign for him. A lot probably depends on how he performs during summer league and ultimately training camp and preseason, but there should be an opportunity for him to finally get real NBA minutes.

Preston looks at the Jazz’s current roster and all the young talent they have, and he sees himself taking a leadership role on the court as a playmaker if given the opportunity. It’s a role he plays for the Salt Lake City Stars this season.

“It’s another opportunity to lead,” Preston said. “We have a very young team. We have a lot of guys that want to learn, so it’s a great opportunity for me to be able to lead and teach these guys.

This is the first time Preston is playing on a two-way contract. When the Clippers drafted him, he was on a standard rookie contract. Even if the Jazz seem to have a high opinion of him, stability is a little less assured in both directions. Players are limited to only 50 NBA games and are not eligible to participate in the playoffs.

It’s also a chore. NBA rosters are constantly evolving. Depending on team needs and injuries, players on two-way contracts can find themselves constantly moved from the G League to the NBA, sometimes in the same day.

The aim of the game is to stay ready and consistent, and that’s exactly what Preston plans to do.

“Like I said with the off-field habits, I just make sure I sleep well, eat my meals and just try to get my treatment,” Preston said. “Just stay consistent. I can’t control the schedule, I can just try to stay consistent with what I do.