Nelson impresses Jazz with his hustle, play

Former Utah State forward Spencer Nelson showed exactly what kind of player he is on one play Thursday in his workout with the Utah Jazz.

Nelson, 6-foot-9, 230 pounds, had his shot blocked two times in a row on the same move to the basket. He got the rebound both times and eventually scored a layup.

"If you look at the stat sheet he was 1-for-3. If you look at the hustle sheet he got two points for your team," said Jazz basketball operations senior vice president Kevin O'Connor.

"You want to say he's too slow or he's not big enough or he is this or he is that. You know what, he's a really good basketball player," he said.

Nelson, who led the Aggies to a 24-8 record, the Big West Conference Tournament championship and a berth into the first round of the NCAA Tournament, worked out for the Jazz along with forward Angelo Gigli (Russia), forward Mike Bell (Florida Atlantic) and power forward Robert Rothbart, who played professionally in France.

"You concern yourself a little bit about the leg (knee surgery in 1998) and you concern yourself about what position, but don't sell him short because we're certainly not," O'Connor said of Nelson. "He's one of those kids that somehow is going to figure out a way to play basketball somewhere."

According to Jazz assistant coach Gordie Chiesa, players like Nelson have a chance in landing a roster spot.

"If you like Matt Bonner of the Toronto Raptors, you have to like Spencer Nelson because they're the exact same player," he said. "He's an overachiever. On every NBA team you need guys like that off the bench."

Nelson, who was named the BWC first team, averaged 16 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists for the Aggies last year.

"The two biggest things I have been working on in the spring are my strength and extending my range," Nelson said. "I think my strength is definitely coming. I struggled a little bit from three-point range today, but I feel like I am getting better."

Nelson battled pneumonia, strep throat and a sinus infection for the better part of his senior year, but since then they have cleared up and he considers himself 100 percent healthy, and that has allowed him to work on his game.

"I feel like I'm making strides. I have great coaches up in Logan that are helping me work on the things that I need to — the parts of my game that I need to improve," he said. "I think every day I am making progress, and today I took a step forward and I've got to keep taking small steps."