Utah Jazz: Othyus Jeffers enjoys his Jazz debut

SALT LAKE CITY — An NBA rookie will rarely classify his professional debut as easy.

But when you enter your first NBA game with a 23-point lead and only 2:20 left in the contest, it isn't exactly a pressure cooker. Othyus Jeffers, signed by the Jazz on Wednesday to a 10-day contract, made his NBA debut under those circumstances in Utah's 107-85 win over the Clippers on Saturday night — and loved every second of it.

"It was easy," said Jeffers, who was active because reserve center Kyrylo Fesenko was out with a stomach virus. "I can't really mess up when we're up 20. I just had to be myself, play defense like normal, and if opportunities present themselves, it's time to finish."

Jeffers got two chances to finish against the Clippers, and he took advantage of one of them. He scored on a fast-break layup just 22 seconds into his first NBA game — with the assist coming from fellow NBA Development League alum Sundiata Gaines.

Jeffers got a loud ovation from the EnergySolutions crowd following his layup, and he said it was the highlight of his night.

"There's great people around here," Jeffers said. "Hopefully, I'll last long enough around here to hear more."

Jeffers also had an assist. He returned the favor for Gaines on a layup on Utah's possession following Jeffers' score. He also rebounded a 3-point miss by the Clippers' Steve Blake. Jeffers got a second shot attempt late in the game, but he missed from about 18 feet out.

"We got our new guy owning the game," said Jazz forward Carlos Boozer. "I thought he was going for a triple-double real quick. If he had enough time, he may have had a triple-double tonight. But he did great."

Jeffers looked at ease in his NBA debut, and the former D-League MVP has gotten more comfortable in his current position in the last couple of days.

"My wow factor is over," Jeffers said. "As of right now, I'm an NBA basketball player. I had to get that out of my way, and it's time to get down to business, from learning some more plays to being in the game when it really means something."

Coach Jerry Sloan said it isn't fair to judge Jeffers in the limited time he's been around him. But he did offer a Sloan-style one-liner, saying, "He's a nice-looking young man."

"We like him, and he worked hard and all that stuff, and why wouldn't he coming from the D-League," Sloan said. "He was excited, and we were excited for him. I was excited when he made his first basket. He's a no-nonsense guy, and we like those kind of people."

In his limited playing time on Saturday, Jeffers impressed with his defensive play.

"You can tell he's a tiger on defense," said Jazz forward Kyle Korver. "You know he's going to go out there and really hustle and scrap. He can play, and hopefully he'll get a lot more opportunities. It worked out for (Gaines), and I hope it works out for him, too."

That's exactly what Jeffers is hoping for.

"One step at a time and I'll be ready," Jeffers said. "It's time to play ball."

e-mail: aaragon@desnews.com