Jazz peg Elijah Millsap — Paul's little brother — for 2nd-round pick

SALT LAKE CITY — Elijah Millsap fully appreciates the many backyard basketball battles he's had with his three brothers, including Jazz backup power forward Paul Millsap.

"Sometimes we'd be going at each other so hard we'd start fighting," he said.

The experience prepared him to scrap his way through and make the case for himself as a bona fide pro prospect — one whose name could be called during Thursday's NBA Draft.

"We have him as a probable second-round pick," said Jazz player personnel vice president Walt Perrin, who watched Elijah and nine others work out Saturday in Utah.

Perrin has no doubt the 6-foot-6 shooting guard will make it to the league, and not just because he's a Millsap.

"I think because of his name people will look at him and say, 'OK, does he play very similar to Paul, but at a smaller size?' " Perrin said. "But he's got to get in on his own, and I think he will."

So does Elijah, who played two seasons at Louisiana-Lafayette, then skipped one due to NCAA transfer rules. He then averaged 16.1 points (despite having few plays run for him, according to Perrin) over 34 games last season at Alabama-Birmingham.

Yet he's taking nothing for granted.

Elijah understands he has a long way to go before getting where his brother is.

"Am I going to fill his shoes? I'm just going to try to do the best that I can do," he said. "Paul has done some tremendous things. Enough said."

As ESPN.com's 70th-best prospect, the 22-year-old also knows there's no guarantee he'll even go in the 60-pick draft.

"I'm just trying to stay humble," Elijah said, "and just trying to soak it all in."

He says that deep into "the longest two months of my life."

Saturday's pre-draft workout was his eighth.

He's been to Minnesota, Chicago, Detroit, Oklahoma City, Charlotte and parts in-between. He may still head to Indiana and/or Milwaukee for additional auditions.

Everywhere he goes, Paul's name inevitably — and understandably — pops up.

The Louisiana Tech product who led the nation in rebounding for three straight seasons wasn't taken until the 2006 draft's second round, No. 47 overall.