Utah Jazz: Travis Leslie — and his mom — are excited for another NBA opportunity

"Absolutely. He's a hard worker. He even trained with me in the summertime before his rookie year when we drafted him in L.A.," Williams recalled. "I know the hard work he puts in to get another opportunity to go to the D-League and shine like he did and get an opportunity like now. It's well deserved. I'm happy for him. He's in a good situation. This is a great organization."

Leslie said his forte is playing with "a lot of energy." He called himself a rebounding guard and a good mid-range shooter, which was evident by his stat line in Santa Cruz: 16.1 points on 51.1 percent shooting, 7.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

"Just bring a lot of energy," he added. "Yeah, just bring a lot of energy."

That's something that a team that has lost four straight and seven of eight can use, even if it only manifests itself in practice.

Corbin likes the combination of Leslie's physical presence and athleticism.

"Tough kid. He plays hard. He worked his butt off to get an opportunity," Corbin said. "He's excited to be here. We look forward to him being with us and seeing what he can do to help us."

If not this season, perhaps for next year.

And Leslie's impression of Utah?

"I like it a lot. From Twitter, the fan support is unbelievable," Leslie said. "It's kind of cold out here, though."

Leslie and one very excited woman in Atlanta only hope he stays long enough to see what spring in Salt Lake City is like.

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