Joshua Jefferson can’t practice with the Brooklyn Nets quite yet.
And it’s not because of yet another injury for the former Iowa State star forward-turned-late first-round NBA Draft pick.
Just dumb league rules pertaining to trades, which often take up to a couple of weeks before being fully finalized from a legal standpoint — and the Nets had acquired the No. 28 pick from the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of just such a roster maneuver.
So now Jefferson waits. … and waits. … and waits (for at least another week or so).
“I’m gonna be asking a lot of questions, just kind of going back four years (to) when I was a freshman, just taking on that same role of being a sponge,” said Jefferson, who will join the Nets Summer League team in just over a week. “Learning as much as I can and then getting better on the fly.”
Jefferson’s an avid learner. It’s one of the reasons he elevated his game so dramatically in two seasons as a Cyclone, turning himself into a first-round talent. His versatility is matched by few if any players in this NBA Draft and that’s one of the reasons the Nets wanted to move up to take him after selecting dynamic former Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr. early in the lottery.
“There was a point (in the pre-Draft process) where I thought, I said, ‘I think my volume of the ball being in my hands would go down,’” said Jefferson, who averaged 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists last season before an ill-timed ankle injury sidelined him during the Cyclones’ Sweet 16 run. “As a rookie, usually you don’t walk into that role, and then the GM was kind of like, ‘Well, I think that’s what your value is — having the ball in your hands and processing it.’”
So even though he’s hamstrung in terms of practicing with his teammates right now, the future’s bright for the 6-8, 246-pound Vegas native.
The same can be said for the four-year face of T.J. Otzelberger’s program Tamin Lipsey, who signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Indiana Pacers when the NBA Draft concluded on June 23.
That allows the record-setting point guard maximum flexibility — while also being under maximum pressure — as it guarantees he can fight for a spot on the Pacers’ 15-man roster.
That’s a decided long shot, but the ball’s in his court, and Lipsey shines in such situations. The most likely positive scenario for him would entail signing a two-way deal with the Pacers as former teammates Curtis Jones and and Keshon Gilbert (who’s now with the Atlanta Hawks) did last summer with the Denver Nuggets and Washington Wizards, respectively.
So stay tuned. Lipsey’s climb in summer league player begins July 10 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“The one thing I can control is my effort, my talk, and my defense,” Lipsey said. “Those are really the things that I feel like I can contribute at the next level.”
In other words, “Tamin plays” translate. Grit, hustle and dependability is a bundle of traits that’s always in high demand and relatively short supply — unless you’re talking about Lipsey, who embodies those three positives.
“I don’ know if there’s someone (who’s) done more for our program than what Tamin Lipsey’s done for us,” Otzelberger said.
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