As the Utah Jazz plummeted to the bottom of the NBA standings this year, it had me thinking a lot about how they would use their three two-way spots, now and in the future.
When a team is really good and trying to maximize opportunity for their best players in order to rise up the standings and ultimately win, there’s not a ton of minutes to be given to prospective players who have been otherwise overlooked by the basketball world.
But in the position that the Jazz are in, there are opportunities for those kinds of players.
This year the Jazz had Micah Potter, Oscar Tshiebwe and Elijah Harkless on two-way deals at the end of the 2024-25 season. When evaluating these players it’s important to take into consideration how they performed compared to expectations, how they would fit into the NBA and if the Jazz should give them another shot moving forward.
Micah Potter — B
There are a lot of reasons to appreciate what Potter has brought to the Jazz as well as the Salt Lake City Stars. He served as a veteran presence for the Stars team for the last three years and has always and without complaint done everything that was asked of him by the Jazz organization.
He is also well-respected in league circles, praised by his teammates and coaches and has a skillset that seems like it would definitely fit into today’s NBA landscape.
He’s a big that can space the floor, and that’s something that teams are always looking for.
Generally when people describe Potter’s game, it’s as a solid big man who doesn’t really pop off the page. That could be because he hasn’t been given too much of a legit opportunity, though when he was on Team USA’s Select Team, playing against some of the most decorated NBA players the game has seen, he held his own and opened some eyes.
Potter’s shooting numbers dipped with a late-season slump, but his body of work points to that being just a slump rather than a real decline. There are a lot of NBA teams that could do worse than a strong and physical shooting big, but whether an NBA team decides to pick up Potter remains to be seen.
It feels unlikely that the Jazz would use a roster spot next season with Potter considering that they never converted him to a standard deal and he no longer has eligibility for a two-way contract. Getting a minimum offer from an NBA team is what Potter will be looking for.
Oscar Tshiebwe — B
If you were to look only at Tshiebwe’s G League stats, you’d probably think I’m crazy for giving him anything less than an A++++++, and I’ll be the first person to point to the insane numbers he was able to achieve with the Stars and tell you that he is one of the most kind, pleasant and endearing players I have ever covered.
But Tshiebwe serves as a stark reminder of the difference between the G League and the NBA. It’s not just a gap, it’s a Grand Canyon-sized crater.
While Tshiebwe was able to average 17 points and 19 rebounds through the G League regular season (popping off on some nights for 37 points and 26 rebounds), that production did not translate in his NBA opportunities.
Though Tshiebwe has no problem dominating the competition at the lower level, he struggles to defend, to move with ease and to seem grounded when in an NBA game.
He might be worth another year of development on a two-way deal to see if he can get his game NBA ready, but it wouldn’t shock me if the Jazz tried to take a stab elsewhere.
Elijah Harkless — A-
It might be an overreaction to grade a player who only appeared in 10 NBA games, but there is a good reason for reacting this way where Harkless is concerned.
Nearly every time Harkless was on the court with the Jazz this season, he showed that his defensive prowess towered over those of his peers on the court.
Now, that might be saying more about the perimeter defenders on the Jazz roster than it does about Harkless, but it’s worth noting.
Harkless is 25 after his first NBA season, so he’s not as young as some other two-way prospects might be, but he’s still young in NBA years, which means that giving him another shot on a two-way will be an easy decision.
If it’s not the Jazz that give him that shot, I would expect another NBA team to do so.
I think Jazz coach Will Hardy would have used Harkless more at the end of the season had he not been injured (groin strain), and I think Jazz brass would like to see if they could possibly develop him into a legitimate NBA player.
Though Harkless’ numbers did not show up much in his 10 games with the Jazz, he did shine with the Stars. The difference between Harkless and Tshiebwe is that even in his limited NBA opportunities, Harkless made a real impact on the game, especially on the defensive end.
If he could also bring his shooting numbers from the G League (41.3% from 3) to the NBA, the Jazz might have a bit of a diamond in the rough.