The Utah Jazz signed Jeff Withey to provide depth at the center position. So far during two preseason games and several practice sessions, Withey has shown he should make the 2015-16 opening night roster. From Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune:
- "Withey played just five minutes in Sunday's opener, but managed to grab three rebounds and go 7-for-8 from the free throw line in that time. Tuesday night, Withey grabbed five rebounds and blocked four shots. He also scored 11 points, including finishing a dunk late in the fourth quarter to force overtime. (Jazz coach Quin) Snyder praised the center's poise and attributed some of his early success to his willingness to come to Salt Lake about three weeks before the official start of training camp to work out with his new teammates. 'Being a new guy on the team, learning the language, learning the plays, getting to know everybody, that makes a huge difference,' Withey said. With a contract that is only partially guaranteed, Withey is still facing a battle to make the Jazz's regular season roster."
Withey does have $200,000 worth of salary protection for the 2015-16 season and that might give him a slight advantage over the other players competing for the last spots on the roster. Currently it looks like Withey is the fifth or sixth best big man among power forwards and centers, which gives him another advantage to earn a spot on the regular season roster.
