SALT LAKE CITY -- His pro career might have been stuck in holding pattern recently while the Utah Jazz navigated the early stages of free agency, but Trey Lyles hardly looked like he was playing catch-up during his pro debut in Utah summer league on Thursday night.
Lyles, the 19-year-old No. 12 pick in last month's draft, scored 10 points in a reserve role and was plus-15 in 21 minutes of floor time while helping the Jazz to an 84-78 overtime win over the Philadelphia 76ers at Energy Solutions Arena.
The host Jazz, playing to another packed crowd of 12,128, on the final night of the four-day, four-team event, finished a perfect 3-0 in a reboot of the Rocky Mountain Revue.
Lyles had been in his native Indiana waiting for the Jazz to finalize his rookie deal before joining the team on Tuesday to ink his contract. Utah general manager Dennis Lindsey had said the blame lied with the club as it tried to preserve an extra sliver of cap space while navigating the initial stages of free agency.
Lyles got a crash course in the Jazz's philosophies, then was thrust onto the court Thursday night. He was still there in overtime, showcasing his passing skills by feeding Jack Cooley for an early dunk that helped the Jazz pull away in the extra session.
Lyles struggled a bit with his shot, finishing 3-of-9 overall, and grabbed only one rebound but produced a nice offensive third quarter in which he seemed to really settle in.
"At first out there, I was kinda nervous. First-game nerves," said Lyles. "But after I got settled, I was fine. I felt really comfortable."
Wearing his familiar bright-blue Nikes (with a neon swoosh) from his days at Kentucky, Lyles came off the bench midway through the first quarter. He landed at the free throw line on his first offensive possession but showed some rust in the early stages.
In the third quarter, he hit a no-hesitation elbow jumper, went strong at the basket while finishing in traffic and added a pair of free throws.
"[Lyles] played well," said Utah summer league coach Alex Jensen. "He has really good feel; things come easy to him, and we will just have to see it progress from here. That was the nice thing -- it seemed like he was steady for a 19-year-old."
The 6-foot-10 Lyles came as advertised: a skilled player with a high basketball IQ, he showed he can play in the pick-and-roll and generate his offense from all over the floor. He'll need to bulk up to play against NBA bigs, but he held his own in his debut, including a couple instances of going against No. 3 pick Jahlil Okafor.
Jensen said the team is happy to have film of Lyles now so they can use it as a learning guide. He'll get more opportunities to learn on the court as the Jazz shuffle down to Las Vegas for their second summer league stint.
