Josh Christopher gets new start on two-way deal with Jazz

Josh Christopher was a first-round pick who now has a chance for a fresh start on a two-way Jazz deal. (via Grizzlies.com)

The Utah Jazz are still making moves around the edges of the roster. According to Tony Jones and Shams Charania, the Utah Jazz are signing Josh Christopher, the Houston Rockets’ 2021 first-round pick, to a two-way contract. The Jazz will waived Joey Hauser off of his two-way contract to make room on the roster.

The Utah Jazz are planning to sign former Rockets first-round pick Josh Christopher to a two-way NBA deal, sources tell me and @Tjonesonthenba. The guard averaged 7 points and 15.4 minutes across two seasons in Houston. His brother, Patrick, played 4 games for Jazz in 2014-15.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 13, 2023

Unlike most moves made this time of year, this move could impact the Jazz’s regular season roster, so it makes sense to dig into who Christopher is. A lot of October signings are non-guaranteed deals intended to secure a player’s G League rights, but because Christopher signed a two-way deal, it’s more likely he’ll actually be a part of Utah’s extended roster when the regular season begins. 

This is a low-risk, high-upside move for the Jazz. Christopher was the 24th pick in the 2021 draft and is still only 21 years old. The Rockets drafted the 6-foot-5 shooting guard in the same draft that they selected another explosive shooting guard with the 2nd overall pick, Jalen Green. Playing the same position as the player the franchise just selected to be the future face of the franchise might not be the clearest roadmap for success, and the Jazz are taking a flyer on his potential to emerge when in a new environment. 

Christopher was ranked as the number 10 prospect in the class of 2020, and the number 2 shooting guard in the country. He played at Mayfair High School in Lakewood, California, and as a senior he averaged a whopping 29.2 points, 8 rebounds. 3.9 assists, and 3.1 steals per game. He chose to play at Arizona State and was the highest recruit to ASU since James Harden back in 2007. As a Frehsman with ASU, he showed his high potential by averaging 14.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.5 steals, but a leg injury only allowed him to play 15 games and likely impacted his slide to a late first round selection. 

What’s clear when you watch Christopher is that he is another elite level athlete that the Jazz are added to a roster that is already loaded with top level athletes. Jazz president Danny Ainge certainly has a type. 

As a rookie with the Rockets, Christopher was given a decent amount off opportunity off the bench, appearing in 74 out of 82 games and averaging 18 minutes per game. He averaged 7.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2 assists in those minutes. One of his best games came at the tail end of his rookie season when he went off for 30 points off the bench in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

He was included this summer in a five-team trade that netted Houston guard Dillon Brooks, but wasn’t in Memphis’ plans so they released him just prior to training camp.

The biggest question mark is going to be if he can develop into a reliable shooter. In high school, he shot 33 percent from three. In college, he shot 30.5 percent on 4 attempts per game, and so far in the NBA he has shot just 28 percent on only 2 attempts per game. As you watch his film, his jumper doesn’t look broken by any means, but it does seem like he feels more comfortable as a shooter with the ball in his hands moving off the dribble. That will not be his role in the NBA unless he explodes into a star out of nowhere. He will need to show that he can be a consistent shoot on spot up, catch and shoot opportunities. One of the biggest indicators of a shooters potential has long been their free throw shooting. In high school, college and the NBA, he has shot over 75 percent from the free throw line, so there is reason to be optomistic in his ability to develop into a solid three-point shooter.

This is not a move that has major impacts on the Jazz right now. I wouldn’t expect him to see much playing time unless injuries occur and the season is completely derailed. For the most part, he’ll spend his time honing his skills with the SLC Stars. That said, the Jazz do not have a lot of depth at the small forward position. Lauri Markkanen is the starter, but also plays a decent amount of minutes at power forward and center. So far during the preseason, the backup small forward has been a combination of Ochai Agbaji and Simone Fontecchio. I would also assume if he is healthy, we might get to see Brice Sensabaugh get some spot minutes as well. That said, if he shows out with the Stars and in practices, there is the opportunity for Christopher to earn playing time with this team. 

Christopher saw action at the end of the Jazz’s preseason game against the New Zealand Breakers on Monday, and scored four points in eight minutes.

Whatever portion of Christopher’s $559K two-way salary is guaranteed from the outset or earned over the course of the season, it’s excluded from the Jazz’s team salary figure, as is whatever guaranteed money Hauser got. So the move costs Jazz owner Ryan Smith money but otherwise there’s no salary cap impact.

At only 21 years old, this was a solid pick-up for the Jazz. Christopher has the potential to evolve into a solid role player, but if he doesn’t pan out, they haven’t sacrificed much to obtain him.