Padgett Surprise Starter

Utah Jazz rookie Scott Padgett has already found a place for himself in the NBA.

Where? In Utah’s starting lineup, alongside veterans Karl Malone, John Stockton and Jeff Hornacek.

After leaving Kentucky as Utah’s third draft pick of the first round, Padgett didn’t expect to start after his first three NBA games. But that’s exactly what has happened.

“It’s great. I’m getting more comfortable every game. It’s a big change from my role in college,” said Padgett, a 6-foot-9 forward who helped Kentucky reach the NCAA championship game in 1997 and win it in 1998.

Padgett, who started nine games until Friday night against Toronto, looked awkward during the preseason as he learned the offense and tried to establish himself in the faster professional game. He didn’t play in two of Utah’s first three regular-season games.

So it was a big surprise when coach Jerry Sloan shook up the starting lineup on Nov. 8, using Padgett instead of eight-year veteran Adam Keefe. That night, the Jazz beat the Los Angeles Clippers 97-79.

Since then, Keefe has rarely left the bench and Padgett hasn’t missed a start.

“We certainly didn’t plan on red-shirting him,” Sloan said, borrowing a phrase from the college game.

The Jazz drafted Padgett with the 28th overall pick after forwards Quincy Lewis of Minnesota (No. 19) and Andrei Kirilenko (No. 24) of Russia.

Yet while Lewis usually has played in one- or two-minute spurts and Kirilenko remains overseas developing his skills, Padgett has seen about 12 to 15 minutes a game.

“We felt he was a better shooter than he had been showing in the preseason,” Sloan said. “We thought he needed to keep shooting, and the best way for him to do that was to be on the floor.”

Padgett played 29 minutes in a 98-90 victory over New York on Nov. 17, scoring eight points and collecting eight rebounds.

“Scott is in a very unique situation,” Malone said. “Not a lot of guys can come into the league and be a starter right away. He’s put himself in a position to show he can score.”

It’s no secret that Utah’s scorers are Malone, Stockton and Hornacek. And that’s fine with Padgett, who led Kentucky in scoring last season at 12.6 points a game and had 29 points in an NCAA tournament victory over Kansas.

“In college, I was a scoring player,” Padgett said. “Here, they want me to be a guy who makes the hustle plays, to create energy with offensive rebounds, to get the steal or go after the loose ball.”

That’s not the only thing that’s different from Kentucky.

“I’ve become a video game nut because I’ve got so much free time,” Padgett said. “My wife’s teaching, so she’s at work during the day. I play video games all day until she gets home.”

A steady stream of friends from Padgett’s hometown of Louisville have helped fill empty days.

“I’ll have new things to do when my friends come in,” Padgett said. “It’s not new to me, but it’s new to them.”

The Jazz have usually signed players willing to buy into a long-term team concept. Sloan said Padgett will fit nicely if he doesn’t test the free-agent market after his three-year rookie contract expires.

“We hope he comes in and stays in one spot,” Sloan said. “We’ve been fortunate that a lot of our guys have come in and stayed, and they’ve gotten better every year.”