8 Utah Jazz

For years it seemed that almost every Jazz off-guard fit the same mold—a spot-up shooter who could cash in on the open looks he got out of John Stockton and Karl Malone's two-man game. But with Jeff Hornacek retired and his successor, John Starks, unsigned, coach Jerry Sloan is looking at two potential replacements: a kid two years out of high school who plays above the rim ( DeShawn Stevenson) and a vet who can barely hit it ( Calbert Cheaney, 31, who hasn't made a three-pointer in two seasons). It's as if the Rolling Stones had begun looking for Bill Wyman's replacement by auditioning a teenager from a garage band and a tone-deaf guy.

Stevenson isn't exactly a deadeye from downtown either. He has made three threes in two seasons in Utah, a rate that will enable him to surpass Hornacek's career total of 828 midway through the 2552-53 season. Acutely aware of his shortcomings, Stevenson spent most of his off-season in Los Angeles working with shooting coach John Welch (who has since been hired as a Grizzlies assistant), taking at least 1,000 jumpers a day. "I still want to slash and get on top of the rim, but mostly I'm going to get open shots and knock them down," says the 21-year-old Stevenson. "I'm trying to fit myself into that [traditional] role but also put some of my style into it."

While Stevenson learns to rein in his freelancing, take-it-to-the-hole tendencies, the Jazz hopes he can contribute defensively and on the glass. With Malone turning 40 in July and Stockton already there, Sloan has to see if Stevenson is a player the team can build around when the ageless duo is gone. At the same time, Sloan doesn't want someone who plays as if he has something to prove. Last year the Jazz had eight players in the walk year of their contracts, which led to selfish play and a 44-38 record, Utah's worst in 15 seasons. Memories of that debacle could enhance the appeal of the less individualistic Cheaney, who signed as a free agent after two seasons with the Nuggets. "He's been in team situations before," says Sloan of Cheaney, who played for Bob Knight at Indiana. "That's where he had his most of his success."

With Cheaney, though, the best-case scenario is a dozen points a game. Stevenson has a far greater upside, and after two years alongside two sure Hall of Fame players, he might begin to reveal it. "I feel more like a vet," he says. "I feel more comfortable. I've paid my dues, and it's my time."

[This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]