14 Utah Jazz

Like following The Beatles on stage or Chris Rock on Open Mike Night, Carlos Arroyo is in the unenviable position of replacing the irreplaceable. A sleek third-year point guard, Arroyo entered camp as the odds-on favorite to run the offense following the retirement of John Stockton. To most guards, succeeding the NBA's alltime leader in assists and steals sounds about as much fun as running into a Karl Malone pick. (It probably wasn't a selling point for free-agent Andre Miller, who spurned the Jazz to sign with the lowly Nuggets.) But Arroyo says he welcomes the challenge. "I look at it as a great opportunity to play a lot of minutes," he says. "I don't expect people to think I'm going to come in and do what John did, but I think I can do well."

Undrafted out of Florida International in 2001, the 6'2" Arroyo has played in only 81 NBA games—one less than Stockton customarily logged in any given regular season. Arroyo, however, is coming off a confidence-inflating summer, having helped Puerto Rico win a bronze medal in the Tournament of the Americas to snatch a berth in the 2004 Olympics. In the decisive game Arroyo orchestrated an upset of the Canadian team that featured Mavericks All-Star point guard Steve Nash. That feat did not go unnoticed by the Jazz brass.

The fifth Puerto Rican to play in the NBA, Arroyo, 24, had an excused absence on the third day of training camp so he could attend a reception in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month held at the White House. The highlight came when President Bush thanked Arroyo for attending. "Honestly," says Arroyo, "I was sort of surprised he knew my name."

By season's end, the Commander-in-Chief may not be alone.