In the shadow of Jazz greats from Louisiana Tech, Erik McCree looks to make his own mark

In some organizations, a path from Ruston, La., might seem like a humble one to get to the NBA.

Not in Utah. Two celebrated Jazz big men have hailed from Louisiana Tech: Karl Malone and Paul Millsap. One has a statue outside Vivint Smart Home Arena. The other has made three All-Star games.

Erik McCree knows how big the footsteps he’s trying to follow are.

“Everybody since I’ve been here has brought it up,” he said, laughing. “But I gotta expect that. It’s all good.”

A rookie out of Louisiana Tech, McCree isn’t holding himself to that standard, but he’s hunting for a shot in the NBA. One of Utah’s newest two-way players, the 6-foot-8 forward was scooped away from the Sioux Falls Skyforce (the Miami Heat’s G-League affiliate) to join the Jazz and the Salt Lake City Stars.

He’s already gotten out to a good start there: On Friday night, he helped lead the Stars to their first win of 2018 with 23 points — including a crucial 3-pointer with less than 5 seconds remaining as the Stars beat the Agua Caliente Clippers 104-103.

In signing McCree, the Jazz hoped to stir up a moribund Stars (4-21) team and develop a player they see as a versatile defender who can become a better shooter and space the floor.

“I think he’s very proud of being a two-way guy,” Stars coach Martin Schiller said. “He works hard, and he really embraces the challenge, which is really important for our team.”

On Wednesday night against the New Orleans Pelicans, McCree was a spectator. But he was fielding discussions about Millsap and Malone with nearly everyone he met.

While McCree says he grew up more of a Kobe Bryant devotee than a Mailman fan — that’s strike one in Utah — he does have more of an attachment to Millsap. The former Jazz second-rounder visited the Bulldogs a few times during McCree’s career when Millsap was playing in Atlanta. The now-Nugget told him to stay focused, and a pro career would follow.

McCree watched the evolution of Millsap’s game: The second-round pick started as a 6-foot-8 rebounder and defender who morphed into an all-around offensive weapon. That’s a similar niche for McCree, and he hopes a similar pattern of growth can nourish his career.

“Definitely my strengths are spreading the floor, being multi-dimensional and being versatile,” he said. “[Millsap] was a rebounder and a defender. He just worked on his game. Now he’s a All-Star.”

Salt Lake City is a welcome refuge for McCree, who has already traveled many a weary mile in his first year as a pro. After wrapping up his college career last spring as an all-conference player, he started out last summer in Russia, which he described as “not a great situation,” before getting an invitation to training camp in Miami — allowing him to leave the cold for the Heat.

Assigned to the Skyforce, McCree started his first 13 games by showcasing his trademark versatility with 16.2 ppg and 5.2 rpg. It drew the attention of the Jazz front office who went and got him.

His first assignment was to try to beat his old team: He had 22 points, nine rebounds and four assists in a Stars loss on Dec. 21. But the Jazz view his potential as high.

“We see something in Erik,” Schiller said. “He can drive, he can pass, he can do a lot. And we think we can develop each one of these skills.”

The game, by this point, is familiar to McCree — Salt Lake City is not. He said fellow two-way player Naz Mitrou-Long is helping him get his bearings.

Before long, he hopes to know Utah. And he hopes in time Utah will get to know him — not just where he’s from.