Don deal. As a key player, I agreed to sign a contract with the Utah Jazz

Don deal. As a key player, I agreed to sign a contract with the Utah Jazz

Three new players have joined the Utah Jazz: center Nick Ongenda (on-GEN-duh), guard/forward Romeo Langford, and guard Taevion Kinsey (tay-VEE-on). The deals’ terms were withheld in accordance with team policy.

During his five seasons at Marshall (2018–23), Kinsey (6–5, 190, Marshall) averaged 17.1 points on 50.7 percent from the field, 4.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.1 steals in 34.1 minutes per game. He also left the school as the all-time leading scorer with 2,641 points. Kinsey played in 154 games (130 starts). After his final season of college, he averaged 22.1 points, 5.4 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.7 steals in 32 games (all starts), earning him the title of 2022–23 Sun Belt Player of the Year. He was also selected for the 2022–23 All-Sun Belt First Team. He participated in the NBA 2K24 Summer League and the 2023 Salt Lake City Summer League for the Utah entries.

Langford (6-5, 215, Indiana) played four seasons in the NBA with the Boston (2019–22) and San Antonio (202–23) teams. In 16.1 minutes per game, he averaged 4.6 points and 2.1 rebounds during his career. He averaged a career-high 6.9 points on 46.7 percent shooting from the field, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 43 games (21 starts) during his final season with the Spurs. The native of New Albany, Indiana, was selected with the 14th overall pick in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft. During his one season at Indiana (2018–19), he scored 16.5 points per game, ranking first in the conference and fifth nationally among freshmen. He was selected to the 2018–19 All-Big Ten Freshman Team and Second Team after his lone collegiate season.

During his four college seasons (2019–23), Ongenda (6-11, 230, DePaul) averaged 5.6 points on 52.9 percent shooting, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 18.8 minutes per game. With 135, DePaul is now fourth in the all-time block total. He was born in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, and in 35 games during his career, he recorded two or more blocks. During the NBA 2K4 Summer League and the 2023 Salt Lake City Summer League, he made seven appearances for the Jazz.