lineups that featured five smaller, more mobile players. In Utah’s second-round playoff loss to the Clippers, they struggled mightily against L.A. There is also the possibility that he could fill some of the backup 5 minutes behind All-NBA center Rudy Gobert, now that Derrick Favors has been sent to Oklahoma City in a move that amounted to a salary dump. He has played the past four seasons with the San Antonio Spurs. Last season, he averaged 11.4 points and 4.8 rebounds, while shooting 38.1% beyond the arc. The 15-year veteran, a former lottery pick, has career averages of 16.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Gay, a 34-year-old UConn product who now is listed at 6-foot-8 and 250 pounds, will slot in primarily as a stretch-4 and perhaps occasionally as a small-ball-5 and even an oversized 3, helping the team gain some of the positional versatility it was lacking in the 2021 postseason.