The Utah Jazz arrived in Toronto with many casualties. The departures of Conley, Alexander-Walker, Beasley and Vanderbilt, along with Jordan Clarkson’s illness and the paperwork of all the new faces, including Westbrook, they left Will Hardy with only ten players in the duel against the Raptors. Despite all this, Utah surprised and won coming back in the fourth quarter. And one of the ten, the only one who was left without playing for a minute (like Juancho Hernangómez) was Leandro Bolmaro.
The ex-Barça, Argentine international and in his second year in the NBA, attended Gigantes in the visitors’ locker room of the Scotiabank Arena to talk about everything. The transfer market for the Jazz, their adaptation to Utah, the role of Argentines in the NBA… and their future. Is there an option to return to Europe? Bolmaro has a priority for next year, to be happy, and he will play where he can meet his goal.
How has your adaptation to Utah been? New city, new project, how are you feeling?
It is a process. It was a big change and it’s also my second year in the league. I keep adapting, training hard for when the opportunity comes and with a lot of patience. It’s a difficult time, but I always think about where I am and all the effort I made to get here is spent, and that motivates me even more. And I also have a lot of people support me and that motivates me even more.
Your coach, Will Hardy, highlighted your competitive spirit before the game: every time you have an opportunity you take it, how does it feel to be in the G-League, but to know that at any moment you can be called up to the NBA?
It is to have patience, to keep working, to have consistency. I want to play and I like being sent to the G-League because I play, I gain confidence, it keeps me patient. I will be prepared for whatever it takes, to help the team. You have to be prepared for that.
In the last of the market the Jazz were very involved, players have left and Westbrook has arrived. How has it affected you in the dressing room and you particularly knowing that there could be big changes in the squad?
I think the team has been affected by the departure of some players. We were a very close group, very nice. We did a lot of things together, both on and off the pitch, we got along well. Now it’s another team, another adaptation, we have to include the three that come from the Lakers and I don’t know what will happen to the rest. They were very intense days, what’s more, when the deadline ended we were on the plane, it was a little nervous and anxious. Thank God I’m staying in Utah and I’m very happy. I really like the city, the team and the franchise, they treat me very well and that’s what’s important.
Let’s talk about your time in Barcelona, what did you learn in your time at Barça and with Saras Jasikevicius?
At Barça, like everything else, I started at the bottom and then went up. I started in B, in the second year adding minutes in the first team, and then in the third year I did very well thanks also to Saras who came and gave me the opportunity. I learned a lot from him. I learned how to be a true professional, how important things are both on and off the pitch, the details, and later that helped me a lot to grow as a person and as a player. And when it came to coming here, it helped me a lot because it was a new experience, a new path, and it guided me through that, because it was a process. At Barça it was a process in which I started from below and when I came here I also started from below, so little by little, to be patient, keep working, wait for the opportunity and also a bit of luck.
Your contract ends in June and you will be a free agent. If the opportunity arose, would you return to Barça?
It is a decision that I also have to make at the end of the season. I’m going to see what’s best for me, I really want to play, so I’m going to prioritize that and I’m going to see what opportunity suits me. At the moment I focus on this season and what I can learn.
You are the only Argentine left in the NBA, do you think that players like Campazzo or Deck were not given enough opportunities?
Yes, it was a bit unfair, because they are great players of a very high level, just like Lapro, who show it a lot in Europe. Coming here they didn’t have the opportunity and they couldn’t show it. It is a difficult league, and for now I am the only Argentine here, it is very difficult to get here and we have some more players who could be here, but it is what it is.
Did you expect more from the NBA?
I have to analyze that at the end of the season. For now I’m worried about improving every day, about being a better player. I have already had both experiences, both in Europe and in the NBA, so when it comes to making the decision I will know what is best for me, what is best for me and what is best for the future, because I am still 22 years old. And what I want now is to be happy and I’m going to prioritize that. I already know how the sides of the coin are, so I’m going to make a decision based on that.
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