Utah's Brazilian rookie Raul Neto has one eye on Rio

SALT LAKE CITY (2016 Rio Olympics) - Brazil's Raul Neto breaks into a grin when he's asked about a game he played in against Argentina at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

The young playmaker, surrounded by a lot of famous teammates, including NBA players Anderson Varejao, Leandro Barbosa, Tiago Splitter and Nene, grabbed the Round of 16 game by the scruff of the neck and led his team to an 85-65 win and into the Quarter-Finals. Neto had 21 points in a riveting display.

Argentina were good, too. Among their NBA players were Luis Scola and Pablo Prigioni, and former NBA star Andres Nocioni.

It was the best game I had with the national team. It was important for me to show during that game that I was able to compete against players that are having great NBA or European careers. I will never forget this game and it helped me grow. - Neto

The performance would have been further evidence to the Utah Jazz that they had done a wise thing by selecting Neto, who also goes by the name Raulzinho, in the second round of the 2013 NBA Draft. Their player had it within himself to take over a game if needed. 

After spending the 2014-15 campaign with CB Murcia in Spain, the Jazz decided it was time for Neto to launch his NBA career. He is now the starting point guard, averaging a modest 5.7 points and 2.3 assists per game, yet the 23-year-old is gaining valuable experience. In his opinion, he is now a better player because of his time in the league.

I have been improving a lot. I think I can read the game better now, that's my biggest improvement so far. I also got used to the pace of the NBA, which is so fast and more athletic that I was used to. Comparing my first day of the training camp to now, I am a very different kind of player. The progression has been huge since then. - Neto

The NBA is an exciting and challenging new world for Neto but he has other things to occupy his thoughts. One of them is the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play at an Olympics on home soil this August.

The Belo Horizonte-born guard will be eager to experience an Olympic Games for the second time. He was with Brazil four years ago at the London Games.

It's hard for me not to think about it. I am trying to stay focused on my season with the Jazz for now, and also learn from my NBA season to be in the best shape and condition for this summer. It's a great source of motivation for every Brazilian player as we are going to have a superb experience playing at home with that dream of reaching a medal. - Neto

FIBA