Yet it's clear that Sloan thinks Koufos is ahead of the curve for any rookie, 19 years old or otherwise. It wouldn't surprise me if he spent a lot of this season with the Jazz. The Jazz, as I was reminded Friday, are going to need a big man just to help relieve veterans Mehmet Okur and Jarron Collins in practice.

There also are questions about whether Fesenko and Koufos both would benefit playing on the Flash at the same time. Each of their minutes at center would be reduced by the mere presence of the other. It's possible that Koufos' time with the Flash will come when the Jazz leave on long road trips or are otherwise challenged to find practice time.