It’s now been about 10 days since the Utah Jazz were at a big crossroads of the season. Having won 3 of their last 6, Utah has done a great job putting them back into the best position possible to get some top-tier talent. It’s an impressive move of a cohesive plan that puts the Jazz on a track to have a chance at a title. That move will have incredible benefits in the long term. With so many long-term goals happening, it’s easy to forget the short-term moves in a losing season like this one. One of those moves the Jazz deserve credit for is signing Drew Eubanks this offseason.

There are two plays that have proven that Eubanks has been an incredible leader and teammate on the floor. The first was this play a few weeks ago against the Charlotte Hornets. Cody Williams, who has struggled this season, had a nice drive, completing an and-1. Williams, who appears very understated in general, didn’t react much. But who grabs him and makes a big deal of it? Drew Eubanks. It’s big brother energy, and I love it.

The next play was last night against the Memphis Grizzlies. In this game, Keyonte George was likely frustrated because it was the first time coming off the bench this season. On top of that, he did not shoot the ball well, and tension had to be mounting. In this play, George travels and turns over the ball. Ja Morant, who weirdly doesn’t make eye contact the whole time, tries to punk Keyonte George, even shoving him. You can see Eubanks watching the whole thing, then runs up to support Keyonte George, and shoving the eye contact, avoiding Morant out of the way. (One important thing from this video, they don’t include an important aspect of the altercation later between Drew Eubanks and Zach Edey. But I have that full altercation in the next video.)

That altercation leads to technicals, and play continues. I’d also like to add that Tom Segura Taylor Jenkins seems incapable of understanding when his own team starts an altercation.

The next play is the one that drew all the interest online. In the video below, you can see Zach Edey try a pathetic little elbow to … get back at Eubanks? Then Eubanks comes up the floor and shows him how you actually lay a shoulder into someone. Edey staggers back like Herman Munster tripping over his own giant, Frankenstein-sized shoes and then tries to walk up on Eubanks. Of course, he doesn’t do a thing, and the officials end up ejecting Drew Eubanks.

The NBA season moves quickly, and this will soon be forgotten. There is one group that won’t forget it, though: those in the Jazz locker room. But that matters the most for two reasons. Eubanks showed that he will have his teammates back when they need it and it also showed the young players how to handle a situation like that. Instead of the Grizzlies being able to try and punk Keyonte George all game, they had to deal with the tough-nosed Drew Eubanks.

Something tells me this is the face of someone who’s more than happy to get into it with anyone on the floor.

Like I said before, this offseason move might have been one of the best ones. The Jazz needed a player to teach toughness to this young team. It’s clear the Jazz knew that Eubanks could do it, and he has.