At this point in the season, Wesley Matthews really has nothing left to prove.
An undrafted rookie who played for the Jazz summer league team in Orlando, Fla., the 23-year-old played well enough to earn himself an invitation to veteran's camp in the fall.
Matthews proved himself there and was rewarded with a one-year contract worth more than $450,000. He saw his playing time gradually increase and briefly worked his way into the starting lineup.
In fact, he played so well, and with the sort of toughness coach Jerry Sloan seems to crave, it created a logjam of usable wing players. That in turn cleared the way for the team to deal Ronnie Brewer at the trade deadline, which in turn cleared the way for Matthews to return to the starting lineup alongside Deron Williams, Andrei Kirilenko, Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur.
Having his name mentioned with a group like that certainly is an indication Matthews has arrived.
"Nothing's really changed," Matthews said of his recent return to the starting five. "I've got the same job, and that's to play hard, play tough and try to help this team win as many games as possible."
He must be doing something right.
Since Brewer's departure and Matthew's ascension to the No. 1 shooting guard position, the Jazz have gone 8-3. That includes Wednesday night's 115-104 road victory at Detroit.
In typical fashion, Matthews scored 14 points in that game, collecting them on 5-for-7 shooting while adding three assists, two rebounds, a steal and some scrappy defense on the Pistons' Richard Hamilton.
The Jazz (42-22) will attempt to run their winning streak to five in a row when they take on the Milwaukee Bucks (34-29) tonight at the Bradley Center.
For Matthews, tonight's game will be a homecoming. Although he was born in San Antonio while his father, Wesley Sr., played for the Spurs, Wesley Jr. grew up in Wisconsin and played college ball at Marquette University, located in Milwaukee.
"It's going to be fun," Matthews said. "Hopefully we'll win and I'll be able to see my family and friends."
Matthews said he had no idea how many tickets he'd have to line up for tonight's game, but noted his mother, Pam Moore, likely would be in charge of making the arrangements.
"My mom's handling that," he confessed. "I'm just worried about basketball."
If Matthews' recent play is any indication, his friends and family members will be in for a treat.
Since returning to the starting lineup, Matthews is averaging 10.8 points per game while hitting an even 50 percent from the field.
Over his last five games, his averages have increased to 11.2 points and 53 percent shooting.
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