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Utah Jazz forward Trey Lyles following his selection at No. 12 in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Thursday night, Utah Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey took the first step to shore up the team’s frontcourt rotation. With the twelfth pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, the team selected Kentucky forward Trey Lyles.

In addition to his affiliation with the Wildcats, Lyles comes to Salt Lake City as a representative of the Great White North. The six-foot-ten, 240-pound big man was born in the basketball hotbed of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

To celebrate Lyles’ moment, North Pole Hoops–an online resource for Canadian basketball–was on hand to document the forward as his NBA career officially began.

Following his selection by Utah, Lyles told NPH that his draft experience was “amazing” and “a dream come true.” Throughout the draft process, Lyles has remained humble despite the insanity transpiring around him.

We’ll forgive him for his comment that Utah is a “small town.” If anything, you can let the Karl Malone comparisons begin. Malone famously spoke about going to the “city of Utah” after being drafted by the Jazz at No. 13 in 1985.

While we probably can’t expect a Malone-esque career from Lyles, he has the potential to become a solid contributor for the Jazz next season. At the very least, he seems to be a thoughtful young man with a willingness to put in the work requisite to improve his game and help his new team.

Time will tell whether or not that translates to on-court success. Still, Lyles is off to a good start in his professional career.