Blake Hinson is a 26-year-old wing who played for Ole Miss and Pittsburgh before going undrafted in 2024. He was waived twice before landing with the Warriors’ G League affiliate in Santa Cruz, leading to a spot with the Blazers’ affiliate to begin last season. Then the Jazz came calling and signed Hinson to a two-way deal in February; he appeared in 14 games (and started three) while playing 20 minutes per night for a tanking Utah squad.
Entering this season, Hinson is working to prove he’s worthy of a roster spot as the team moves toward winning again.
It is not an unfamiliar tale for fringe NBA players. Anybody who enters the league outside the first round faces very long odds to make a living out of playing at the highest level. This reality extends even to someone like Hinson, with an average north of 20 points per game in every G League uniform he’s ever donned. Naturally talented scorers dot the NBA; only the very best can make a career out of that trait alone. Everyone else has to fill in the margins.
Hinson announced to the world he not only recognizes that, but is ready to live it on Sunday night.
The third-year scorer played 17 minutes in Utah’s 109–97 preseason win over Denver, scoring 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting. It was a quality enough showing to earn him a postgame interview. Hinson was asked for his assessment on how the Jazz’s rotation is coming together. Instead of offering a bland PR answer, he gave an earnest pitch detailing the lengths he’s willing to go in order to make the final roster.
“I can help however,” Hinson said. “I can go get coffee. I can maybe make a shot. I can talk to somebody. I can watch your dog. I just want to be part of the program.”
if you need a bucket, coffee, or dog walker… Blake’s your guy 😂#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/rKinIBHpxk
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 5, 2026
While the interview clip does inspire shades of Adam Sandler’s Herlihy Boy SNL character (“Please let me walk your dog!”), it went viral because it’s exactly the attitude a player like Hinson must have. No job is too small for a guy trying to carve out a living in the NBA without a first-round pedigree.
It’s also the energy every NBA team is looking for. The humble professional athlete who will not only do but fully embrace the dirty work as his calling is the glue that holds teams together. The Josh Harts of the world are nearly as hard to find as the Jalen Brunsons—and much closer in value than you’d think. Even if the contracts don’t necessarily reflect that.
Other teams might come calling after this clip, but Hinson does have a decent chance of making Utah’s final 15-man roster. The starting five plus Ace Bailey are all established in Will Hardy’s rotation but minutes seem largely up for grabs otherwise. And we know Hinson will do anything to stick.
It’ll still be a challenge. But Hinson has a lot of people rooting for him now.
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