David Locke: Utah Jazz 2024 NBA Draft preview
joining us now he is the play-by-play voice of the Utah Jazz David lock hey David how are you I’m great Scotty hands nice to talk with the two of you good men wow not as good as you David nope we just tried we try to hang hey uh there’s so many good things to break down I was at a I was at a buddy’s 60th birthday party um I know I have old friends and they like said like at one point they said like you know I’ve known you for six years no one’s ever said a bad word about you I was like there is zero chance of that ever being said at any event where anyone’s ever celebrating me zero I’ll hear about hardworking I’ll hear about dedicated to the craft I’ll hear about hopefully Innovative nobody will ever say that about me yeah no I uh you know what I’m hardpressed to find anybody that’s really said anything bad about you before honestly if you need a list I’ll send it to you well people that uh that actually care about their opinion right that’s yeah hey uh or and I think there’s some people that have competed with me that may not think a lot of me can I tell one of my favorite David and the Reason by the way the reason I bring this up is uh is because I had breakfast with our old buddy Kevin Graham this morning and uh and uh we were talking about an old consultant who was I I thought was just miserable and wasn’t very good at their job and uh and I told David we were David just coming back to Salt Lake we’re at the old 1320 and I’m like hey uh our competitors just brought in that consultant and uh and I’m sure he’s listening and David pipes on the mic and this I think I think I’ve been around David for like two or three weeks and daavid immedately goes hey Rick Scott I know you’re listening just know I buried every radio station I’ve compeed against you I can’t wait to do it again and I’m like oh hell yes oh absolutely I love this this is awesome anyway good stor for that opening month when we need to we need to get a little confidence as a group yeah and boy you brought it brought it in Spades all right uh Jazz let’s I mean I mean let’s be honest here the one thing we know about Danny an is we really don’t know what’s going inside the brain of Danny an so is pretty much just buckle up and get ready for what could be happening later on this week yeah I mean I think that the key here really is that I do think that maybe I don’t want to say this in a way that minimizes like the BART Taylor and the Shan fensky and the Justin xanx and all the other people that are working like like there’s people that are working really really hard and they’re do and they’re doing great stuff so there’s there’s nothing like I did feel that the Dennis Lindsay era had this at least it was portrayed that it had this huge collectiveness like that the intern could be called on at any given moment and maybe that’s all fabricated but it does feel like you know at some point here when the pedals on gotta go down like Danny’s the one pushing it here like that like Danny’s watched every player he’s prepared like he claims you know oh I’m G play golf yeah yeah sure right yeah you’re gonna play golf because you actually can’t watch films 17 hours a day so or you would you could try um and so like it gets right down there Danny’s watched every single of these players and plenty of them he knows who they are when it gets right down to it yeah I think we’re getting I think we’re going to see what Danny Ang’s pick is and that’s probably good for the Utah Jazz so I’m going to be careful how I ask this because I don’t want you get in trouble because Dennis Lindsay threatened to fire anybody who did did do you get the sense that there’s been a guy or a workout that has been like oh oh okay you know I need H honestly I don’t know I don’t have any idea I don’t know I’m not gonna like yeah nope don’t have any idea no knowledge on that and not and not hiding it not hiding it either okay was not was not in a draft workout was not there did not have the Dennis Lindsay if you mentioned one word about this draft I’m going to fire you and I think in that mock draft I think I took like in some there’s some records like somebody pulled out the other day some mock draft where I took like the worst pick ever in that draft I was like yeah right like of course I did right it was my employment was on the line so yeah I had thinking like Desmond muza or someone you’ve never heard of I don’t know who Desmond mu is I made that player up so David identifiy for all of us the biggest need in the 2024 draft for the Utah Jazz best player available I thought I love the fact that Justin was honest about this yesterday like we’re at the stage where we just need talent like we’re gonna if there’s a player we think’s really good he says Hey you’d like to have a path for them to play but we don’t have anyone on this roster who’s so good that you know that they’re not going to be able to be beat out and who’s singularly only plays one position right so is our best player he can play three four or five um Keon is our probably most interesting future Prospect well he’s actually probably the one that’s shown the most he can play the one or the two Taylor Hendricks is probably the most interesting Prospect he can play the three or the four maybe even the five over time depending how small you want to get but probably not so he can play the three or the four so there’s really and like in Walker Kessler would probably be the next conversation but you know what if there’s someone you could draft that’s better than Walker Kesler then you draft someone like if Donovan kingan drops to 10 I think you got to take him like I know we got Walker but you got to take him like I think clingan’s goingon to be better um or has a real chance to be better so I think that you um I think that you’re just taking the best player available and then the uniqueness of where we are in the development is that there’s actually a path for everyone to play so you know if you draft Devin Carter then he becomes the one and Keon becomes the two if if all pans out well um if you draft Ron Holland he becomes a wing two or three you know if you can figure out how to shoot if you draft Cody Williams he you know it’d be really nice Keon becomes your one and Cody Williams becomes your two and Lowry’s your three okay we’re really big how much at this point let’s say you’re drafting a guy that’s anywhere from 18 to 20 can you teach him to shoot at that point in his life I don’t believe in it okay I I thought that’s your your stance on that I’ve got the data for the last five years I really wish I I’d love to get an actually this might be the one time I’d want an intern someone’s going to email me I’m going say Yes um to go through a bunch of data for me to compile more data on this but I can give you we’ve got a bunch of players this year that are below 40 percentile and their spot and shoo and Below 30% on their catch and shoot that are in this draft and there’s like four of them five in the top 10 Tyrese Maxi is like the the only one who’s come out of that and been able to shoot and he couldn’t shoot his first year in the NBA and then somehow they figured something out um in The Last 5 Years so but like you go back to Marcus Smart he couldn’t shoot in college and he still can’t shoot yeah um you know Jimmy Butler was the one that leaf toen thought maybe it was a possibility and then we went and looked and his sophomore year shooting was fine um I haven’t looked at kawhai that’s the one Everyone likes to say okay that’s now 15 years ago um so great so we have two or three players in 15 years that we can come up with that were really horrific to poor Shooters prior to get the NBA that became Shooters Jonathan kaminga in the G league and he shot like I think Jonathan kaminga shot like 36 37% from three last year so he might be on the road but I also think he’s taking like one a game so that’s a non-shooter um someone looked that up and make sure I’m right on that um that’s you Scotty um so yeah I do not believe so there’s a bunch of guys in this draft uh and they’re all top picks uh both the g- league kids Holland and bazula Stephen Castle shooting is horrendous topic who everyone I like a lot um he reminds me of Goran drage but is shooting’s not good yeah um there’s a few others like is that why why conect careful connect may not be there at 10 um that might be why connect won’t be there at 10 I’m gonna believe in Kevin Pelton on connect connect comes out 77th on Kevin pelton’s draft board wow jeez too old yeah I mean they’re 23 year olds playing 18y olds and 19y olds yeah I that’s that’s very Kevin P thing to do yeah right I mean dton connect Baylor sh sh who I I like uh uh n for I like the outon Baylor um yeah shyan shyan I actually like him when I’ve watched film more than dton connect but for some reasons they’re you know you know what actually some of this reminds me I got to be this is the time of year where I get super careful about this cuz you sound like you’re such an expert do you remember that great scene in Goodwill Hunting when Robin Williams was on the bench and he kind of basically saying to the young kid like you just you think you know everything but you haven’t experienced anything you’ve never left Boston right remember that there’s it’s like one of the great movie scenes of all time it’s a little garbage like I’ve never had to draft a player I can make all these comments run all these models do all this stuff but I’ve never actually sat in the arena you know I’ve never been the man in the arena where I had to sit there and take a pick right so it’s great for me to say all these things like oh I wouldn’t take dog like I watched and connect and I watched him for two games and I swear he didn’t touch anyone okay well that really worries me like I want somebody who owns their space that’s like the very first thing that I watch when scouting okay that’s great it sounds so good like it sounds so esoteric and detailed and the average fan wouldn’t think that yeah I’ve never made a pick based on that so let’s just shut up for a little bit so I just want to have a little Caution of like this comment but yeah I like Baylor shyan more than Dalton connect Baylor shyan’s in the middle of everything and he touches the ball and he keeps the balls away from a big guy and he’s bumping people and he’s holding he’s screening out he’s pinning guys and he’s getting fouls drawn because he tried to pin a guy and D connect to me just never touched anyone like ever was ran free the whole time um and then but on both of them seriously they seniors in high school playing seventh graders yeah they’re in their fifth and sixth year of college playing freshman and sophomores uh like I think it’s really hard like I like all the things that Baylor shyan does and his footwork is great he does some things I’m convinced will translate as a left-hander to the NBA and make him a viable player but like yeah he should be he 23 well just to uh just to emphasize that point I called a game with Baylor shyan uh when he was at South Dakota State and they played Utah State and that game was on November 26th 2020 right Co yeah I mean but that’s four years ago right and D connect started in a JC and then went to Northern Colorado and then at 23 he was better than everyone in the [Music] SEC I gotta tell you what again never been in the arena easy for me to say I I couldn’t do it I couldn’t pull like even there’s an interesting one Jared McCain and Devin Carter Devin Carter is really good like plays the game right clearly his dad was in the league he gets it snakes the pick and roll well moves physical rebounds well for a guard shoots Jared McCain’s two years younger like I watch the two of them and I’m like I’ll get give me Jared McCain in two years and he like I I believe like McCain’s not no one’s board has Jared McCain higher than Devin Carter other than mine um but I would like I look at Jared McCain and I’m like oh there’s everything about him I think I I’ll take it now he won’t grow un fortunately in two years um which is what I’d really like him to do but you know we’ll see the shooting translation so interesting to me from college to the the professionals and over the years whether it’s Morris almond that I thought was going to come in and and have some shooting translation even like a Rodney Hood I thought Rodney Hood would come into the league and I thought he’d hit a 40% style but he he struggled to CL over 36% and and all the 10 whatever it was 12 years that he played he got over 40% one season and I think it might have been with with Portland maybe but outside of that you know he finished at 3 36% on his career and it just and and Rodney was one of those guys that I looked at I remember talking with Ron Boone and and Boer was like yeah this guy yeah he’s such a sweet just smooth stroke shooting and it it never felt like it hit that full translation what is it David what is it a great point wait this is a great Point let’s say that you’re right on everything you’re saying and he shot 36% then why do we think guys are shooting 28 29% in college or the G League are going to be able to shoot 36% of the pros right exactly yeah because yeah you look at that line get further away and the game gets faster we think they’re going to shoot better yeah that one’s hard for me to believe now you know like Justin said yesterday because I kind of asked him this question he’s like well you you look at it’s either a tweak a fix or it’s broken and you got to decide what you want to do like you know is it tweak a fix like I mean it’s and this is where like again I haven’t watched enough but like I really like Isaiah Coler in a lot of ways and then he took a shot where he took a three and he banked it and didn’t hit the rim if Taylor Hendricks was being drafted in this year’s draft where do you think he goes so it’s interesting I’m doing a Reddit AMA tonight for my first time ever I’m getting young um getting hit um that’s at nine o’clock on the Utah Jazz subreddit if anyone wants to join and that’s one of the questions um he might be number one yeah interesting I mean if if rash sh is going number one isn’t there a chance Taylor Hendrick goes number one I that’s what I would think absolutely he certainly would go in by three yeah like if you’re not taking Shephard if you’re not taking Reed Shepard one then you’re drafting then your only reason is because of size because he does everything else perfectly um and so in which case then you’re taking then you’d be taking a 69 guy over a 62 guy yeah well I will say that um you know as we look ahead to next week and you’ve got the summer league um here in Salt Lake then down in Vegas um Walker Kessler and others being being a part of it just just what should we be on the lookout for that is there something that you want to see from those individuals in those games I want to see walk or have fun how’s that for like just the simplest version apprciate that like himself like playing last year you do you want to see some of that that fear that anxiety that disappointment you got to see that come off his face a bit yeah it’s want to have fun I I feel for them I think we’ve talked about this on the show before and Scotty you have the same thing and hands you’re close and fact you might be me I have kids the same age as Walker and keante now and it just as was the most fascinating year because I know this sounds crazy but despite the money and well the only Advantage is but if you gave me a choice and maybe this is you know my kids are fortunate and I have belief they’re going to do fine um but if you gave me 10 lives for my kids to leave and you got my son who’s going to graduate from college next year or be ER Kesler and they’re virtually the same age and Walker’s going to probably make 50 to 100 million I would take my son’s life 10 out of 10 times for what I’d want for my child and I feel the same way about Keon and my daughter yeah these kids are not on a natural developmental path that leads to happiness enjoyment normal life maybe they’re playing the game they love and that’s super but they better love the game then that’s the only way to make it sense out of it if you the only thing that makes sense of it to me is if you’re playing the game you love against the greatest players in the world world at the highest level of competition and you find and you get a zest and enjoyment out of that that’s the only way to me it seems worth it yeah so you better be having fun I mean h you did it so you can you can speak to that comment very well well how much fun did you have at the professional level it’s pure hell it’s it it is pure hell it’s hell on the body it’s it’s hell mentally it’s just a con it’s a daily fight and unless you’re one of the top 5% you feel like you’re always on the bubble by the way that’s not hands moaning there or squeaking H is actually holding a puppy we’re at the Humane Society of Utah it’s our hands and Scotty day of adoption going on right now and H has a puppy in his hands and that puppy is like negative energy could feel the negative energy of playing a pro athlete right there might be actually honestly why are you so s yeah I mean so I mean to me a little bit is like I just want to see these guys enjoy it right um keante I would like to see play hard if I had a here my requests like like magic wand on our guys keante I would like to see play really hard and under control and less less show more substance Walker I want to see have fun Taylor I want to see dribble all right how’s that like really boring no good I’m not the big you know I’ve been scarred Forever by a single Summer League game that I saw which was Trey ly and the Utah Jazz against the Washington Wizards and Kelly UB and I watched Trey ly and Kelly UB each take like 35 shots in the game and I was watching the game the entire game going well okay we actually need the two of them to do the exact opposite if they’re ever going to be successful in the NBA so I do think it’s just a funny thing we may have enough players playing that are good enough that they all kind of do gel into a team but like I don’t really want Keon taking 27 shots right yeah and he probably could in a summer league game reasonably and do the right thing doing that but is not the player he’s going to be to be great in the NBA um so it’s a funny I have a hard time figuring out other than just the competition and the lights are on and you’re working on things and playing and competing on how skills that you develop in summer league are supposed to translate to the NBA that’s David lock playby play voice and by the way like who was it on our team last year that just annihilated Frankie fazari or whatever his name was Ferrari oh and everyone was going crazy last year I thought somebody was going to be so good I’m like he’s killing Frankie Ferrari the dude’s going be selling like the dude’s selling cars next week and not Ferraris well maybe but he’s not playing basketball no that’s a that’s a Toyota Corolla guy right there which is a good car great car yeah sensible yeah yeah I staying away from sponsors right there you you keep mentioning potential sponsors and try to dance out of it I want to watch this it’s a great vehicle all right David you’re the best man appreciate it save Me For Myself thanks who do you want what’s that who’s your pick who do you want what’s yourn tomorrow topi hands what your win tomorrow connect okay I like I like letting a guy sit and watch I’m I’m a I’m coming around to your red shirt year philosophy I just wish he could shoot better I’m just really worried about his shot I don’t care I worry about wish I had a full head of hair but those guys just aren’t available in the draft he looks like Goran dragic by the way when you watch him play Just he’s a right-handed Goran dragic which is good like if he became G Dr that’d be great man I wouldn’t mind topic either yeah gosh he’s so good all right thanks David see you guys see you David that’s David lock play-by-play voice of the Utah Jazz
• Utah Jazz radio PxP David Locke
