Hornets Hive Cast – Jeff Peterson | 7/3/24
welcome to the Hornets Hive cast presented by Charlotte ey Ear Nose and Throat Associates the official I ear nose and throat care provider of the Charlotte Hornets here’s your host Sam Farber now let’s welcome Executive Vice President of basketball operations Jeff Peterson back here to the Hornet tcast welcome once again thank you Sam congrats on your on your first draft now in charge how did it go was the sequence everything you imagined it would be in that chair for the first time yeah it was an incredible moment um just excited you know I have a great group of people around me um the rest of the front office our medical and performance team coaching staff they even uh gave some input on on the guys that we selected so um just very very thankful and fortunate that the uh the group you know we had some goals at the beginning of the night and we were able to accomplish it let’s talk about the Players let’s begin with the first round pick tjan salon sixth overall what did you like about him what made him the right player at number six for the Charlotte Hornets yeah when you look at ton you know he’s the youngest player in the draft uh so we would like to think that he’s going going to continue to get better um but the only way he gets better is if he works um and he is he is a maniacal worker uh he loves the process um he’s about all the right things his approach he uh he’s incredibly resilient um so really excited about him from that standpoint I’ll start on the defensive end um there’s some versatility there he can guard on the perimeter a bit and um of course his size he’s going to be able to to guard you know on the interior as well um he flies around though he plays with a ton of energy he’s getting deflection steals um so he’s just I think he’s just scratching the surface uh but when you talk about someone being able to switch and play you know guard multiple positions he’s uh he’s incredibly um gifted in that space offensively he has some versatility to him as well uh you know he can push the ball and transition make a play for his teammates um there’s some promise from a shooting standpoint uh I think he’s going to again I know he’s going to work so I think he’ll continue to prove in in that element as well um and then just even his ability to move without the ball and um you know set screens roll put pressure on the rim things like that you mentioned a couple times there the the energy and the size that he already has as well as the youth which gives him plenty of room to grow when you imagine him maybe three four years down the line and what he could become with this young core you have what are some of the arc types that you have in mind or maybe player examples that you see in his future yeah that’s where I really get exciting CU what’s he going to look like when he’s 22 23 24 I and Sam I I don’t want to put limit on him I never will he’s going to be as good as he wants to be he has all the intangibles uh again the positional size the athleticism his body’s going to take a huge jump over the over these next few years he’s I was watching him in the press conference he barely has hair on his chin like he’s just he’s just a young uh young player and he he’s excited about getting better so I don’t want to put a limit on him I TR I have no idea I just know he’s going to he’s going to maximize himself and and hopefully turn into something special recognizing you don’t want to put limits but he’s 18 he’s entering the NBA and and there’s a hope with a healthy roster that this team is poised to make a big jump right now what are some of the things you think he can contribute right away stepping into the Hornets this season yeah right away again I think just his energy and effort on the defensive end he is you know not too many guys at his size and age you know can move that way in terms of just um being in the right place at the right time off the ball um he’s very good in terms of communicating on that backline and kind of directing directing traffic um so that you know that’s something you can’t teach right just that effort and and level of competitive uh competitiveness um I think that’s going to be some you know an area where he can you know contribute right away second round you grabbed KJ Simpson out of Colorado excellent point guard there three seasons he was an all conference honory every time and he basically couldn’t have had one Shining Moment from the NCA tournament without his exploits there in the big dance what did you like about him what made him the right guy at 42 yeah similar to tjon again they’re cut from the same cloth they they absolutely love the process they love the game love to get better um both of them again are just maniacal workers and KJ falls into that bucket as well um he’s hit some adversity throughout his career and and you know I I love that I look you know for that in players as well you know who is going to uh maybe have a potential setback but you know ultimately that doesn’t keep them on the floor right they get back up um and continue to find a way to get better so extremely extremely uh excited about just his makeup uh and his overall approach uh and you hit on the head he’s an excellent point guard uh he he makes shots off the bounds um he’s a leader he can get guys involved he’s very unselfish he can play with pace and then defensively he’s feisty he um you know he’s competitive he’s crawling into the ball he’s getting over screens um so he does an excellent job on that end the floor as well he was on a Colorado team that ended up with three NBA draft picks so he knows how to play with some highquality players what are your expectations for him his role and what he can contribute in year one yeah I think again just overall I’m excited for his approach that he’s going to bring in terms of just taking a day at a time and I know I can you know again maximize myself if I put the time and the effort um and just have that high level of work rate um so I know that’s going to be contagious because he’s he’s a guy that will take other guys to the gym with him so um I’m really excited about that but again I I know his you know his competitive makeup um you can’t teach that so when he gets on the floor that’s going to be contagious as well uh and he’s very unselfish he’s a good decision decision maker and you know guys like to play with guys who who pass the ball so I think that’s something that will uh trans translate immediately so these two have now been added into the fold obviously there’s a lot of work to be done between now and opening night come October but as you look at the the roster at this point in time and obviously we’re hoping uh for some good luck in the health department for the Charlotte Hornets but where should expectations be for the Hornets fan base based off the addition of these two players to the core you already have yeah I think you know especially with with Charles and and the Brandon basketball that he he’s going to teach I think you know on a nightly basis you’re going to get a group who’s who competes you know they’re going to go out there and execute whatever the game plan is um you know and and again I I don’t know how many wins that equates to or playoff runs or anything like that but I think if uh we continue to just tackle the the task in front of us on a nightly basis do matter if it’s a Wednesday night or a TNT game whatever it is right um just having that um you know one day at a time approach I think uh the fan base will be very very excited about what we’re building here in Charlotte one other aspect of the draft that we were very impressed by was uh how you guys were a little maybe koi not not having letting too many leaks out there uh tjon was a big Riser up a lot of draft boards and it seemed like you and the front office were connected to just about every other player listed on mock drafts in the top 15 except for that one how much how much pride do you take in your front office ability to identify the right guys but also do what it takes to manipulate things as much as you can to make sure you get your guys sure I’m I’m I’m extremely you know proud of the group for that um you know in the NBA information is everything right so uh for us to be able to identify tjon as someone who we wanted you know he was in the mix a while ago and you know as the days went on and one it’s like okay it felt like he’s the guy for us to be able to keep that quiet says a lot about our group so I’m very very uh excited about that um yeah we we didn’t know if he was going to be there at six or not but we were thrilled uh you know when he didn’t uh he didn’t get selected prior to us this was a draft where there was so much uncertainty and and it felt like for a team in the position the hor were at number six very easily could get someone who was one or two or three on your board at your spot is that kind of how it felt for you guys that’s exactly what it was we had them right there at the top of a board uh again just there’s so many different uh Dynamics into team building so we didn’t know you know we didn’t know what Houston or uh even Washington you know of course San Antonio we didn’t know what they were going to do so um very very happy that yeah he was at the top of our board and we were able to get him was a master class in controlling the board and controlling the draft at least what you can my last question for you and this was a big question I think a lot of people had for you coming into this role because while you’ve been in draft rooms for a long time it’s never been your call at the end of the day so we were curious what is Jeff’s type what is the new look for the Charlotte horren is he going to prefer you know players from Europe or college guys older players younger players you took a little bit of both but there are some commonalities between the two that you keep coming back to so for fans in the future trying to gauge what Jeff’s type of player is who to expect for the Charlotte Hornets is there an answer now yeah I would say look I’m always going to lean towards towards uh High character individuals um and again who those who have whove been through some adversity uh but just who love to work who love the process who love the journey um you know those are the types of players that I will bet on any day of my life I’ll be able to sleep at night just knowing that they uh they’re finding you know they’re going to try to find a way to get better what whatever it is they are going to be relentless in that approach well Jee it’s going to be exciting to see them on on the floor at summer league and then come the fall best of luck with the remainder of putting the rest of the roster together we look forward to talking to you right up to a tip off here for the 2425 season great thank you Sam exciting times that does it for this edition of The Hornet livecast remember the hhc is available daily wherever you get your podcast all throughout the NBA season with game previews every game Day reviews every day after and in-depth interviews everywhere in between I’m Sam Farber it’s been a pleasure and a privilege having you along and we’ll talk to you next time time right here on the Hornets hivec thank you for listening to the Hornets hivec brought to you by senta the official ey ear nose and throat care provider of the Charlotte Hornets for more coverage visit hornets.com [Music]
Hornets Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, Jeff Peterson, talks 2024 NBA Draft and upcoming Summer League competition.
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