Jeremy Woo: Utah Jazz should have options to get the guy(s) they want in NBA Draft amidst strong …
Joining us now is Jeremy Mwoo. He is NBA draft analyst and writer for ESPN. Jeremy, good morning. How are you? Hey, doing great. Uh fun fun fun time of year I think for from Jeff. Yeah, absolutely. You know, there was a lot of uh disappointment obviously with the Jazz not getting the number one pick after the season of losing in which they literally set a record for worst record and but we know they got five. So, we we had fun with it. We let our listeners mourn the next day, but then it was time to go to work here. And I think at five, you got options because I think there’s three, four, five players maybe that they would consider. Uh from your perspective, who would of of the players and assuming that it’s Flag, Harper, Bailey, I’m not sure about number four, uh but but put those three to the side. And then who would you consider would be potential candidates at five recognizing that that player could go four? Obviously. For sure. Um I mean I think the bucket you’re looking at is is probably Jeremiah Fierce, Trey Johnson. Um maybe Malawatch, although I don’t know if he’s as good of a fit. Come on, Malawatch. Maybe Canipple. Um uh Jagor Demen. Like those guys will all be on the board. I don’t know uh you know with where Utah is they’ve obviously collect a lot of young guys who are I think showing some things but like I don’t know if anyone is so proven that they’re not going to pick the best talent right so so which direction they go might be some referendum on how they view some of the guys currently on the roster now the one thing I will say and I think I’m I’m sure Utah will be locked in on this is uh I think Philadelphia at three and to a lesser extent even Charlotte at for uh those are teams that I think to be open to uh trading back or uh basically like I I I think the possibility of a trade does create some variance. So I don’t think it’s insane that Ace Bailey could be there at five. Um my guess would be that BJ Edgecom is off the board. Someone I think will take him ahead. But um it’s an interesting mix of guys, right? Like very different skill sets. All right. So uh Jeremy, I’m a former coach. Sell me the guy. Um, you know, if you’re saying best player, guy that can with intangibles and then upside and everything else that can help uh, you know, not not instantly, but we we want to be quick. Uh, somebody that can kind of come in and and help move the needle in the direction much like you said, some of these guys have they’ve drafted guys that have had success. So, how do they continue that? For sure. Yeah. Well, it’s it’s tricky from that perspective, right? because I don’t know if there’s that one at five like if there’s that one guy who’s like gonna help you win now, right? Like I don’t I don’t know if this draft, you know, a lot of these guys are teenagers. Like it’s it’s a younger draft. So I think no matter who you end up with at five, you’re probably looking at some development time. It’s not like it’s going to be plugandplay, but um I mean I think Fear is is very interesting. Um I I don’t know, you know, he’s still very young and it’s tough developing young point guards on the fly, right? But I I think the talent he showed is super interesting. Um just the way he can get into the paint, his quickness. Um if they think he’s someone who can is worth kind of giving the ball to and developing, like I think he’s he’s pretty exciting. Now again, to your point about winning now, like I think maybe a Trey Johnson might be a little bit more ready to just come in and score, but uh I think comes with some of the same questions about, you know, what does it take to get this guy to play winning basketball? How long does it take for for that to happen? So, uh, I don’t know if there’s like a one-sizefits-all pick here, but, um, you I do I do think the the upside of some of these guys is pretty significant. Jeremy Woo, NBA draft analyst and writer for ESPN joining us on 975, the KSL Sports Zone. you uh piqu the interest of our listeners, I’m sure, when you mentioned about two teams possibly trading down and Philadelphia seems that they would be a likely candidate with a veteran ball club and being far more in a win now mode than certainly Charlotte or the Jazz are. Jazz got all sorts of options that they could swing a deal with, whether it be players, picks, a combination thereof. Uh I to me if you are the Jazz and the Sixers call or you call them and you can have conversations I don’t know that I would go the kitchen sink but I would probably throw everything close to that because I think as far as the Jazz rebuild if they can find a way to get the third pick and the fifth pick then it’s all about expediting this laborious rebuilding process that just seems to be like it’s 10 years away from actually getting on the other side of it and to me I think you can really jump start it if you get the third and five pick. What is your assessment of that? Absolutely. I mean I think Philadelphia I think is the type of team uh I think everybody around the NBA kind of knows like they’ll pick up the phone if you call and you have you know an offer or some some some idea there for them to create value. Uh obviously they are a team that wants to be a lot better next year and they have the talent to sort of bounce back so I think they will be active listening. Um, now I I think the question then becomes, can you get three without actually trading five? Uh, or are you trading up two spots, right? And I I think it’s more likely just just based on and now again like I don’t know what the appetite would be in Philly and I haven’t looked at the contracts for you know like a market in or like some of the the veteran uh guys but uh I do think you know if you’re if you’re just totally sold on say like BJ Edgecom I think you do what you do what it takes to to move up two spots just because like you said it’s I I think people forget uh except for the people who are in the midst of it but how how long and frustrating it can be to just kind of go through these seasons and it can feel interminable. So, I I think if there’s a chance to get a guy who kind of ignites the team a little bit and and sort of gets you moving in the right direction, I think you do it. So, back to obviously number one picks a foregone conclusion. Um, give me your thoughts on on Harper and Bailey specifically. You know, I’ve seen people see say Bailey could possibly slide. Um, but what are your thoughts on those two guys? Uh, and do you feel like they’re locked into two and three? I think I think Harper will go too. Um, if San Antonio stays there, I’m pretty sure that’s what they’ll do. I think he’s sort of been Harper has sort of been a consensus number two around the NBA for uh, you know, a good a good chunk of the season. I just I just think the skill set he has as a guy who uh makes good decisions with the ball. He’s a big ball handler. He’s strong. Um he can get into the paint. He I think his shot will continue to improve. Like there just aren’t there’s no one else in that draft who’s like has that skill set that he has like that package. And that’s kind of in vogue in the NBA like the the big ball handler who’s like worth the amount of usage you’re going to give him who can you know run efficient offense. So, I think San Antonio will probably just grab them um if they don’t trade. But I I think it’s more likely. I think they understand like how lucky they are to have, you know, moved up in three lotteryies in a row. So, they don’t rub it in. Yeah. Sorry. But, uh Yeah. And then Bailey, I don’t think he’s allowed to go with three all. U I I think there’s a chance he goes four. I think there’s a chance he gets to five. I think it just depends on what happens with with some of these picks, right? Because I think with with Philly, you can argue that, you know, he’s the the most upside on the board, but you can also argue uh they don’t have time to kind of let him work it out, right? Like if you watch Ruckers, like I think two things are really evident. U one Bailey is incredibly talented scorer, but also I think he he’s very far away in other areas. Um and I think, you know, defensively it’s going to take him time like his he’s he’s got to learn to process the floor better. So I think that’s been one of the things around him all year. Uh it’s going to be very interesting to see. I don’t think he’ll fall too far, but I I do think it’s like a non-zero chance that he could end up being there at five for Utah. Now, you mentioned a local kid. He was just here for one season, Jagor Deon here, and I believe that, you know, he struggled a little bit, but as the season wore on, he got a little more comfortable. And it was the, you know, Kevin Young first year. Everything was so brand new that it was to me it was predictable a little bit that, you know, they were going to have their ups and downs and and they got to the sweet 16, which for BYU is an, you know, great of achievement. And then, of course, he commits to uh go to the draft. I think that from what I watched of him that he’s a player that in three, four, five years is going to be substantially better than he is now. but he’s still always going to be 6’9 with long arms and great vision and all the stuff that he needs to do to set other people up. I believe he’s going to be a top 10 lottery pick. You even mentioned him as a possibility at five. Where do you see him? Yeah, I think he I think Jaggore is one of the guys who uh it’s it’s rare that like you actually see a proday workout that really moves the needle because I think everyone knows it’s it’s just one setting and obviously it’s not competitive basketball, but I was there. He had a very solid proday in Chicago and I think people were talking about it actually. Um just the basically they had him go through a real workout. He he shot the ball well. He got a lot of shots up and it was just a good reminder of his talent, right? I I didn’t catch BYU live during the season, so it was my first look and I think at least up close just at the his physical um you know the the tools he has and I I was impressed and I think I think by did a good job. It’s it’s just there’s not a lot of guys like you said with that type of size and very real passing vision. Um and I think people are going to harp on rightfully some of the struggles he had like beating guys one-on-one in space. I don’t think he’s going to be an isolation player, right? That’s not what he is. But, uh, can he be a guy who runs offense and ball screens? Yeah, I think so. Uh, he can see over the defense. He can make a lot of these different passes. Um, so I’m intrigued. I I don’t know. I think five is probably higher than I would do it, but I I I think obviously um Utah probably knows as much if not more about him than any other team with just the proximity to to BYU and yeah, obviously any age. So, uh, I think it’ll be a consideration. I don’t know if you that’s what they do, but they will obviously know enough to make an educated choice there. Who’s somebody that, um, you feel like it happens every year, but somebody that’s maybe overlooked, um, has a ton of talent and will end up being a real value for somebody in the first round. Give me a name. Yeah, the guy the guy who I really like who is currently on our mock in ESPN, we have him outside the lottery right now. But the guy who I I’m I’ve been high on all year is Will Riley from Illinois. Um I just think he’s a very very interesting uh guy, you know, two, three years from now, what can he be? I mean, he’s excellent size. I think he’s going to really shoot the ball well. Uh I think his feel for scoring and and passing is is pretty strong. Uh and he’s very young. Um, so I I you know I live in Chicago so I see Illinois a lot so I probably had the benefit and maybe this is you know bad bias whatever but the amount of times I saw him I was very impressed. So I think as his body fills out uh which is going to take time but I think I think he is someone who might be undervalued but also I think could end up sneaking into the back of the lottery potentially. So we’ll see. Jeremy Woo from ESPN joining us. Is Caniple the best shooter in the draft? I think today yes. I think I’m comfortable saying that. Um, there there are a lot of pretty solid shooters actually. I mean, I think Trey Johnson is probably up there. Um, but probably I think just based off the season we had, I think it’s fair to say that. Um, I’ve seen him work out a couple times in the last few weeks and it’s all pretty real I think. But I also think it’s kind of almost does does him a disservice just to call him a pure not that you said that, but I think sometimes the dialogue has been he’s just a shooter. I think he does a lot more too. Um, and that’s why he’s very interesting to teams is his playmaking. Uh, he can put it on the floor a little bit more than your typical guy who’s, you know what I mean? It’s not like he’s just standing in the corner like he did a lot for Duke, you know? So, I I think um very interesting player long term. Your thoughts on um if he were to be available at five, would Khan Caniple be a solid choice or would that be a little high for you? Uh what’s your thought on him? I guess in comparison to maybe like he and Trey Johnson are on the board for sure. Yeah, I think it depends what you want. Um I don’t think it would be crazy. I don’t think it’s bad value. Um just based on the year he had. Uh and but they’re a little bit different, right? Like I I think Khan is more of like a ball mover. He doesn’t necessarily need to have the ball. Uh but he will make the right decision a lot. He will help other guys on the floor. Uh he’ll space it. Trey Trey Johnson is more of a guy where like he wants the ball in his hands. He wants to be the guy creating the shot. Um, sometimes it’s to his detriment. I think he sometimes he can be a little bit too aggressive hunting shots, but he can really score. Uh, and I, you know, kind of just depends like how you how you value. I think, you know, Trey is a little bit longer. Um, Khan is a little bit stronger, like different body types, different skill sets, right? But I don’t think there’s that much separating them. It just depends kind of what you want. Flush out the depth of the draft for us because the Jazz also have Minnesota’s pick at 21. Yeah, I I I think 21 is a valuable pick. Um I think it probably thins out like kind of in the mid20s for me where there I’m just less less secure in saying, “Oh, this guy’s going to have like a solid career.” Um but I I I think that’s true of a lot of drafts. I don’t think that’s unusual. Um but I do think 21 is valuable. I think there are uh a number of guys just someone always falls, right? So uh you know there’s a clump of of interesting bigs maybe in that in that range. you got like Thomas Sorber, Asa Newuel, uh Danny Wolf, guys like that could be there and then it’s possible like Will Riley like I mentioned, um Jace Richardson, like a guard like that could could end up falling into that range. Um so I think it’s a valuable spot. Um and in their position, it’s just good to be able to keep adding. So I think I think they’ll find some value at 21 for sure. Jeremy, outstanding work. We sure appreciate your time. Yeah, no problem. Thank you. Okay, that’s Jeremy Woo, NBA draft analyst and writer for ESPN with indepth responses and evaluations on several guys on what the Jazz can do, where Jaor can go, all these types of things. uh you know, we’ve got uh just about a month and four days uh before the NBA draft and and the drafts now for years for the Jazz, the draft was a little bit of an afterthought, but in a rebuild, it’s always first and foremost on the list once the season ends, for sure. And then even actually during the season when you’re losing at a record rate, you’re looking forward to the draft because that is probably I would say the best way for this team to improve. They can make trade I think you you take all the options that are available and trying to make the team better, but I think right now Tim the best way for the Jazz to improve and get back in contention is through the draft. And yeah, because like you said, so many deals can kind of hover around it. Um, I do believe where the Jazz are right now. Um, you know, it’s not ideal. They would love to be higher, but I think, you know, I do think they have the ability. Uh, we listened to Jeremy talk about some of the options. Um, and we know that Justin Danny really pride themselves on this process. So, yeah, this is an exciting couple of weeks here. Um, it will be another step and I think a lot of really cool options could come out of it. Uh we just have to see who’s willing to play ball and what what’s out there. Uh but I know the Jazz will be um you know they’re working they’re working the phones big time and I want them I want the third and the fifth pick bad get you’re already young. You would get younger if that is hard to believe but that’s what it would be. So you give 21 as opposed to in the deal you give a player in 21. If I can get the third and the fifth pick, as I said earlier to Jeremy, everything but the kitchen sink within reason, I I do it because I love your point of getting the guys together and letting them play this year rather than getting them next year. And plus, you would probably lose this year because you would be even younger. And then at at some point the basketball god’s got to shine on him. AJ Deansa, come on up. I mean, he’s right he’s right here in town. You know, he’s played high school basketball in this state for heaven’s sakes. Number one player. You call it high school basketball. Well, hey, every you know, everything’s changed. It’s still high school basketball, but with a twist. Yes. Okay, I’ll I’ll go with that. Uh but then yeah, you have that opportunity again next year. Uh if you can pull off the big game hunting that Danny Ray talked about last year, great. But that just seems like a long shot. Well, the one thing I will say is in order to deal, you have to be uh a aware, b willing, and then c you’ve got to have the goods. And I think they have all that. Um Danny is if anything, he’s patient. And I I do agree it’s hard to sit through it, but Jazz fans are Jazz fans. Good or bad, they showed it this year. Um I I will just say I feel like exciting times, you know, here in the next couple weeks are are upon us. Okay, there it is. Yeah. All right. And if I could tell you, well, I’ll just leave it at that. I will not say anything about anything else. Just leave it at that. All right. We’ll get you caught up. Talk about some NBA games that won. One was last night, one was tonight. tell you what we what we saw, what we think could happen in the next series. Stay with us.
ESPN NBA Draft analyst and writer Jeremy Woo joined PK and Tim LaComb to talk about the options for the Utah Jazz in the draft and explain where former BYU basketball guard Egor Demin may end up.
