Are The Utah Jazz Done Tanking?
all right and what better way to continue this conversation about Austin Angel and the Utah Jazz future than bring in our Utah Jazz insider for kslports.com it’s Ben Anderson ben thanks for joining us again this week happy to be here yep we we got a lot to talk about i mean we just listened to Austin talking about how you know with the the manipulation of rosters you know however you want to say it they’re not going to do that anymore he’s been given the keys to have the final say in in all decisions Utah Jazz first of all I want to get your take on the hiring of Austin A to be put into that position and then his response to that question about tanking or not tanking or however you how do you interpret it you know I guess seeing an age come in is not super surprising uh because of where Danny is and what Danny’s been doing for the Jazz now for 3 years so in that sense it’s not surprising but we didn’t really know there was a president of basketball operations job open for the Jazz that Ryan Smith said they were trying to fill so by that by that uh you know view it it’s a pretty big hiring and it’s a big change for the Jazz and you know bringing somebody in who’s kind of doing that similar role for the Celtics and bringing them to Utah is it’s a big change the Jazz don’t usually get those types of hires to come their direction usually it goes the other way so I think in that sense it’s a big deal um as far as the tanking goes I just don’t think the Jazz had an appetite to repeat what happened last year i I don’t think they liked how the players felt how the coaching staff felt certainly how the fans felt i don’t think the front office liked it so I don’t think they’re saying they’re going to win more games next year probably more than 17 but probably not a lot more than 25 but I just don’t think they liked the way they had to go about it to get those 17 wins so I think probably another high lottery pick again next season but it’s not going to feel the same way well certainly he’s going to have a lot of uh say in the decisions that are coming up here in the NBA draft later this month the Jazz still on the board for two first round draft picks uh we talked a little bit about it last week what they could potentially do here in the top five one name that I don’t think would have popped up on the radar a month or so ago is uh the first one I think we want to talk about here coniple could he potentially be that fifth pick yeah if he’s still on the board you know I think there’s a chance he goes even higher than that coniple was certainly overshadowed at Duke by Cooper Flag uh if Cooper Flag wasn’t there I think we might be talking about Coniple as the ACC player of the year well number five for him that’s not necessarily a stretch then right no I don’t think so at all i I I understand why you know if he were looking at mock drafts maybe a month ago 2 months ago he was probably around you know 8 to 12 but I think he’s going to be in that conversation at five very firmly okay well one guy you talk about him being maybe the best shooter in the draft a lot of people are saying this next guy is maybe the best scorer in the draft Trey Johnson yeah Trey Johnson led the SEC in scoring as a freshman 19.9 points per game and that’s unheard of you know the SEC was the best basketball conference last year and he was great and Texas made the tournament they weren’t a very good team some of it is his fault some of it’s not his fault but when you look at the ability to make star shots which is you know off the dribble step back threes it doesn’t matter if he’s being defended very tightly or if he’s coming off of a screen the second that window opens and it doesn’t need a big window uh the ball is going to go in so he’s a great shooter if Coniple is not the best shooter Trey Johnson certainly is uh and in that sense he would give the Jazz value you know where Khan Canipple doesn’t create his own shot off the dribble Trey Johnson really does and the Jazz have been overly relying on Keonte George and Jordan Clarkson to do some of that and it’s hurt their percentages and it hurts the team percentages so if you gave those options and those shots to Trey Johnson late shot clock late game the Jazz three-point shooting percentage is going to go up and you win games like that all right he’s not a good defensive player so if you want to see good defense uh you’re not going to get it with Trey Johnson yeah that’s uh that’s something the Jazz have wanted in in years past for sure is a defense at that guard position all right Ben it’s been fun let’s do it again next week why not right i’ll be here okay thanks a lot
KSL Sports Utah Jazz Insider Ben Anderson Talks About Austin Ainge Hire, More Draft Prospects.
1 Comment
I could see the Jazz going with either player. Either would improve the Jazz, for sure.
If you look at Tre Johnson's high school footage, you see that he's a much more willing passer and distributer. He just didn't have a lot of scoring help in college to make him pass more. Playing at the NBA level should help him mix it up more. I also think his defense will improve since he won't be relied upon to always lead the Jazz in scoring.
Kon is said to have a similar feel to someone like Doncic. I don't know if I'd go that far, but he certainly has good instincts, on defense as well. The issue is his lack of verticality and his last name. lol
KK def needs to find a nickname that helps announcers not have to say his last name all the time. haha But seriously, playing against smaller players helped him get away with more in college. In the NBA, guys will sky over him and he'll get blocked alot, even with his numerous pumpfakes. Can't always rely on that. Defenders will catch on.
Space/shot creation and the higher athletic ability is why I would go with Tre over Kon.