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Ben Anderson joins The Junkies to break down the top NBA draft prospects.
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00:00We welcome in Ben Anderson, Utah Jazz Insider for KSL Sports in Salt Lake.
00:06Ben, thanks for the time, man. We appreciate it.
00:09Yeah, my pleasure.
00:10Hey, Ben, before we start talking about the players that are going to be picked at the top of the
00:14draft,
00:14can you give us a Utah perspective on the owner of the Jazz, Ryan Smith,
00:21who owns both the Jazz and the Utah Mammoth.
00:23He bought the Jazz back in 2020.
00:26He's a multi-billionaire who made his money in cloud computing.
00:30Tell us about Ryan Smith and tell us how desperate you think he is to keep A.J. DeBonsa in
00:36Utah
00:36instead of getting drafted No. 1 by the Wizards.
00:39Yeah, Ryan's an interesting dude.
00:41He is not technically a Utah native.
00:43He was born in Oregon, but he's lived here his whole life.
00:46He lives in a city called Provo, which is where BYU is.
00:49It's about 40 minutes from Salt Lake City.
00:51But he's a huge Jazz lifer.
00:53Yeah, made several billion dollars selling his Qualtrics company
00:58and kind of was looking to buy an NBA team.
01:00That's what he wanted to get into next and almost bought the Timberwolves
01:02and I think flirted with the Phoenix Suns at one point
01:04and then ultimately decided, I'm a Jazz fan.
01:07And the longtime owners of the Jazz just kind of broke everything up.
01:10They just sold all their companies.
01:11And he bought them at what is now a steal at $1.5 billion, I think,
01:16and has kind of infiltrated some life into the team.
01:19And they were always very steady under the previous ownership.
01:21But I've always described Ryan as a real infrastructure owner.
01:24He's rebuilt practice facilities.
01:26He's rebuilt the arena.
01:27Obviously, he brought the hockey team up from Phoenix.
01:30So he's very good at instilling kind of an entire support system.
01:35And now it's about actually winning.
01:37But he bought that team that had Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert
01:39and gave it a year or two and then really kind of dismantled it all.
01:44So that's where he is as a person.
01:46As far as trying to keep A.J. DeBonsa in Utah,
01:51I will tell you honestly, one of Ryan's biggest pushes
01:54is trying to kind of normalize Utah.
01:56While he is certainly like a Provo guy, he is a member of the LDS Church,
02:01I do think he wants people to recognize that Utah is not kind of this antiquated town
02:04where people can't come and live and have a good time or there's no industry.
02:08Do you think he wants to modernize it a little bit?
02:10And so while keeping A.J. in Utah, I think, would be a great kind of storyline,
02:15I think getting A.J. to come play high school in Utah,
02:18even though that was like a six-hour drive from where BYU is,
02:23and having him go to BYU, I do think that's as much as just like putting a shine on Utah
02:28as much as it is like, oh, well, A.J. is this guy that you absolutely have to have.
02:31I just think he wants to establish Utah as like a place people can enjoy and live,
02:36even if you're an 18-year-old superstar prospect.
02:39So people here in Washington seem to be really excited for A.J. DeBonsa over Darren Peterson.
02:47But I don't know if they've seen him play that much, to be honest with you.
02:51He's played at BYU.
02:52So fill our listeners in on what the Wizards might get if they stick to drafting DeBonsa number one.
02:59Yeah, it is unique because he's not exactly the modern type of scorer,
03:04which is very three-point heavy, but I know he only shot 33% from three last year.
03:09I actually really kind of like his three-point diet,
03:11and I think his shot's going to come along maybe better than some people believe.
03:15If you look at the games where he shot a lot of threes,
03:18a lot of those were close games or games where BYU lost,
03:22which kind of watching them makes me realize like, you know what?
03:25In the second half, they're down in certain situations where a three is required,
03:28and A.J. is just the go-to scorer, so he's taking that shot.
03:30But it's not necessarily that A.J. gets lazy and falls in love with three-point shooting
03:35because he doesn't want to get to the rim.
03:37In fact, that's the only thing A.J. really wants to do.
03:39He wants to dribble, attack, get into the mid-range,
03:42and then either hit his mid-range jump shot, which I think is elite.
03:44I think it's a very good shot for him, even though I know that's not where the NBA is today.
03:48Or, and I think this honestly, he might have the best feet I've ever seen from a player his size
03:52at his age.
03:53He's just never dead to rights with the ball.
03:55And you kind of think like, oh, most players get cut off in these certain spots,
03:59and he finds a way to get a euro step or a drop step or, you know, kind of a
04:02step through.
04:03And then he's at the basket, and he's 6'8 1ā2 without shoes on,
04:07so he's 6'10 with shoes and a 42-inch vertical, and he's not playing in any space.
04:11Like, BYU's offense was actually pretty lousy last year,
04:14and there's some okay players around him.
04:16Rob Wright's a decent point guard.
04:18Richie Saunders probably gets drafted in the second round as a pure shooter.
04:21But we're two bigs right in front of the rim most of the season.
04:25So AJ's going to operate with space, and he's got a pretty good handle already.
04:29And honestly, guys, I think he's going to be a monster in the NBA.
04:32I just think it's going to take him a little bit of an adjustment, but he's really smart.
04:37He's a super hard competitor.
04:39All I've ever heard is kind of green flags on him as a person.
04:42So I think he's going to be a good NBA player.
04:45Just as a quick aside, was it Saunders the one that got injured at one point?
04:49Yes.
04:50And then I had heard that his shooting percentage went down there, too,
04:55because they didn't have the threat there, so they have to more focus on him.
04:58You're down more.
04:59You're forcing up threes.
05:00It kind of plays into your point.
05:01Because you look at the stroke, it looks fine.
05:03I think he'll rep it out, and he'll get there.
05:06How many times did he disappoint?
05:10Because I think globally, you look at it from afar, and I'm pro-AJ.
05:15And I'm like, this guy delivered all the pressure in the world, played BYU, they give him the bag,
05:20and he delivered, led the country in scoring 25 points per game, etc.
05:23You know, I keep hearing that, oh, maybe in one-on-one matchups or whatever,
05:27in games where he matched up against Peterson, maybe Peterson got the better of him.
05:30But on the whole, I mean, do you think he delivered?
05:36He absolutely delivered.
05:37I thought BYU was a big disappointment.
05:38You know, they spent that much money on that roster and didn't get out of the first round of the
05:41tournament.
05:41But, look, I didn't even go back and watch that Kansas-BYU game where everyone looks at Darren really outplaying
05:47him.
05:47And he did.
05:48Look, Darren had a much better first half than, of course, in Darren fashion, didn't play the second half.
05:53But, AJ, like, watch the game.
05:55Watch how many players from Kansas have to check out because they're in foul trouble in the first half.
05:59Like, no, AJ didn't have 14 points and light it up.
06:02In fact, he just seemingly wasn't all that willing to shoot the ball.
06:05I think, like, three guys had two fouls in the opening 12 minutes just because they're trying to guard AJ
06:09and they can't.
06:10I think he kind of had some hidden maybe ancillary value there where he gets guys in foul trouble.
06:15He does really get guys involved.
06:17He's kicking the ball to the corner.
06:18Like, he's not a selfish player despite the fact that he led college basketball in scoring.
06:22And, you know, I'm really, you know, lotting praise on AJ.
06:25He's a good player.
06:26I'm not trying to pretend he's a perfect player by any means.
06:28But I do think some of the concerns about him are a little more unfounded than they might be.
06:34But we are talking about the top of a very good draft.
06:36I understand why everybody's nitpicking, you know, AJ, Darren, Cam Boozer.
06:41These are all three really elite prospects, I think.
06:43So I understand why, you know, they're being looked at with this type of fine-tooth comb.
06:47So, Ben, how does AJ, let's just say AJ goes to Washington.
06:51I think that they will take him.
06:53If they do take Peterson, Utah takes Peterson, how does he fit, in your opinion?
06:58Well, there might not be a better fit for the Jazz, honestly, even more so than AJ.
07:02The Jazz do have a glaring hole at two-guard.
07:05They do not have a good defender in the backcourt.
07:07Keontae George is coming along a little bit, but it's not proven that, you know, that side of the ball
07:11is a real strength for him.
07:12And I don't think AJ's ready to be a point guard.
07:14I know that's kind of what he, or excuse me, Darren's ready to be a point guard.
07:17I know he'd said that at the draft combine.
07:19And the Jazz can teach him that, and they'll give him a couple of years.
07:21It took Keontae George two or three years to really figure out that role.
07:24And Darren will play some of that.
07:26But I think he's going to be best playing on and off the ball.
07:29I think his floor spacing is going to be elite.
07:31I think his athleticism also with better spacing in the NBA will really jump,
07:35and the Jazz can space the floor very well with some of the players that they have on their roster.
07:39So I think he will come in and fit well.
07:42And then, honestly, the nice thing, probably for Darren, even if his camp doesn't like it immediately,
07:46is that if he has to come off the bench and only play 15 minutes a night or 20 minutes
07:50a night,
07:50like the way we saw it happen with Dylan Harper and the San Antonio Spurs for most of his rookie
07:56season,
07:57that could really be good for him, especially if these cramping issues persist.
08:00It's just like, give him some time.
08:01Let him figure out how to be an NBA player.
08:03He doesn't need to play 30 minutes a night.
08:05He doesn't need to shoot it every time he touches it.
08:07I think that can be advantageous for him.
08:09And the Jazz already have good young players in similar positions.
08:12I don't believe Ace Bailey's a true two.
08:14I think Ace is a three long term.
08:16So they don't actually overlap that much.
08:18But he would be an ideal fit, I think, next to Keontae George in the Jazz's backcourt.
08:22Hey, Ben, what does the Jazz front office do when they're discussing Carlos Boozer
08:27when his dad is part of their front office?
08:29Like, how do they navigate that?
08:32Like, how does that?
08:33You know, there's kind of the interesting thing with Carlos is that if I'm the dad of Cam,
08:41I don't know if I want him to go to the Jazz.
08:42Because the Jazz do have Jared Jackson Jr. and Lowry Markin
08:45and then, you know, this big front court that might be hard for him to get on the court.
08:49Like, in all honesty, even though Carlos has a very good relationship with the Jazz
08:53and obviously has been doing some work in their front office,
08:55as a father, I may want him to go to Memphis.
08:57Now, it doesn't seem like anyone wants to go to Memphis right now.
08:59We all saw that, you know, athletic release that that's the city people least want to play in.
09:03But he's going to start right away.
09:05He's going to get a ton of touches in Memphis.
09:06He's going to have a real chance to become a star.
09:08They've actually developed players extraordinarily well,
09:10especially players with the exact pedigree of Cam Boozer.
09:13So I think that could be really advantageous.
09:16But he'll certainly make a push, you know, for Cam to come to Utah.
09:20And look, the Jazz shouldn't rule it out.
09:21If they think Cam could be the best player, take him.
09:24And, you know, he's 6'9", with extreme polish and really is a winner.
09:27And the Jazz, despite adding so much talent to their team,
09:30aren't loaded with kind of historic winners.
09:32Lowry Markin is a great player.
09:33He's never been to the playoffs.
09:35Keontae George hasn't won at all in his NBA career.
09:38Jared Jackson Jr. has some, but that Grizzlies team's one of the more underwhelming
09:41over the last few years, considering what they had, you know, early in that run.
09:45So, you know, adding a winner and a guy who has that culture, I think,
09:48would certainly be strong.
09:50But we're also dealing with the Aanges here.
09:52You know, we all remember Isaiah Thomas was playing on a bad hip,
09:55trying to get a max contract right after the death of his sister.
09:58And everyone's like, well, Boston has to invest in him.
10:01Danny Ainge traded him to Cleveland within the blink of an eye.
10:04It's just, I don't think that type of, you know, quote-unquote loyalty
10:07is something the Jazz are going to be beholden to.
10:10Ben, Wizards fans are just pissed about how bad the team has been
10:15over the last 10 years.
10:16They haven't had a winning record since 27, I'm sorry, 2018.
10:21Now, the Jazz haven't been as bad recently as the Wizards have.
10:25You guys won 50 games, I don't know, four or five years ago.
10:28But are the Jazz fans kind of done with the tanking over the last couple of years
10:33and they're ready to make that next step forward with all the young guys they've got?
10:36Because Wizards fans are just done with it.
10:40You know, honestly, if the Jazz had to go another year,
10:43I suspect fans probably would have been on board.
10:46But that would have been the fifth year in a row,
10:47and that would have been the longest rebuild the Jazz have really undergone
10:50since they've been at Salt Lake, and that came 50 years ago.
10:52So I do think fans are certainly ready for this to end.
10:55And the fact that it's going to end with a number two overall pick
10:58is going to be something Jazz fans are really happy about.
11:00There was, I will tell you, you know,
11:02kind of being around the team for three years after trading Donovan and Rudy,
11:06and just kind of trying to figure out, like, what's the pathway?
11:09What's going to work?
11:09And Larry Markin has been a nice victory and a good storyline,
11:12but obviously they're not winning games.
11:14I do think Jazz fans had kind of settled into the idea of a rebuild
11:17and tried to figure out what it was going to look like.
11:18But after they traded for Jared Jackson Jr.,
11:21the pressure inside the arena changed.
11:24Everybody's personality changed.
11:25Will Hardy, the head coach's willingness to answer questions and talk.
11:29Now, he's always been a good talker.
11:31He's always willing to be pretty candid.
11:33But, you know, he's running on in these answers
11:35because you could tell he just had so much energy
11:37about where the team was going.
11:38So they were certainly ready for this to happen.
11:40And then they kind of pulled off what the Indiana Pacers were trying to do,
11:43which was, you know, get your Zubats
11:45and then also get a top five pick.
11:47The Jazz got Jared Jackson Jr.
11:49and then still added the number two overall pick,
11:51which was pretty critical.
11:52So I think they're certainly thrilled now that it's in the rearview mirror.
11:55But honestly, I think push comes to shove.
11:57If they had to wait another season, they probably would have.
12:00Ben, give us your best prediction.
12:02Who do the Wizards take at one and who do the Jazz take at two?
12:06Yeah, I don't think you can pass on 6'10 in shoes with a 42-inch vertical.
12:10And you can teach A.J. ideally to become a 40% shooter.
12:14You can't teach Darren Peterson to be 6'10 with a 42-inch vertical.
12:19So ultimately, I think the Wizards are going to go A.J. number one.
12:22I think the Jazz are going to go Darren Peterson two.
12:24And three and four just rounds out like everyone expects,
12:26Cam Boozer and Caleb Wilson.
12:28Ben, thanks a lot for the time, man.
12:30We really appreciate the intel.
12:31It's Ben Anderson, Jazz, inside of our KSL Sports in Salt Lake.
12:35Give him a follow on Twitter, at Ben's Hoops.
12:37Thanks again, man.
12:38My pleasure, guys.
12:39Thanks, man.
12:40So that was some good insight from Ben as to what the Jazz are thinking of
12:45with the number two pick.
12:46I really think it's up for debate.
12:49I really do.
12:49I listened to Chase Hughes.
12:51He was actually on Strober's pod.
12:52Right.
12:54And Chase Hughes said, you know, he quoted the Aldridge piece
12:59where Aldridge polled 10 executives and it got like seven, two, and one.
13:03Seven take the Bonsa, two Peterson, one Boozer.
13:06He said in his informal poll that he did, it was 50-50.
13:09Right.
13:10Yeah.
13:11You might be right.
13:13I'm still going to say, I'm on record, they're going to take the Bonsa.
13:16I think the Bonsa is the leader in the clubhouse right now.
13:18I do think so.
13:19I think the Bonsa is the safer pick.
13:20I would take the Bonsa, but I can see, I might bet on Peterson.
13:25Don't forget, you want to kick off your summer with us, the Junks,
13:28live from the starboard in Dewey Beach.
13:30That's this Friday, May 22nd.
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13:40So that's all we need.
13:40Give it a damn it.
13:40match and handsets.
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