Speaker 1: What is up, fellow hardwood knock sickos. I am dan
Fa Valley coming at you with the one, the only,
this certified fantabulous, mister Grant Hughes. I'm even punching my
fist into my hands. I'm just so amped up to
talk about the Utah Jazz is NBA trade deadline primer
before we get started, Grant, how goes it?
Speaker 2: Just really happy that the Jazz, as we'll get to,
being so far under the tax, have just decided to
give us ten million dollars because they got to spend
it at some point. You know, it's just that they're
just not worried about it, so.
Speaker 3: That was cool.
Speaker 2: We don't need sponsors anymore. We're just we're flush with
with right this.
Speaker 1: This will service an announcement that we will be talking
exclusively only about the Utah Jazz from here on.
Speaker 2: Yeah, don't tell David Locke. I feel like he's got
that market cornered.
Speaker 3: Uh.
Speaker 1: Are you willing to take us through the Utah Jazzes
trade deadline finals?
Speaker 2: Not only willing? I am able. I think we'll see.
Like I said, forty three point eight million dollars below
the tax. That's fun for them. They're forty They're projected
to have forty nine point four million in cap space
this summer. That includes Walker Kessler's cap hold, which is
mainly the reason he did not get an extension, because
that's an artificially low cap hold, and you want to
keep those around if you can as a team. They're
twenty twenty six first. This is relevant with top eight
protection is ticketed for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Maybe less
relevant than it seemed a little while ago, but still
has been a real storyline for them. Well, their pick
obligations have been a storyline for a couple of years.
They do have several extra first round picks in this
upcoming draft. They've got a swap with either Cleveland or Minnesota.
In twenty seven, they get the two most favorable first
of their own Minnesota Cleveland and the Lakers that's got
top four protection. In twenty twenty eight, they got to
swap with the Cavs twenty nine two most favorable of
their own Cleveland or Minnesota's in twenty thirty one, Phoenix.
That's from like the splitting one first into three or
something like that, right, isn't that.
Speaker 3: Hork the reverse Horcoxing what would that be.
Speaker 2: I'll go with reverse, because the horror crux is you
split into many and they split many into one.
Speaker 1: Right, yeah, the Jazz, Yeah, they reverse horricocks. Yes, yeah,
nice job.
Speaker 2: Really want to make sure we get that right. It's
very important. A couple trade exceptions three point six million
from the PJ. Tucker deal that expires the day after
the trade deadline, potentially more significantly, although they don't necessarily
need it, eighteen point four million dollar trade exception from
the John Collins deal that expires July seventh of twenty
twenty six. Dan, the Jazz have been I don't know,
you want to confounding, frustrating just because they've got all
these picks. They've got some big contracts to move that
seemingly don't make any sense there. They haven't really moved them.
They haven't really messed around with any of these picks
in the trade. They continue to like flirt with losing
these first rounders and then having to do crazy stuff
to keep them that they owe elsewhere. Just like in general,
do you have any idea, like before we we can
talk about what they should do, but like, what do
you think they're going into this deadline? Looking to do.
Speaker 1: I think you have to shut down or trade use
of Nurkic because he's tallying too.
Speaker 3: Many triple doubles. Ye't have It's you just you can't
have it, do you?
Speaker 1: So do you think that it's unfair that they've sort
of become the pariah or the billboard for tanking in
the league?
Speaker 2: Well, I mean in some ways no, because they're the
practitioners of like the kind of tanking that the second
worst kind, the worst kind is the process sixers kind.
That's what the league has been afraid of. The second
worst kind is like, oh shit, we're like kind of good.
We shouldn't do that. That that that's that's a that's
a bit of a problem. Like they've started seasons looking
better than their incentives suggest that they should be, and then
they have to shut people down and get fine for
it and all this other stuff. Like so in some
ways it's earned. That's not to say that like they've
made the wrong decisions. If anything, they haven't tanked aggressively
enough soon enough.
Speaker 1: They've tried it seems like, well, uh, they just keep
like extracting more out of their players than anybody.
Speaker 2: But who is the poster child for for tanking. If
not them, I mean they they just I.
Speaker 1: Just I honestly don't think it's as big of a
problem as organizational incompetence. So I just don't tanking doesn't.
We had a long podcast about it. I want to
go check it out. It just doesn't. It really doesn't.
I'm open to like some of the solutions, especially the
ones you and I came up with, because they're perfect,
but it just I guess that's why I take exception
to a t I understand where the fan base is
frustrated with this, but so like I'm willing to have
more of a discussion about that, but like my I
have a bigger issue with the Pelicans or the Kings.
I've more problems with those organizations that aren't actively tanking.
Speaker 2: But still, anyway, yeah, I think that's fair teams that
are just like perennially.
Speaker 3: And I'm not saying.
Speaker 1: I just don't understand the hyper focus. I know I
asked you a different question.
Speaker 3: I just can't.
Speaker 1: I'm not moved by the tanking discussion anymore, to be.
Speaker 2: Honest, No, I mean partly because we've we've talked about
it enough and we're both kind of sick of it.
But I do think like the Jazz are just that
team that is this three years in a row where
it was like they should try to be bad for
really it peaked with the Wemby Draft that was the one,
but then it's just been years and years of ah, man,
we got to steer into it because we're not quite
as bad as we'd like to be.
Speaker 1: Do you think do you think then their approach is
going to be not hold fire because I even look
at this team, if you could say, well, they need
to sell off guys that are helping them win that
aren't important in the long term, but it's what are
you getting for use of Nurkic. I think their approach
at the deadline, I think it can be split two ways.
You have all that room underneath attacks, as you pointed out,
can you get assets or interesting young players attached, like
because teams want your expiring or you have that that
John Collins trade exception. If you want cap space this summer,
that's immaterial, then you're gonna have to renounce that anyway.
Speaker 3: Use it.
Speaker 1: Take in just like take in this eighteen million dollar
player to help a team save money. DeAndre Hunter. Welcome
to utah or no, he makes too much. I apologize,
that's my bad.
Speaker 2: No, No, I think so, I think what makes the
most sense in light of all that, all the I
mean the glut of flexibility relative to the rest of
the league that trade exception the expirings they have, Like,
I think maybe what they should approach the deadline thinking
is like how do we facilitate, like how do we
pick up stuff just for kind of being here and
being able to grease the skids on deals that can't happen,
you know, with between Team A and Team B without us?
Is that maybe the way to go?
Speaker 1: Like, yes, I think I think one hundred percent away
to go, But I would like to propose another avenue.
Speaker 3: Okay, why not buy with the intent for next season?
Speaker 1: Because doesn't it seem like this is the last year
they're gonna do this rigamarole?
Speaker 2: Well, that's the question is is like how much longer
can you're going on a half decade of of whatever
this is. I think I think your right to bring
that up as like a real option of like at
some point you gotta you gotta like change the direction
a little bit, you gotta go for something. I think
that's that's totally reasonable. But what does that what does
that look like then? And who who does that involve? Potentially?
Speaker 3: Well, I mean you have expiring contracts and flexibility.
Speaker 1: It's it's more so were you're willing to give up
draft picks to go out and get somebody? And I
think that could bleed into Okay, what is Utah's biggest need?
And so I think that actually we probably need to
start here, So let's get let's get the cliche questions
done first. Would you consider moving Walker Kesler, who's out
for the year and headed towards restricted free agency?
Speaker 2: I wouldn't. I think he's a starting caliber center with
like a borderline superpower just as a room protector and rebounder.
And I think restrictive free agency is just a bitch
these days from a player's perspective, and you should exploit
it if you're the Jazz and plus like that seems
to have been the plan all along. I don't know why.
I don't think an injury should should turn you away
from that. The only scenario where I would really seriously
consider moving him is if he do you remember that
presser he had where it was like pretty frustrated by
not getting an extension. If that has like metastasized to
the point where it's like he's gonna be pissed off
no matter how much you pay him, I then maybe,
But I don't feel like that's where we're at with that.
Speaker 3: I have nothing to add. I'm with you.
Speaker 1: I wouldn't look if some team bowls you over, he's
not at the level. But you say that about every
player the next one, what would it take for them
to consider moving Lowry market? And I think to me,
it's not even necessarily about what's realistic. It's as the
jazz and the direct that we're mapping out for them,
what is it actually gonna take for you to then
sell to your fan base that hey, we kind of took.
Speaker 3: It's not just a step back this year.
Speaker 1: I don't know how you move Larry market and then
plan on getting better for next year.
Speaker 2: Unless you're moving him like with those some of those
extra picks you have, which is like.
Speaker 3: They're the honest team.
Speaker 2: Yeah, who are you talking about? And that's like right,
like I'm working really good, Like he is a he's
you know, your mileage of my vary on, Like is
he a legitimate All Star all the time? I mean
maybe not, but also maybe if you had a real
team around him more consistently, Like.
Speaker 1: I'm sorry, until this season, the fact that he was
ever playing all star caliber basketball like pre Kyante George breakout,
that's that matters a shit ton. Now I got a
little bit too low on him. Apparently he really was
injured last year. I just I got a little ahead
oft my skis and was concerned about how he looked
last year.
Speaker 3: Not that I thought he was faking.
Speaker 1: Injury, but I wondered, oh, this feels well, this was problematic.
Speaker 2: Easy assumption after like where did that breakout you're come from?
Then he's a little worse. It's like, oh, right, okay,
that was the anomaly. No, he's he's really good. I
think the fact that they didn't trade him when he
was cheaper and then did the renegotiating extend. Right, that's
it was a renegotiating extent, wasn't it. At that point,
you've devalued him a little bit because he costs so
much more, and now you're trying to avoid going on
a fifth year of like, I don't know, I'll win
fifteen to thirty games, Like he is easily good enough
to be the best player on a team that wins
half its games, and way more than that on a
team with like decent talent around him. I think. So
now I think you just hang on to.
Speaker 3: Him because that's my default.
Speaker 2: That's where that's that's changed over the years though, right like,
because there were definitely timeshere was like you should trade
this guy. This doesn't make any sense.
Speaker 1: I think at minimum as the Jazz because I don't
think this offers out there, but you never know. It's
the Desmond Baine package is the okay, And I'm normally
not as hard and fast on it needs to be
this the context matters. There's bad contracts coming back if
I'm the Jazz just based off how the past three
years is unfolded. No, it's the Desmond bane package without
bad money. That's just my minimum. It's and then that
gets me thinking and you have to look into, okay, well,
what what's the team? What do these picks look like?
I'm just not I can't. I'm not moving him. Doesn't
seem like they're going to and but he seems super
happy there, so we can talk about like, oh, like
Zach Low had said, and this is fair like it's
a bummer to see lowry market and play out his prime,
spinning his wheels on this team. Sure, but if he's happy, right,
I don't care.
Speaker 2: Yeah, right, shouldn't matter. If he's actually satisfied, doesn't matter
what we think we would feel in that scenario. I
just just to illustrate kind of what we're talking about,
like the teams that you know, we've all done it,
like thought up the Okay, where does he really make sense?
Where could he make an impact? Say Detroit? So what's
that offer got to look like from Detroit? Because you're
taking back Harris. I don't know how you feel about Ivy.
Maybe you're demanding like Thompson or Holland is in there.
Speaker 3: For first?
Speaker 1: Yep, it's one of those young players, and then three
to four for one of the Thompson it'll be Holland
because they're not giving up Thompson. It's Holland and four
first as the like that's the If I'm the Jazz,
I understand why the Pistons would hang up the.
Speaker 3: Phone not text back. I would put your email to spam.
Speaker 1: However, these executives are talking with each other, hopefully not
on signal or at least don't let a weak out
or make sure there's no journalists on there. My whole
thing is if I'm the like that, yes, that's honestly
in a vacuum, that's an unreasonable stance for the Jazz
to take good. That's what they should absolutely be like
in these Larry market And negotiations. So and they don't.
You could talk about how are these contracts like Jared
Jackson Junior is a good example, or maybe bam At
a bio of what could they get in a trade
like a stent Utah doesn't have the salary concerns that
these other teams do. So, and it's also Larry Marketen
is well, those other two are plug and play. Those
are bad examples. So it's just you Tais who's getting
Walker Kesler gets more expensive, and then a year out
Chianta George gets more expensive. The year after that is
when you need to be concerned. Hey, guess what Larry
markin is an expiring contract at that point. So I'm like,
it just doesn't matter exactly. So what do you view
as their biggest need? More minutes for Cody Williams.
Speaker 2: I agree, more minutes the revamped Cody Williams, who finishes
at the rim now he looks.
Speaker 1: So I mean, honestly, I want McHale Bridges to study
how Cody Williams absorbs contact.
Speaker 3: Now.
Speaker 2: I mean, it's possible we got a little too low
on Cody Williams, but that's because the numbers were what
they were, what they had.
Speaker 1: I never gave up hope, but I did, and I
will still walk back.
Speaker 3: He was at the top of my draft big board.
Speaker 1: So I was wrong. I'm not sorry because he's clearly
going to be at least a perennial All Star. He
just might not make the Hall of Fame. That's the breaks,
you know.
Speaker 2: Well, so their needs are trick because they have several players,
I mean, in some ways, like Cody Williams that are
pretty young, like I think Heanta George has graduated out
of that class. But you still got Ace Bailey. I
don't know what you think about Isaiah Collier. They've got
all these guys that are like squint and like right
sense of ba like you squint, and it's like, man,
there's like some productive Knights in there, and I could see,
you know, not wanting to bring in somebody over the
top of these guys. I would say, George maybe now
is the only one that I would really have that
concern with, Like, if Bailey's gonna be great, like, it'll
happen whether you bring in another quality veteran wing or not,
Like it'll like if any you know what I mean.
Like for some guys that matters. But if Bailey's gonna
be what you think he is, it will show regardless
of the situation. So I don't really have a great answer.
I think because we've kind of decided, well, you bring
back Kessler, don't trade market in. We like George as
a breakout guy this year, who'll maybe at least get better.
Speaker 1: Couldn't you say they have their core four of the
medium term future in place at the very least.
Speaker 2: So if that's true, yes, And so if that's true,
what do you do with all this? What do you
do with this flexibility? What kind we go get an
All Star? Is that what we're doing?
Speaker 3: Well?
Speaker 1: You could, I think you could, But like I think
the more realistic scenario would be the Jazz taking Flyers
on first of all, their defense. I know Walker Kessler's injured.
It is an atrocity that it is just parades to
the It's just it's so bad it's just so bad.
I mean, shout out to the Lakers for being worse
at rim defense than the Jazz over the past month
and a half. Though that's hang hang the banner. Actually,
I'm not gonna lie.
Speaker 2: Well to that point. Sorry, Just as we're thinking about
what to do here, if Kessler is a key piece,
you can't just go get wings that defend and don't
stretch the floor because Kessler is not gonna you know
what I mean, Like you're a little bit limited. Don't
don't do the Kessler. Don't do it. Don't be that guy. No,
I know, I know you're not serious. But that's that's
the thing to consider, is if you're gonna be built
with Kessler as a center, you're not getting stretched there,
so you you're gonna need it everywhere else as you
try to build out the defense.
Speaker 1: Right, and so I think, I don't know, I'm not
gonna say first and foremost, but I think most realistically
the Jazz looking at flyers for wing defenders, even if
they compromise the offense like a what like Ben Shepperd
is not playing in India Ton anymore.
Speaker 3: It's just had a really bad offensive season for them.
Speaker 1: I Tarry Easan the we just saw the report that
he's not available in Houston. He's also he's a restricted
free agent though in the Jazz will have cap space,
but he would be an excellent fit on this team.
The name I have two names that I find hyper interesting.
Uh what would it take to get Max Christy out
of Dallas?
Speaker 2: Man? I love Max Christie? Could you?
Speaker 1: So you would have George Christy Bailey marketing and Kessler
as you're projected starting five, that's I don't know what
that is on defense, Like Kessler and Christy and Bailey
are doing a lot. But maybe you skip ahead, like
a year or two when Bailey's a little bit more marinated.
That could be your good positional size basically across the board.
Speaker 2: That Christy might just be like he's just a premium
shooter Like that really might be where we are with
That's also problematic for trade negotiations because well, sure, but
you know, I'm trying. I know, uh, we're just looking
at him. But yeah, he that's interesting. I don't you
think Christy costs you a first?
Speaker 3: I would argue Christy's probably costing you to first.
Speaker 2: I don't know, man, are we doing well?
Speaker 1: Maybe it's not it's not a jazz first, I don't think. Yeah,
but it's a look at these other teams as first
that they have. It's are you getting know when you
have the least favorable of like or like you have
a Minnesota or a Cleveland pick it's probably multiples of those,
So it's let's just say you get I mean, they
don't actually need to send Ooka and Dallas needs to
cut costs anyway, so they send out no money. Max
Christy just comes into the John Collins trade exception. Uh,
next year it's you get the two most favorable of Minnesota,
Cleveland and your own and you give so do you
give the second most savable that and then it's the
same thing in twenty twenty nine.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you can trade shares basically of these swaps. That's interesting.
What about Peyton Watson, Oh, assuming he's going anywhere, which
probably he's not, because.
Speaker 1: Man he would Yeah, I mean yes, they should, yes,
they should be interested. But is that when you look
at Tarry Eason versus Peyton Watson in the salary structure
of Houston and Denver, Peyton Watson feels like if you
just came from the top rope and restricted free agency,
you are more likely to get him that way than
you would Easton.
Speaker 3: Does that mean work out? Do you think I'm miss
misreading there?
Speaker 2: No meaning, Like if both of those two are restricted
free agents, Denver is more likely to blink than Houston
is on matching. Yes, I mean, given Denver's history, probably, Yeah.
Speaker 3: Their history is they pay their own guys.
Speaker 2: Yeah, but like it's pretty clear they've got an upper
limit on what they're willing to pay. Overall, it seems
like they've made these strip it down moves.
Speaker 3: I can't believe.
Speaker 1: I bet you this has probably been like an idea
for a month now, and I'm thinking that it's we're
coming up with something trunning. What if the Nuggets are
just so invested in Peyton Watson. Now, if you're looking
for a team that could work out the poison pill
provision Christian Brown, hmmm?
Speaker 2: Is he overpaid?
Speaker 3: Though?
Speaker 2: Like, do you or do you care?
Speaker 3: As the uner point, do the Jazz need to care?
Speaker 2: Right? Do you care? Yeah? That's interesting. So if there's
a team that could navigate the poison pill stuff, probably,
I mean it's Utah just because of the flexibility they
have in the trade exception. Interesting I mean, he would
really give you some balance with George, Like basically his
entire value is defensively, in transition and off the ball,
So George can just keep doing what he does while
getting shielded from the toughest backcourt matchup. Gotta say, Dan,
I don't hate it, makes it makes a lot of sense.
And then Denver does save money. Yeah, that's interesting.
Speaker 3: Would you give up a first round pick for Christian Brown?
You would have to, but would you?
Speaker 2: I don't am I wrong to not be totally sold
on him for what he's going to be making going forward.
Speaker 1: The concern for me would be, well, what does he
look like outside of the Yolkic power vacuum? Because Utah
just doesn't have a playmaker on now. I think they
could carve out there. Will Hardy's an excellent offensive coach.
So I just feel like Christian Brown would figure it out.
But if it's a first round pick and then you
got a game it with a third team, because there
is still he doesn't slide into technically the trade exception
because I think his averages out to over eighteen million.
But like you could move Nurkic's expiring deal elsewhere, you
could send someone to Brooklyn take back a smaller it's
this is a team that could make it work, which
you could probably ask the same question, why don't the
Nets just you know, inquire about Christian Brown?
Speaker 2: But I mean it seems like what we're getting to though,
is like the type of player that Utah needs to
go to for several other teams we've done, it's like
could they close in theory? Like is so you know
that's the threshold for a lot of this. It's like
for you saw, it's got to be like this guy
is a no questions asked starter, right, like if it's
to justify giving up unless.
Speaker 1: You're just doing for a first Yeah, yeah, I don't
know one of those others like that twenty twenty seven
least favorable first.
Speaker 3: But because if guy.
Speaker 2: For them, what's the point of like a smaller incremental Look,
so this guy might be our seventh or eighth guy,
Like what's why.
Speaker 1: Well, for this year's pick, do you view that where
they end up without knowing the lottery, it's tough, but
if they do, Oh, we have this top five prospect
coming in.
Speaker 3: Do we want them to start?
Speaker 2: Mhmm, well maybe maybe not, depending on if you're gonna
finally push the pedal down next year, like you probably
shouldn't be starting a rookie, you know, unless this, unless
it is really a high lottery pick.
Speaker 1: I don't know, uh one more name before I have
a question to ask. Okay, this could this be an
interesting Jaron Jackson junior team.
Speaker 2: Well, so you're moving market In back to the three
in the essentially, or you're not bringing Kessler back.
Speaker 3: No, no, you're bringing it. So would be Kessler market
and Jackson Bailey.
Speaker 1: I mean you talk about having good positional size and
then Kean George.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean a lot of times what you do,
what teams have done to substitute, Like if you can't
get good defenders, at least get big ones and and
sometimes that goes a long way. You have.
Speaker 3: Two great defenders and then it's three.
Speaker 1: Okay, Keantae George's gotten a little better, like you said,
marketing with the size. We don't know what Ace Bailey
is gonna be, but I think I think Ace Bailey
is going to his his median outcome feels like slightly
above average defenders.
Speaker 2: He should be fine, right, Like, at least it may
not be great, but he shouldn't be just getting picked on,
for example. Yeah, I think that's that's fair man, that's interesting.
That's a lot of depending on what Kessler winds up costing,
it's a lot of resources up front.
Speaker 3: Yep.
Speaker 2: That's but if you think market in offensively, marketing can
absolutely be a three. I think I like, that's that's workable.
With the way he moves off the ball, that's really interesting,
and they could just go do it right. They got
the assets whatever whatever Memphis wants out of a Jackson deal,
you talking can offer it now.
Speaker 1: I think the key here Now if it's a Max Christie,
which is I think it's probably just a cleaner fit
because it's lower stakes when you're looking at the money,
or even a Christian Brown it's just making half of
what Jackson does per year. Moving forward, those decisions are
easier to make. I do wonder how much of this
comes down to they buy into Oh, Keante George can
be the offense of the primary offensive engine, like the
actual the floor general of the future for them, and
if they buy into that and for what it's going
to cost them and his extension or if he gets
the restricted free agency, I think that makes it easier
to be aggressive now as a buyer, because it's not
necessarily going to get any easy year for you. As
Kessler gets more expensive, as George gets more expensive, they
kind of have the if you wanted to make a
really big swing without moving any of your core players,
it's kind of this trade deadline or like into next
year's trade deadline.
Speaker 2: Right, yeah, yeah, well that's the thing we said. Oh man,
the clock's ticking fast. Not really, it's been like five
years of this for the Jets. No that I think
that's right. There is a little bit of urgency in
that sense before we move on front. I don't know
where we're going next. But with respect to George, we
both have I think you said it and I co
signed it or vice versa. But it was like Keante,
George's progress is great, I still want he's I still
want no part of him, like running my team long
term some version of that. I think we generally agreed
on where are we now and let's speak for both
of us, like because this has gone on long enough
this year and there have been enough like kind of
nights where you look where you see the film, where
you check the box scoring you're like, this is still happening. Huh,
Like he's still really this is persisted? Are you any
closer to being comfortable with like this is our lead
guard indefinitely in Utah, Like we believe that offensively with
him and then Markenen, we're gonna we're gonna have enough
to be a real offense.
Speaker 1: I'm I don't know that I'm quite there, just because
I do think you're still going to give back a
ton defensively, but I'm a lot closer and the way
that Utah's offense can often work out even with Kante
George still being such this wild card player when it
comes to his self created jump shots, the fact that
he seems more willing to work off the ball to
take smarter shots, and just his efficiency on those. I mean,
like he's in the ninetieth percentile points per shot attempt.
And that's while being like still statistically bad. It's not
just like shaky statistically bad as a pull up jump shooter.
So he's and this is Justin's January first, his effective
field goal percentage on pull up jumpers is sub forty percent. Still,
so like that concern is still there, and so I'm
that's still in the back of my mind. But I
think I'm more at the point to where it's unless
someone's coming in and saying, well, we view George as
the guy, and here is all these juicy first round picks.
I'm looking at it through the prism of I'm not
going bonkers in an extent like he is not to me,
he's not a max guy. Like the numbers have been nice,
but like you can't be on the season forty two
effective field goal percentage on pull up jumpers. I'd play
it out to restricted free agency. So I'm not sold
to the extent of no, he's no like he needs
to get the twenty five percent max close to it.
But I think that you can feel pretty good about
building a sustainably elite offense with him as your league guard.
Imperfections and all because of I'll point to the improvements
I think in terms of shot selection and off ball reads.
The passing has gotten better, and I think even the
big one is just he's still treated like I don't
want to quite say, a five alarm fire off the dribble,
but like the look at his free throw attempt rate
compared with that just says all we need to know.
Speaker 2: That's what I was gonna get to I would just flag,
so I to answer my own question, I'm closer to
just yet. Can you get Cooper Flagg? You do well.
Speaker 1: On util there's kind of some redundancy with Taylor Hendrix
in LOWD a little bit, a little.
Speaker 2: Bit, I'll be fascinated to seek So George, it's early still,
but he doesn't he feel like the type of player
that he It does need to work out as a
lead guy because even though the elite free throw accuracy
and the catch and shoot stuff suggests, like, I mean,
he's going to be great off the ball if if
that's what you want, but that type of guy with
his size that doesn't defend, doesn't really have that much
value off the ball. So it's kind of like a
high bar to clear this to quote unquote work out
for him, because I think he does actually need to
be like the lead guy who's self created efficiency improves
a lot, because otherwise he's an undersized guard that doesn't
defend that scores and the league just doesn't value that
player type, and you definitely don't build around that player type.
You know, you're you're Jalen Green. It's a tough comparison
because he does have some encouraging like secondary scorer indicators
just to catch and shoot stuff in the free. You know,
do you understand what I'm saying? Like he needs to
kind of be that exceptionally valuable type of offensive player
because if he isn't, then his value kind of craters because, Okay, well,
now he's just a guy that scores, you know what
I mean? Right?
Speaker 1: And I think you know he's still at it's just
the mid range efficiency being where it is this year.
I think, like if you're just gonna say that he's
forty five percent from mid range all year, and like
the way he's getting to those shots, it is just
weird that it doesn't align with his pull up percentage necessarily.
I think that's probably okay, but I need I feel
like I probably need like to pull up three to
come up a little bit, or just to be more
of a bankable just he can take he can get off,
even for his size, really difficult shots, but they need
to be more money to me, because without that, doesn't
it feel like there's a chance, even if it's a
lower chance than it was before, that he's better suited
as not just as a primary driver of bench offense.
Rather than an off guard who's starting next to the
real because if he's starting next to your real primary playmaker,
then your real primary playmaker needs to be a defensive savonn.
Speaker 2: Right, which is like, well, so now we're talking about
an all NBA player basically, Like you know, I was
just thinking, like, who is he like if this doesn't
if he's not a legal who was he liked?
Speaker 3: Right now?
Speaker 1: Like, is there any guard that's similar? And it's panning out,
I mean to what he's at the points to Maxie.
Speaker 2: You might point to Maxi because as someone that like,
well he's got a be this although but Maxi, yeah, similar,
Like Maxi's lights out off the ball, like all that stuff.
Maxi's just athletically is a little different. The name that
it's like is Eric Gordon, like weirdly a comp for
for George. If if the like first option stuff doesn't
work out, maybe Eric Gordon's a little too good and
he had some real length defensively too.
Speaker 1: Honestly, I think the tires Maxie call out is perfect.
I mean, he's been more efficient on his pull up
jumpers than George this season, but like forty one point
eight percent on pull up twos is not he's hitting.
The difference is he's hitting on five self created three
is a game thirty seven?
Speaker 3: That yeah, And so that's.
Speaker 2: The and and Maxi's not generally regarded as like a
good all and all around defender, but he's like kind
of disruptive in ways that maybe George hasn't quite become yet.
Like that's and George, I don't feel like George has
the same Like I mean, maybe nobody's as fast as
Maxi in the open floor. That's still a thing that
George maybe doesn't quite have. But yeah, it's it. I mean,
so if if if we're saying he's got to be
as good as Tyreus Maxi, that's a pretty high bar.
Speaker 3: I'm not saying he has to be that good.
Speaker 1: I'm just saying there's still concerns there for me.
Speaker 2: I think I echo those. Maybe I'm saying he almost
has to be that good. I'm not trying to drag
you into that.
Speaker 1: And this is your year three, like he might just
he might just get better.
Speaker 2: Sometimes that happens. Sometimes it happens in like year seven.
For gosh, who who are we thinking about the other day? Now?
Speaker 1: Howry marketing might be the m might be your guy.
Are you ready to take us out of here?
Speaker 3: Sir?
Speaker 2: Happy to thanks everybody for listening, for watching. Please remember
to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you're listening. Leave us
some comments on the YouTube video as well. Let us
know what you think the Jazz can or will, or
should or shouldn't you Tricky team a lots of a
lot to think about, especially with the Markin and the
George and the Kessler.
Speaker 3: Of it all, and the.
Speaker 2: Jared Jacks Junior of it all which we've just spoken too. Existence,
Tell your friends, tell your enemies. Join our discord links
for that on YouTube podcast description shouts Frank Latina, apologies
Jared Allen