WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.360 --> 00:00:03.720 Let's welcome in our guy from the Salt Lake Tribune 2 00:00:03.720 --> 00:00:06.360 to a little jazz and we'll do a little RSL. 3 00:00:06.719 --> 00:00:09.560 Here's falling down the cheek, Andy Larson on a Thursday. Andy, 4 00:00:09.599 --> 00:00:10.880 Happy Thursday, buddy, how are we doing? 5 00:00:11.560 --> 00:00:13.400 I'm good, man, How I'm good? I'm good. 6 00:00:13.480 --> 00:00:16.039 So we all know what time it is for the jazz. 7 00:00:16.120 --> 00:00:19.480 We all know the deal, okay, But when cool things happen, 8 00:00:19.760 --> 00:00:22.079 let's go ahead and lean into cool things when they happen. 9 00:00:22.120 --> 00:00:24.640 And let's lean into what happened last night with Walker Kessler. 10 00:00:25.160 --> 00:00:28.160 And you know, it's not just the numbers, it's not 11 00:00:28.320 --> 00:00:31.000 just the history. I mean, historically speaking, that is a 12 00:00:31.120 --> 00:00:33.759 very special stat line. It's also Andy that he did 13 00:00:33.799 --> 00:00:36.799 it against Almo Sabanas, right, like sabonus excuse me, like 14 00:00:37.039 --> 00:00:40.520 Sabonas has eaten the jazz up and he's a really, 15 00:00:40.560 --> 00:00:44.280 really good player. And so the jazz lost, which you 16 00:00:44.320 --> 00:00:47.000 and I have talked about. Let's go on board. But 17 00:00:47.119 --> 00:00:49.479 when cool things happen, let's talk about the cool thing. 18 00:00:49.479 --> 00:00:51.520 And what happened with Walker last night was a cool thing. 19 00:00:51.600 --> 00:00:55.560 Yes, yeah, And look, I mean I think what's really 20 00:00:55.560 --> 00:00:57.880 great about Walker as an offensive play, right, now is 21 00:00:57.880 --> 00:01:00.880 that he's taking advantage of what defense gives him. And 22 00:01:01.079 --> 00:01:04.079 you know, we've seen there have been a couple of matchups, 23 00:01:04.159 --> 00:01:06.159 and I think most of teams against the Jazz is 24 00:01:06.280 --> 00:01:08.480 ye are kind of protecting the paint most of all, 25 00:01:08.519 --> 00:01:13.239 because most of the Jazz shooters aren't you know, aren't 26 00:01:13.359 --> 00:01:18.799 efficient ones. But Walker. You know that the Kings protected 27 00:01:18.799 --> 00:01:22.280 the perimeter and allowed Walker to get dunks and lay 28 00:01:22.319 --> 00:01:24.719 ups inside. And so yeah, to go to you know, 29 00:01:24.760 --> 00:01:26.920 it's perfect, one hundred percent, go ten for ten, do 30 00:01:27.120 --> 00:01:29.799 something that only two guys in an NBA history have done, 31 00:01:30.280 --> 00:01:35.519 Nikola Jokic and Will Chamberlain before is pretty cool. And look, 32 00:01:35.599 --> 00:01:38.159 he's you know, he's not Wilt, He's not Jokic, but 33 00:01:38.319 --> 00:01:41.400 he is a really you know, useful and good player 34 00:01:41.480 --> 00:01:44.319 that I think is a real building block for this 35 00:01:44.439 --> 00:01:46.760 Jazz team and maybe one of the only building blocks 36 00:01:46.760 --> 00:01:48.519 for this Jazz team is like again, they look to 37 00:01:48.519 --> 00:01:51.599 put together at their next good contending team, you know, 38 00:01:51.680 --> 00:01:54.120 like I think to have someone who brings the level 39 00:01:54.120 --> 00:01:56.959 of rim protection that he does and you know, is 40 00:01:57.319 --> 00:02:01.319 a responsible offensive player at that center spot. You know, 41 00:02:01.439 --> 00:02:05.840 certainly not wildly talented, but his ads you know, is 42 00:02:06.239 --> 00:02:08.439 more of an is adding more than he takes away, 43 00:02:08.439 --> 00:02:11.479 I think is a great thing. So, you know, props 44 00:02:11.479 --> 00:02:15.240 to Walker for kind of figuring out how to get 45 00:02:15.280 --> 00:02:19.560 better after that, you know, rough second season and do 46 00:02:19.639 --> 00:02:21.240 what he's done this year because it's been really good. 47 00:02:21.560 --> 00:02:24.159 Let's stay in the space and your answer to this 48 00:02:24.240 --> 00:02:27.319 question might include a portion of how you just answered 49 00:02:27.319 --> 00:02:30.120 my original question. But if we remove the in a 50 00:02:30.199 --> 00:02:32.960 vacuum against the Kings and pan back to all year 51 00:02:33.039 --> 00:02:37.039 long with Walker Kessler, forty five games played, forty five starts, 52 00:02:37.840 --> 00:02:40.159 and you know, you know the numbers, it's about twelve points, 53 00:02:40.159 --> 00:02:44.159 it's about twelve boards, it's over two blocks. What growth 54 00:02:44.360 --> 00:02:47.800 have you seen, specifically, not just against the Kings last night, 55 00:02:47.840 --> 00:02:49.800 but all year long from Walker. Is it more of 56 00:02:49.840 --> 00:02:54.240 a approach off the court? Is it adding strength? Is 57 00:02:54.280 --> 00:02:56.080 it just growing as an NBA player? What do you 58 00:02:56.120 --> 00:03:00.240 attribute this growth to year three for Walker Kessler? 59 00:03:00.360 --> 00:03:03.080 Yeah, I think mentally, honestly was big for him. I mean, 60 00:03:03.120 --> 00:03:06.520 there were a lot of people who were really kind 61 00:03:06.520 --> 00:03:09.639 of down on him mentally even within the organization last year, right, 62 00:03:09.759 --> 00:03:13.479 Like we just found that whenever something would go wrong 63 00:03:13.560 --> 00:03:17.520 for Walker, that would compound itself into not only kind 64 00:03:17.520 --> 00:03:19.520 of the next play, but the next quarter, the next half, 65 00:03:19.759 --> 00:03:22.840 the next game, and kind of things spiraled a little bit, right, 66 00:03:22.879 --> 00:03:25.560 And I think the rough team in the USA performance 67 00:03:26.840 --> 00:03:29.360 led to a bad season, and I give him a 68 00:03:29.400 --> 00:03:31.000 lot of credit kind of for kind of working on 69 00:03:31.039 --> 00:03:34.240 that game mentally. And you know where if he has 70 00:03:34.280 --> 00:03:36.080 the bad first half against the Lakers like he did 71 00:03:36.080 --> 00:03:38.120 three weeks ago, then he comes back with a really 72 00:03:38.159 --> 00:03:41.039 good second half and that's been really really different than 73 00:03:41.039 --> 00:03:43.840 what he did last year. I think the strength is 74 00:03:43.919 --> 00:03:46.639 kind of the biggest physical and on court thing that 75 00:03:46.719 --> 00:03:51.280 you can actually see where he just is getting. You know, again, 76 00:03:51.360 --> 00:03:56.439 where last year loose balls were kind of fifty to fifty, well, 77 00:03:56.479 --> 00:03:58.719 you know he kind of tip them and honestly lose 78 00:03:58.800 --> 00:04:01.240 them in a lot of cases, He's ending up using 79 00:04:01.240 --> 00:04:03.400 his size and strength to really protect that ball and 80 00:04:03.759 --> 00:04:06.479 to get more of those rebounds. He is the leading 81 00:04:06.520 --> 00:04:09.759 offensive rebounder in the NBA from an offensive rebounding percentage 82 00:04:09.759 --> 00:04:11.800 point of view, right like for him to be number 83 00:04:11.879 --> 00:04:15.400 one in the league in that category on a bad team, uh, 84 00:04:15.879 --> 00:04:20.480 And you know in a way that where he's tasked 85 00:04:20.480 --> 00:04:23.399 with a lot from an offensive rebounding responsibility point of view, 86 00:04:23.480 --> 00:04:27.839 like I think is really really impressive. So, yeah, tremendous 87 00:04:27.839 --> 00:04:30.160 season from him. I think you can make a legitimate 88 00:04:30.199 --> 00:04:32.560 case he's been the best jazz player this year. I'm 89 00:04:32.639 --> 00:04:35.120 not sure that I would totally go that direction, but 90 00:04:35.160 --> 00:04:40.199 there certainly is that case. And he you know, again, 91 00:04:40.319 --> 00:04:42.040 I think he's a he's a building block, and you 92 00:04:42.120 --> 00:04:44.600 have to be impressed with kind of how he rebounded 93 00:04:44.680 --> 00:04:46.720 from that from that really pretty eppy year or two. 94 00:04:47.680 --> 00:04:51.519 So I've had a couple of guests on including McMahon 95 00:04:51.519 --> 00:04:54.240 who's going to join us later, and then I think 96 00:04:54.240 --> 00:04:58.560 it was Zach Zach Harper this week that have basically 97 00:04:58.680 --> 00:05:01.879 echoed my sentiment with Once upon a time, it felt 98 00:05:01.920 --> 00:05:05.240 like there was a lot to like about kJ Martin. 99 00:05:05.800 --> 00:05:08.399 And look, man, I don't I'm not trying to stretch 100 00:05:08.439 --> 00:05:11.000 here to make a topic that's not a topic, but 101 00:05:11.639 --> 00:05:15.360 based off of some of the underwhelming performances slash injuries 102 00:05:15.360 --> 00:05:18.279 with some of the younger jazz players, it feels like 103 00:05:18.519 --> 00:05:22.079 kJ Martin is a player that is worth taking a 104 00:05:22.120 --> 00:05:24.519 long look at to not just keep around at the 105 00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:27.240 end of the season, but maybe hold on to through 106 00:05:27.360 --> 00:05:29.399 the next you know, at the end of next year 107 00:05:29.439 --> 00:05:33.199 because he is under contract, and at times I feel like, 108 00:05:33.319 --> 00:05:35.720 as I've watched him as he's grown throughout the course 109 00:05:35.720 --> 00:05:38.040 of his career, there are some things that feel like 110 00:05:38.120 --> 00:05:40.920 they're real. So he got the start last night, put 111 00:05:41.000 --> 00:05:44.040 thirty four minutes in at sixteen points five boards for assist, 112 00:05:44.079 --> 00:05:45.319 knocked out a couple of threes. 113 00:05:46.279 --> 00:05:48.040 What do you think about this young player? 114 00:05:48.120 --> 00:05:50.839 And maybe is he somebody that we should talk about, 115 00:05:50.920 --> 00:05:53.399 that they're talking about as part of the future. 116 00:05:54.560 --> 00:05:57.519 Yeah, I mean he's twenty four, right, so like he 117 00:05:57.680 --> 00:06:00.519 is in a different kind of age class than the 118 00:06:00.600 --> 00:06:03.279 rookies and sophomores. And I think you see that in 119 00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:06.160 kind of the maturity of his game a little bit, right, 120 00:06:06.199 --> 00:06:10.240 Like he is he chased zach Lavine around screens or 121 00:06:10.319 --> 00:06:13.120 Demart de rozen around screens yesterday in a way that 122 00:06:14.160 --> 00:06:16.079 none of the rookies and sophomores are capable of. But 123 00:06:16.120 --> 00:06:18.079 they're also twenty and twenty one years old compared to 124 00:06:18.079 --> 00:06:19.959 twenty four, right, and so I'm kind of curious to see, 125 00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:23.480 like kind of how their body changes. kJ is probably 126 00:06:23.600 --> 00:06:26.240 the most athletic player jazz player right now. I mean 127 00:06:26.279 --> 00:06:29.439 it's probably between him and maybe John Collins. But John 128 00:06:29.439 --> 00:06:35.399 has lost a lot of athleticism, and then I, you know, 129 00:06:35.480 --> 00:06:39.399 I think that frankly, just like he does play harder 130 00:06:39.439 --> 00:06:41.560 than I think the rookies and sophomores do right now. 131 00:06:41.639 --> 00:06:47.199 So I think there's some growth for them in that spot, 132 00:06:47.720 --> 00:06:49.920 you know, eight million dollars a year, I would be 133 00:06:49.959 --> 00:06:51.800 I'm interested. You know, you can kind of go either 134 00:06:51.800 --> 00:06:54.399 way on his contact, right, Like, I think that's not 135 00:06:54.519 --> 00:06:56.759 a ton I don't think that's like a crazy contact 136 00:06:56.800 --> 00:07:00.399 for him. The shooting continues to be the actual worry 137 00:07:00.439 --> 00:07:02.439 of like, hey, can he be a legitimate role player? 138 00:07:02.560 --> 00:07:06.000 Is he just like connector Right? But if you have 139 00:07:06.120 --> 00:07:07.920 something else to do with that eight million dollars, if 140 00:07:07.920 --> 00:07:10.000 you can use it to trade, you know, trade for 141 00:07:10.040 --> 00:07:12.040 a bad contract and get a first round pick and return, 142 00:07:12.480 --> 00:07:15.519 I probably go that direction personally. But like, I don't 143 00:07:15.560 --> 00:07:19.439 think kJ is nothing either, right, Like, I think that 144 00:07:19.560 --> 00:07:22.839 he can be a role player on a decent team. So, 145 00:07:24.240 --> 00:07:26.120 you know, I think it's it's a good thing that 146 00:07:26.160 --> 00:07:29.000 the Jazz have kind of acquired this this really flexible 147 00:07:29.160 --> 00:07:31.360 contract and can kind of see how he develops over 148 00:07:31.399 --> 00:07:34.759 the last twenty four games. But yeah, you know, I 149 00:07:35.040 --> 00:07:37.759 think I do kind of put kJ in kind of 150 00:07:37.759 --> 00:07:40.399 the just the guy category because he has been moved 151 00:07:40.439 --> 00:07:42.800 around so much, because the numbers haven't been great, and 152 00:07:42.879 --> 00:07:45.439 because you know, again it's just hard to play around 153 00:07:45.439 --> 00:07:48.839 a guy who's struggles with shooting the ball when you 154 00:07:48.879 --> 00:07:52.160 do get the good players. But again, like I don't 155 00:07:52.160 --> 00:07:54.920 think like he's overpaid, and I do think like there's 156 00:07:55.959 --> 00:07:59.360 he can be kind of a connector if you do 157 00:07:59.399 --> 00:08:00.600 get other goods around it. 158 00:08:01.240 --> 00:08:04.800 So let's do the latest on your thoughts. We haven't 159 00:08:04.839 --> 00:08:07.360 done this in a while, but let's just kind of 160 00:08:07.480 --> 00:08:10.000 talk about, you know, where we find ourselves with the 161 00:08:10.040 --> 00:08:15.279 young players, the growth, and you know your current assessment 162 00:08:15.480 --> 00:08:18.600 on what you think they can be as we move forward, 163 00:08:18.600 --> 00:08:20.240 and whether or not you think they're around when the 164 00:08:20.319 --> 00:08:22.920 Jazz are serious about winning again, excuse me. And the 165 00:08:23.000 --> 00:08:25.879 latest player that I'll ask you about is Kyle Philipowski 166 00:08:26.279 --> 00:08:28.480 who prior to last night, and look, Walker came back 167 00:08:28.560 --> 00:08:30.959 last night, so he had fourteen minutes, but prior to 168 00:08:31.040 --> 00:08:33.960 last night was getting some starts, was getting some minutes, 169 00:08:33.960 --> 00:08:37.000 and he was putting up some real nice numbers. And 170 00:08:37.039 --> 00:08:39.440 I think his game against the Blazers may have been 171 00:08:40.159 --> 00:08:41.960 one of if not his best game as a pro. 172 00:08:42.240 --> 00:08:44.799 So what's your current assessment of where we find ourselves 173 00:08:44.840 --> 00:08:45.919 with Kyle Philipowski. 174 00:08:46.759 --> 00:08:50.799 Yeah, he's useful. I mean, like his ability to be 175 00:08:51.440 --> 00:08:54.159 seven foot and play center and can kind of hang 176 00:08:55.360 --> 00:08:59.480 on the glass. He struggled last night on interior defense 177 00:08:59.519 --> 00:09:02.279 against Bonus and Yona silent Tunis, which makes sense because 178 00:09:02.320 --> 00:09:05.039 those guys are just a lot stronger and thicker than 179 00:09:05.080 --> 00:09:08.440 he is. But he can be on the perimeter and 180 00:09:09.120 --> 00:09:11.200 do a lot of you know, like we said when 181 00:09:11.279 --> 00:09:13.799 he was drafted, a lot of Kelly Olyntics stuff, right, 182 00:09:13.879 --> 00:09:16.399 like where he can hit threes from outside, where he 183 00:09:16.440 --> 00:09:18.360 can create offense, where he can you can kind of 184 00:09:18.440 --> 00:09:20.799 use him as an offensive hub up at the top 185 00:09:20.799 --> 00:09:22.639 of the key and then have a lot of off 186 00:09:22.679 --> 00:09:26.039 ball stuff going some split action, which Will Hardy loves. 187 00:09:26.080 --> 00:09:28.759 Like if if there's a trademark of a Will Hardy offense, 188 00:09:29.080 --> 00:09:31.679 it's kind of the off ball split action stuff. Uh, 189 00:09:32.039 --> 00:09:35.320 And Kyle can deliver those passes on time and no 190 00:09:35.320 --> 00:09:38.200 on target and make great reads and I think that's 191 00:09:38.559 --> 00:09:41.480 a really really useful thing in today's NBA. I mean, 192 00:09:41.519 --> 00:09:44.200 you see, like what Al Horford does for the Boston 193 00:09:44.240 --> 00:09:48.559 Celtics offense, Like it is an incredibly useful thing to 194 00:09:48.600 --> 00:09:50.960 have a big man who can kind of create on 195 00:09:51.120 --> 00:09:53.639 off ball stuff. I mean, Draymond with the Warriors does 196 00:09:53.639 --> 00:09:57.120 a lot of that same stuff too, right, Like, you know, 197 00:09:57.399 --> 00:10:00.639 I think there's kind of the the alar To kind 198 00:10:00.639 --> 00:10:03.159 of upside with him, and then I think there's also 199 00:10:03.679 --> 00:10:06.879 a lot of games where he disappears and isn't useful 200 00:10:06.919 --> 00:10:10.360 and you know, is overmatched a little bit, and so 201 00:10:10.480 --> 00:10:13.559 like I think there's like some Frank Kaminsky downside where 202 00:10:13.600 --> 00:10:16.480 like in the end, he's probably you know, right now 203 00:10:16.639 --> 00:10:21.440 too thin to hang on the defensive end. So we'll 204 00:10:21.480 --> 00:10:23.720 see what happens with him. But I gotta say, like 205 00:10:24.200 --> 00:10:27.039 a player that you can like really kind of plug 206 00:10:27.080 --> 00:10:31.440 in a as a someone you know, has an identifiable 207 00:10:31.559 --> 00:10:36.240 role on the offensive end, is is really something that 208 00:10:36.279 --> 00:10:38.559 a lot of the other young jazz players don't have. 209 00:10:38.919 --> 00:10:41.919 And it kind of leaves me to believe that he's 210 00:10:41.960 --> 00:10:45.039 going to have a I feel pretty optimistic about him 211 00:10:45.080 --> 00:10:46.200 having a good NBA career. 212 00:10:46.279 --> 00:10:48.159 We'll kind of just go down the list here, you know, 213 00:10:48.240 --> 00:10:52.720 I feel like Keyante wants the sting of going to 214 00:10:52.759 --> 00:10:55.919 the bench kind of war off and then the pressure 215 00:10:56.039 --> 00:10:58.440 of having to be an initiator when I don't think 216 00:10:58.440 --> 00:11:00.960 that's who he is. I think we've seen more good 217 00:11:01.080 --> 00:11:03.879 than bad defensively. It's just going to be a process, 218 00:11:03.919 --> 00:11:06.120 and you and I have discussed it. But the numbers 219 00:11:06.639 --> 00:11:08.879 as of late have been better and the splits of 220 00:11:08.919 --> 00:11:11.120 bad been a little bit better. Are we seeing Kante 221 00:11:11.320 --> 00:11:13.200 improve in his new role a little bit? 222 00:11:14.039 --> 00:11:17.159 Yeah? I mean I think he's taking advantage of lower 223 00:11:17.200 --> 00:11:19.559 quality defense that's coming off the bench. I mean you 224 00:11:19.639 --> 00:11:22.200 look at like kind of what's changing not a ton 225 00:11:22.320 --> 00:11:24.120 like this. Minis are exactly the same, The points are 226 00:11:24.159 --> 00:11:26.600 exactly the same, but he's a little bit more efficient 227 00:11:26.639 --> 00:11:29.600 because he's getting to the line more often. And that 228 00:11:29.679 --> 00:11:33.039 makes sense, right, Like if you're playing bigger, smarter defenders, 229 00:11:33.519 --> 00:11:36.639 they aren't going to, you know, go for your foul 230 00:11:36.720 --> 00:11:39.679 drawing stuff compared to the bench guys, right, And I 231 00:11:39.679 --> 00:11:42.320 think we've seen that with Kiante. And you know, he's 232 00:11:42.360 --> 00:11:44.360 he's put up some good performances, he's also put up 233 00:11:44.399 --> 00:11:49.679 some really bad performances. You know, I still have some 234 00:11:49.879 --> 00:11:53.000 questions on essentially, like if he's not a point guard, 235 00:11:53.120 --> 00:11:56.039 then it becomes tough because he is relatively small for 236 00:11:56.080 --> 00:11:59.360 a two guard. He's not a defender, and he's not 237 00:11:59.519 --> 00:12:02.360 all that efficient, so like, yeah, you know, like kind 238 00:12:02.360 --> 00:12:04.039 of he does have to be a sixth man a 239 00:12:04.120 --> 00:12:06.840 little bit, right, like in kind of the Jordan Clarkson 240 00:12:06.879 --> 00:12:10.679 mold from his Like, Jordan is a better defender than 241 00:12:10.799 --> 00:12:13.440 Kante right now, and so you hope that Kante can 242 00:12:13.480 --> 00:12:15.879 develop at least to become a Jordan Clarkson defender, which 243 00:12:15.919 --> 00:12:19.559 is not a good one, but a passable one. Yeah, 244 00:12:19.679 --> 00:12:22.679 you know, I think he shows against a lot of 245 00:12:22.759 --> 00:12:25.039 kind of the same Jordan Clarkson like can catch on 246 00:12:25.120 --> 00:12:29.000 fire on stuff, and obviously at certain point, points are 247 00:12:29.159 --> 00:12:32.000 the name of the game, and that's that's great. He's 248 00:12:32.000 --> 00:12:34.440 got to tune the efficiency to be up four or 249 00:12:34.519 --> 00:12:37.840 five percent across the board and then all of a 250 00:12:37.879 --> 00:12:42.240 sudden he becomes a really viable player as is. Yeah, 251 00:12:42.360 --> 00:12:44.679 you know it it's just is going to need improvement 252 00:12:44.759 --> 00:12:47.720 because it does get you know, it's so up and 253 00:12:47.759 --> 00:12:48.600 down some night tonight. 254 00:12:49.200 --> 00:12:52.240 Can he become a Jordan Clarkson level defender as a sentence, 255 00:12:52.320 --> 00:12:54.799 I never thought i'd hear anybody say Andy. 256 00:12:56.000 --> 00:12:58.840 Jordan's a little underrated defensively, Like I think he is 257 00:12:59.039 --> 00:13:02.399 a three out of ten defender, where people think he's 258 00:13:02.440 --> 00:13:04.399 a one out of ten defender. Maybe even I would 259 00:13:04.399 --> 00:13:08.320 even put Jordan Clarkson a four out of ten defender. Well, yeah, 260 00:13:08.399 --> 00:13:12.279 I know, high praise, but yeah, I mean Kanty is 261 00:13:12.279 --> 00:13:14.000 a one out of ten defender. Yeah, yeah, right, I 262 00:13:14.039 --> 00:13:16.000 think it's moving to the bench. Maybe he's been a 263 00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:18.159 two out of ten. It does need to jump a 264 00:13:18.200 --> 00:13:19.840 couple levels. 265 00:13:19.679 --> 00:13:20.039 All right. 266 00:13:20.279 --> 00:13:22.799 I haven't asked you about Bryce Sensiba in a while, 267 00:13:23.000 --> 00:13:27.159 and he went he had a rough stretch there. I 268 00:13:27.200 --> 00:13:28.919 think I saw on the broadcast at one point he 269 00:13:28.960 --> 00:13:30.960 was like two of his last twenty five from three 270 00:13:31.080 --> 00:13:34.519 or something. And I don't know, like I've always thought 271 00:13:34.519 --> 00:13:36.519 maybe when it's fully baked, he could have like this 272 00:13:36.559 --> 00:13:39.399 little Dennis Scott role in the league. And there are 273 00:13:39.399 --> 00:13:41.759 some nights where he's knocking down shots and he looks good. 274 00:13:41.759 --> 00:13:43.799 Another night's where he just looks completely lost. And you're 275 00:13:43.799 --> 00:13:47.240 expecting that from a player, certainly who is young at 276 00:13:47.240 --> 00:13:49.519 twenty one years old. But what's the latest Andy Larson 277 00:13:49.600 --> 00:13:52.840 take on the progress or lack thereof Bryce Sensiba. 278 00:13:53.960 --> 00:13:57.440 Yeah, I mean he's got a thinner and stronger body 279 00:13:57.480 --> 00:13:59.679 than he used to, which means he doesn't look as 280 00:13:59.799 --> 00:14:02.759 high as he did in his rookie season, which is 281 00:14:02.799 --> 00:14:05.840 a good thing. He's still not making impact on the 282 00:14:05.840 --> 00:14:09.720 defensive end. He's a better passer and rebounder probably than 283 00:14:09.759 --> 00:14:12.159 he gets credit for. And and then again, like it 284 00:14:12.240 --> 00:14:15.120 does for so many NBA players, especially role players, especially 285 00:14:15.720 --> 00:14:18.799 you know, twos and threes, it's about whether or not 286 00:14:18.840 --> 00:14:21.200 he can shoot. And if he shoots, if he makes 287 00:14:21.240 --> 00:14:23.279 thirty eight percent of his threes, he's a useful player, 288 00:14:23.320 --> 00:14:25.120 and if he makes thirty two percent of his threes, 289 00:14:25.120 --> 00:14:27.759 he's not. And I mean that's where we are in 290 00:14:27.799 --> 00:14:30.080 the NBA. When fifty percent of the shots are threes 291 00:14:30.120 --> 00:14:32.480 and so much of your job is providing spacing for 292 00:14:32.519 --> 00:14:37.919 the stars, it's hard for me to imagine like him, 293 00:14:38.519 --> 00:14:41.159 uh finding a role if he's not able to kind 294 00:14:41.159 --> 00:14:45.559 of consistently keep those shooting percentages high. That being said, 295 00:14:45.759 --> 00:14:48.120 like I kind of believe in his shot more than 296 00:14:48.200 --> 00:14:51.600 any of the other young players like it. He showed 297 00:14:51.639 --> 00:14:54.200 an ability to shoot in college. He shows an ability 298 00:14:54.200 --> 00:14:55.919 to shoot and practice and warm up at a really 299 00:14:56.000 --> 00:14:58.559 high level. I kind of believe in him as a 300 00:14:58.639 --> 00:15:01.480 thirty eight percent shooter, and so then like, okay, then 301 00:15:01.759 --> 00:15:04.559 all of a sudden makes sense as a eighth ninth 302 00:15:04.559 --> 00:15:06.720 pence guy off the bench who can can kind of 303 00:15:06.720 --> 00:15:10.639 hang around, but you know it actually has to be 304 00:15:10.720 --> 00:15:14.399 that kick away in the NBA games, and him avoiding 305 00:15:14.440 --> 00:15:16.759 those shooting pumps as long as possible is huge for 306 00:15:16.840 --> 00:15:17.200 his career. 307 00:15:17.559 --> 00:15:19.759 I go back and forth with Isaiah Callier. 308 00:15:20.399 --> 00:15:22.879 I do think there's a lot to like, and more 309 00:15:22.919 --> 00:15:25.799 than anything else, I just didn't expect him to grab 310 00:15:25.840 --> 00:15:27.279 the starting job and get minutes. 311 00:15:27.320 --> 00:15:29.559 So it's been I'll call it a pleasant surprise. 312 00:15:30.320 --> 00:15:32.080 It's the same stuff though, that you and I have 313 00:15:32.159 --> 00:15:35.080 talked about for for all the assist numbers there are, 314 00:15:35.240 --> 00:15:37.799 and he was clean last night, no turnovers last night. 315 00:15:37.840 --> 00:15:40.559 But if we expand back, there are three or four 316 00:15:40.639 --> 00:15:43.720 possessions every game. I'm like, what exactly did you see 317 00:15:43.720 --> 00:15:45.559 there when you decided to make that pass? 318 00:15:45.960 --> 00:15:48.000 And then it's the shooting stuff. It's nothing new. 319 00:15:48.039 --> 00:15:51.279 I mean, you cannot be a lead guard or a 320 00:15:51.320 --> 00:15:53.679 guard period, a wing period, or maybe even a player 321 00:15:53.840 --> 00:15:55.799 period in the modern day and age NBA if you're 322 00:15:55.799 --> 00:15:57.720 gonna be a twenty five percent three point shooter. But 323 00:15:58.240 --> 00:16:01.000 your latest take on the progress of Isaiah and how 324 00:16:01.039 --> 00:16:03.679 he's responded to getting the nod as the starting lead guard. 325 00:16:04.480 --> 00:16:06.759 Yeah, I mean, I'll give him this that he has 326 00:16:06.799 --> 00:16:09.600 made this season much more watchable than it was when 327 00:16:09.600 --> 00:16:13.120 he wasn't playing right. Sure, Yes, to have a jazz 328 00:16:13.159 --> 00:16:15.559 player who is not looking for his own shop but 329 00:16:15.720 --> 00:16:18.720 looking up to set up other others, who is looking 330 00:16:18.759 --> 00:16:21.679 to push the pace, who is looking to and is 331 00:16:21.759 --> 00:16:25.759 capable of making kind of highlight reel passes and setting 332 00:16:25.840 --> 00:16:29.360 up it's just so much better to watch than it 333 00:16:29.480 --> 00:16:33.080 was earlier in the season. So you know, infinite props 334 00:16:33.080 --> 00:16:37.320 and will always remember as a collier for at least that. Yeah, 335 00:16:37.360 --> 00:16:39.799 and then you know it becomes okay if teams actually 336 00:16:39.840 --> 00:16:42.399 do start to scout the jazz, are they going to 337 00:16:42.679 --> 00:16:47.480 hang ten feet off of Isaiah? And I think at 338 00:16:47.480 --> 00:16:51.039 this point they would, And then you know, so next year, 339 00:16:51.080 --> 00:16:54.279 can he become a thirty to thirty two three point 340 00:16:54.320 --> 00:16:57.399 hooterrather than just a twenty five percent one? You mentioned 341 00:16:57.440 --> 00:17:00.799 the turnovers, Like, the turnovers have to improve. I honestly 342 00:17:00.840 --> 00:17:02.639 think like over the last month, month and a half, 343 00:17:02.720 --> 00:17:06.319 the turnovers have been largely fine. So that's been really 344 00:17:06.400 --> 00:17:09.039 impressive to see as a again as a Sturning point guard. 345 00:17:10.720 --> 00:17:13.119 You know, I believe in him to be a setup 346 00:17:13.160 --> 00:17:17.319 man in the NBA, as you know as that it's 347 00:17:17.359 --> 00:17:19.559 just like, yeah, you know, if you want to play 348 00:17:19.559 --> 00:17:22.000 in the playoffs, then you have to be able to shoot, 349 00:17:22.160 --> 00:17:24.839 and uh, well, we'll see how that goes. But I 350 00:17:24.839 --> 00:17:26.440 think there's a lot of other stuff to like. I 351 00:17:26.440 --> 00:17:28.480 think you have to like kind of his demeanor about 352 00:17:28.480 --> 00:17:31.160 how he's attacked this rookie year, despite being the number 353 00:17:31.200 --> 00:17:33.680 one overall recruit, to be as kind of selfless as 354 00:17:33.680 --> 00:17:37.839 he has been is really impressive. There's a lot of 355 00:17:37.839 --> 00:17:41.680 good stuff there, and so I'm kind of inclined to 356 00:17:41.680 --> 00:17:44.400 give him the benefit of doubt, the doubt on the shooting, 357 00:17:44.599 --> 00:17:46.480 or at least give him the chance to see what 358 00:17:46.559 --> 00:17:49.319 he can do, because the other stuff in his game 359 00:17:49.400 --> 00:17:50.319 has been really good. 360 00:17:50.839 --> 00:17:52.880 I will ask you about Taylor, but only what you're 361 00:17:52.880 --> 00:17:56.759 hearing Taylor Hendrix about the recovery and how he's attackeded. 362 00:17:56.839 --> 00:17:59.559 It's impossible to analyze his game because he hasn't played 363 00:17:59.559 --> 00:18:01.559 in forever and he's heard. But what are you hearing 364 00:18:01.559 --> 00:18:03.920 about the progress off the floor the Taylor Hendrix is 365 00:18:03.960 --> 00:18:05.039 making in his recovery. 366 00:18:05.880 --> 00:18:06.079 Yeah. 367 00:18:06.240 --> 00:18:11.559 Talk to Justin Zanak actually about him today at jazz practice. 368 00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:14.599 Sounds like he is really attacking the weight room and 369 00:18:14.920 --> 00:18:18.400 growing his body in a significant way. So I believe 370 00:18:18.599 --> 00:18:21.039 before the season or maybe lasting and I think he 371 00:18:21.079 --> 00:18:23.839 was at tuner seventeen pounds and then I heard today 372 00:18:23.880 --> 00:18:26.559 that he was at two forty five or thereabouts. So 373 00:18:26.880 --> 00:18:29.119 you know, that's a significant game. And you know, I 374 00:18:29.160 --> 00:18:31.519 think maybe some of that's because he hasn't playing, but 375 00:18:32.160 --> 00:18:34.440 from what I hear, it's because he's changed his body 376 00:18:34.440 --> 00:18:36.519 and become much more muscular. I mean, I think we 377 00:18:36.599 --> 00:18:39.000 saw that even in the first three games he had 378 00:18:39.000 --> 00:18:41.640 gained I think he said seventeen pounds and so now 379 00:18:41.680 --> 00:18:43.640 we're up to twenty seven twenty eight or so. Like 380 00:18:44.039 --> 00:18:46.640 that's that's a that's a big jump. And I think 381 00:18:47.039 --> 00:18:49.400 that kind of weight game, that strength is is really 382 00:18:49.440 --> 00:18:53.200 good for him. But yeah, you know, then the rest 383 00:18:53.200 --> 00:18:54.720 of the game is a question mark, right, Like so 384 00:18:55.240 --> 00:18:57.599 I think I feel pretty good about him being a 385 00:18:59.119 --> 00:19:01.920 good NBA to you know, like from what I saw 386 00:19:02.519 --> 00:19:04.440 early in the season, Like, I feel good about him 387 00:19:04.440 --> 00:19:06.640 being a for using that one to ten scale of 388 00:19:06.640 --> 00:19:09.440 seven or eight out of ten, NBA defender, and maybe 389 00:19:09.440 --> 00:19:12.240 he can get even better than that. The offense has 390 00:19:12.240 --> 00:19:14.039 to come along, right, Like, he's either got to be 391 00:19:14.079 --> 00:19:15.960 able to shoot the ball really well at that point 392 00:19:16.119 --> 00:19:19.039 or do a little bit more off the dribble to 393 00:19:19.599 --> 00:19:22.319 take advantage of closeouts and things like that. So we'll 394 00:19:22.319 --> 00:19:24.319 see how that happens. You know, he hasn't been able 395 00:19:24.319 --> 00:19:26.160 to practice any of that. He just barely got out 396 00:19:26.160 --> 00:19:30.000 of a walking boot. But yeah, well we'll see. You know, 397 00:19:30.039 --> 00:19:32.680 he's probably not going to play in summer League. It's 398 00:19:32.720 --> 00:19:35.079 going to be a waiting process. And then obviously I 399 00:19:35.079 --> 00:19:38.240 think there's going to be kind of a recovery, you know, 400 00:19:38.519 --> 00:19:40.799 knocking out the RUSS process at the beginning of next year, 401 00:19:40.799 --> 00:19:42.920