WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.120 --> 00:00:01.480 Let's start off with a champion. 2 00:00:02.240 --> 00:00:05.360 Let's start off with somebody that just stacks trophies two 3 00:00:05.719 --> 00:00:08.119 Utah Sports Writer of the Year awards, Our Queen Sarah 4 00:00:08.160 --> 00:00:10.960 Todd on a Tuesday, Hello, champion, how are you? 5 00:00:12.599 --> 00:00:15.960 I'm doing great? I mean, after an interest that I 6 00:00:16.120 --> 00:00:16.960 not be doing great? 7 00:00:17.519 --> 00:00:19.640 What's it like just to win awards all the time 8 00:00:19.800 --> 00:00:21.440 as opposed to those of us who just do our 9 00:00:21.519 --> 00:00:23.920 job every day and nobody ever recognizes our awesome work. 10 00:00:24.800 --> 00:00:26.640 It's hard. It's hard to be me, you know. 11 00:00:28.519 --> 00:00:31.519 Oh goodness, Sarah, I want to start with I would 12 00:00:31.559 --> 00:00:34.320 imagine you were able to get to know Alex Jensen 13 00:00:34.320 --> 00:00:36.560 a little bit during his stint here. He was here 14 00:00:36.640 --> 00:00:39.159 ten years and overlapped with you taking your job, and 15 00:00:39.880 --> 00:00:42.719 a lot of reports, including our very own Sean O'Connell. 16 00:00:42.799 --> 00:00:47.200 John Rostinho covers college basketball. It's not done yet, you know, 17 00:00:47.280 --> 00:00:50.719 obviously there's contracts and negotiations that have to take place, 18 00:00:50.719 --> 00:00:53.920 but it sure seems to indicate Alex Jensen's high speed 19 00:00:53.960 --> 00:00:56.159 ahead to moving back to Salt Lake City to take 20 00:00:56.159 --> 00:00:58.520 the Utah Mend's head coaching job. 21 00:00:58.880 --> 00:01:01.039 What are your thoughts on this situation? 22 00:01:02.920 --> 00:01:08.079 I mean, I think it's clear but there's obviously a 23 00:01:08.079 --> 00:01:11.040 lot that went into like Kevin Young going to b 24 00:01:11.200 --> 00:01:15.040 YU right like, and there's there's even more to it 25 00:01:15.079 --> 00:01:17.840 when you consider Ryan Smith and the connections that like 26 00:01:17.920 --> 00:01:20.480 Guenny Angi and stuff have. But even if it was 27 00:01:20.640 --> 00:01:23.480 just Kevin Young and not all of the other factors, 28 00:01:23.519 --> 00:01:30.040 having someone that has that much NBA experience and can 29 00:01:30.159 --> 00:01:32.760 look at these young guys and say, like, if that's 30 00:01:32.799 --> 00:01:34.760 where you want to go, I know how you what 31 00:01:34.799 --> 00:01:37.599 you have to do to get there, like, and it's 32 00:01:37.840 --> 00:01:40.799 it's not like they were NBA coaches twenty years ago, 33 00:01:41.000 --> 00:01:45.079 right like it was yesterday. And so those kinds of 34 00:01:45.120 --> 00:01:48.519 things really really help recruiting. And I think that at 35 00:01:48.640 --> 00:01:51.799 these young kids, like that's what they want, right, And yeah, 36 00:01:51.840 --> 00:01:55.239 the chances are slim, but it's good. And as for Alex, like, 37 00:01:56.000 --> 00:01:57.879 he's a great person. I got to know him his 38 00:01:57.959 --> 00:02:01.879 wife actually his father in law on to while they 39 00:02:01.879 --> 00:02:05.519 were hearing Utah and they're great people. They're good coaches, 40 00:02:05.760 --> 00:02:12.360 and Alex was loved by the people that he coached, 41 00:02:12.479 --> 00:02:16.319 and that's also important. So as the way that I 42 00:02:16.360 --> 00:02:18.759 see it is only good things. 43 00:02:19.240 --> 00:02:22.039 Tell me one more question here, because he is widely 44 00:02:22.080 --> 00:02:26.439 credited and credited by Quinn himself as well with the 45 00:02:26.479 --> 00:02:30.159 evolution of mainly Rudy as far as the bigs go, 46 00:02:30.280 --> 00:02:32.080 But of course he coached fab He coached a lot 47 00:02:32.120 --> 00:02:34.719 of those young jazz bigs ns while he was here 48 00:02:34.759 --> 00:02:38.080 as well. But you know, the evolution of Rudy Gobert 49 00:02:38.280 --> 00:02:41.240 from his rookie year where it just didn't look like 50 00:02:41.319 --> 00:02:44.080 it was going to work at all, quite frankly, to 51 00:02:44.199 --> 00:02:46.919 a Hall of Famer, multiple Defensive Player of the Year, 52 00:02:47.000 --> 00:02:49.960 multiple All Star Awards. Look, Rudy deserves the bulk of 53 00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:52.599 that credit. But if you talk to anybody around the organization, 54 00:02:53.360 --> 00:02:56.560 they were glowing with their praise about the way Alex 55 00:02:56.599 --> 00:02:58.599 worked with him. Tell me what you saw with that 56 00:02:58.719 --> 00:03:01.000 Dynamics Eraah, yeah. 57 00:03:00.840 --> 00:03:03.280 I wasn't here for the early days of that, but 58 00:03:03.319 --> 00:03:06.120 I certainly talked to Rudy a lot in the years 59 00:03:06.159 --> 00:03:09.360 that I was here. And it's not just people about 60 00:03:09.400 --> 00:03:13.120 around the organization, like Rudy would credit Alex with so 61 00:03:13.280 --> 00:03:16.280 much of his development. And I think that you know, 62 00:03:16.319 --> 00:03:18.840 you're right that Rudy deserves the bulk of that credit. 63 00:03:18.919 --> 00:03:20.840 But if he's the one that's going to be giving 64 00:03:20.879 --> 00:03:23.280 credit to someone, then like you have to listen to 65 00:03:23.319 --> 00:03:27.800 what he's saying. And there's so much when these young players, 66 00:03:27.840 --> 00:03:29.159 and we're looking at it so much of it now 67 00:03:29.199 --> 00:03:32.400 with the Utah Jazz, right Like, when these young players 68 00:03:32.439 --> 00:03:35.919 are developing, there's a lot of guesswork, and it's about 69 00:03:36.240 --> 00:03:39.639 maximizing potential that someone in the outside sees, but also 70 00:03:40.159 --> 00:03:42.599 the person that is developing has to be willing to 71 00:03:42.680 --> 00:03:45.240 kind of like grab the opportunity with both hands and 72 00:03:45.280 --> 00:03:47.039 like really go for it. And it had it all 73 00:03:47.199 --> 00:03:50.280 is like it needs to be the perfect storm. And 74 00:03:50.319 --> 00:03:55.080 I think that at that time, like Rudy his determination work, ethic, 75 00:03:56.039 --> 00:03:59.360 Alex Jensen, what he was willing to do, how hard 76 00:03:59.400 --> 00:04:01.599 he wanted to put Trudy because from what I've heard, 77 00:04:01.680 --> 00:04:04.120 like he really challenged him and pushed him in a 78 00:04:04.159 --> 00:04:07.479 way that no one else would. It was just the 79 00:04:07.879 --> 00:04:10.639 perfect storm. 80 00:04:09.960 --> 00:04:10.319 All right. 81 00:04:10.400 --> 00:04:12.280 Moving over now to the Utah Jazz, Let's start with 82 00:04:12.319 --> 00:04:16.759 some fun news for Isaiah Callier named Western Conference Rookie 83 00:04:16.879 --> 00:04:20.160 of the Month for the month of February. You know, 84 00:04:20.199 --> 00:04:21.920 he's kind of caught a lot of people off guard. 85 00:04:21.959 --> 00:04:24.600 Of course, we know the background. He was very highly 86 00:04:24.720 --> 00:04:26.879 recruited coming out of high school. One of those players 87 00:04:27.399 --> 00:04:29.720 kind of like Michael Porter Junior was, where if they 88 00:04:29.720 --> 00:04:31.920 were allowed to enter out of high school, Isaiah might 89 00:04:31.959 --> 00:04:35.480 have been a top five pick. Goes DEAs See doesn't 90 00:04:35.519 --> 00:04:38.120 go all that well because you know, that was a 91 00:04:38.160 --> 00:04:42.759 bit of a mess with with Andy Enfield on his 92 00:04:42.839 --> 00:04:45.040 way out and they had Bronni there as well, and 93 00:04:45.120 --> 00:04:47.199 so he slipped in the draft. The Jazz were able 94 00:04:47.199 --> 00:04:48.959 to grab him late in the first and ever since, 95 00:04:49.000 --> 00:04:52.480 Will made the choice to start Isaiah and bench Keyante 96 00:04:52.920 --> 00:04:54.680 and we'll get to Kiante and a moment, let's stick 97 00:04:54.720 --> 00:04:57.480 with Isaiah. I think Isaiah's really responded. So what do 98 00:04:57.519 --> 00:05:00.480 you make of as far as the way he's embrace 99 00:05:00.560 --> 00:05:03.519 the potential to start as the lead guard, the way 100 00:05:03.519 --> 00:05:05.480 he's played in your thoughts on this fun award for 101 00:05:05.519 --> 00:05:08.079 this young kid, Yeah, I. 102 00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:11.759 Think, you know, well deserved because he has He's kind 103 00:05:11.800 --> 00:05:16.199 of responded with an opportunity and done really well. I 104 00:05:17.759 --> 00:05:20.160 get a lot of flack because I'm not as high 105 00:05:20.160 --> 00:05:22.079 on Isaiah as a lot of other people are, but 106 00:05:22.120 --> 00:05:26.639 that's because, like I'm I'm thinking, you know, five years 107 00:05:26.680 --> 00:05:29.839 down the line. Every night that I watch this team, 108 00:05:30.079 --> 00:05:32.920 every time that I interact with anyone. I'm trying to 109 00:05:32.959 --> 00:05:35.639 think what's this going to look like five years from now? 110 00:05:35.639 --> 00:05:40.319 And so I'm thinking, is Isaiah Callier? Is he good 111 00:05:40.439 --> 00:05:43.319 enough to be a starting NBA point guard on a 112 00:05:43.319 --> 00:05:46.360 team that's actually trying to win a championship? And I 113 00:05:46.720 --> 00:05:48.680 know that that's a crazy question to ask if someone 114 00:05:48.759 --> 00:05:51.120 like midway through their rookie year, right, but like, I 115 00:05:51.199 --> 00:05:54.480 just need to continually be asking those questions about every 116 00:05:54.480 --> 00:05:58.319 player on this team. And if it's not that question, 117 00:05:58.480 --> 00:06:03.120 it's is this player good enough to be included in 118 00:06:03.160 --> 00:06:06.160 a trade that would get the Jazz something of value 119 00:06:06.199 --> 00:06:08.079 that would be useful for a team that wants to 120 00:06:08.120 --> 00:06:11.680 win a championship? And so I think that he's making 121 00:06:11.959 --> 00:06:15.199 all of the right steps in that direction. I love 122 00:06:15.279 --> 00:06:17.560 the pace that he plays with. It's my favorite part 123 00:06:17.560 --> 00:06:20.680 of his game is like the way that he pushes 124 00:06:20.879 --> 00:06:23.519 the ball, not just for how it results for him, 125 00:06:23.560 --> 00:06:26.639 but how it forces the other players on the team 126 00:06:26.720 --> 00:06:29.720 to kind of get in line and they need that, 127 00:06:30.040 --> 00:06:32.040 and so I think that that sets such a good 128 00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:36.079 example for everybody on the team. Obviously, his passing is great, 129 00:06:36.639 --> 00:06:39.519 but I have to I have to ask the Devil's 130 00:06:39.519 --> 00:06:45.240 advocate questions like, is his passing look great? Because there 131 00:06:45.959 --> 00:06:48.000 the most recent people we were watching past the ball 132 00:06:48.079 --> 00:06:51.120 is Tayalen Harton Tucker and Kiante George. It is just 133 00:06:51.199 --> 00:06:53.120 passing great because no one else on the team is 134 00:06:53.160 --> 00:06:56.480 passing the ball like someone The assists got to go somewhere, right, 135 00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:00.759 And is this the kind of guy that could play 136 00:07:00.759 --> 00:07:03.839 point guard in the playoffs? And I think that those 137 00:07:03.879 --> 00:07:05.879 are still question marks. I don't think that those are 138 00:07:05.920 --> 00:07:08.240 answered yet, and so do I hope that those are 139 00:07:08.279 --> 00:07:11.560 answered and that he continues to develop and he's great. Absolutely, 140 00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:15.720 is the is the award from the NBA deserved? Absolutely, 141 00:07:15.800 --> 00:07:18.120 But he's still a rookie and so I'm still waiting. 142 00:07:18.560 --> 00:07:20.439 Well, And the other thing, Sarah, is if you're going 143 00:07:20.480 --> 00:07:22.480 to be a leadue guard in pro basketball in the 144 00:07:22.519 --> 00:07:24.560 year of our lower twenty twenty five, you can't shoot 145 00:07:24.600 --> 00:07:28.519 twenty three percent from three? You know, he's good. You know, 146 00:07:28.600 --> 00:07:30.319 I don't know if it's getting jumpers up over the 147 00:07:30.360 --> 00:07:32.519 off season. I will say this, I have and I 148 00:07:32.519 --> 00:07:33.079 get asked this. 149 00:07:33.040 --> 00:07:34.480 All the time. You probably do as well. 150 00:07:34.920 --> 00:07:37.560 You can learn to shoot, okay, you can learn to 151 00:07:37.560 --> 00:07:39.519 shoot on this level. You just have to put in 152 00:07:39.600 --> 00:07:42.519 a lot of work and be willing to get up 153 00:07:42.560 --> 00:07:44.920 early and go meet with your shooting coach and get 154 00:07:45.000 --> 00:07:48.519 hundreds of jumpers up every single day in the offseason. 155 00:07:48.600 --> 00:07:49.879 Karl Malung was a rookie. 156 00:07:50.199 --> 00:07:52.800 We would pray that he would hit the backboard when 157 00:07:52.839 --> 00:07:54.519 he was shooting free throws of the rim, just to 158 00:07:54.519 --> 00:07:55.839 get the you know, just to be able to get 159 00:07:55.839 --> 00:07:57.920 the rebound. And he turned himself into a really good 160 00:07:57.959 --> 00:07:59.959 spot up you know, face up shooter, a good free 161 00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:02.240 throw shooter as well, so you can learn to shoot. 162 00:08:03.079 --> 00:08:05.439 When Isaiah is fully baked, what do you think it 163 00:08:05.480 --> 00:08:05.879 looks like? 164 00:08:07.240 --> 00:08:10.759 Yeah, I mean Brook Lopez is a person that is 165 00:08:10.800 --> 00:08:13.519 in the NBA, right, Like, we have seen guys not 166 00:08:14.600 --> 00:08:17.439 even like Isaiah has the benefit of like, well, he 167 00:08:17.680 --> 00:08:20.920 already shoots the ball some right, Like, there are guys 168 00:08:20.920 --> 00:08:23.399 who like did not shoot the ball at all and 169 00:08:23.439 --> 00:08:25.720 then have become good, good shooters. 170 00:08:26.120 --> 00:08:26.519 And so. 171 00:08:28.319 --> 00:08:31.920 There is one hundred percent chance, you're right, a chance, 172 00:08:32.200 --> 00:08:35.120 an opportunity potential that he could learn how to do this. 173 00:08:35.799 --> 00:08:39.879 But you know, when he's fully baked, like, what does 174 00:08:39.879 --> 00:08:42.519 that look like? I can't say like one hundred percent 175 00:08:42.840 --> 00:08:46.240 that he's going to he could, right, And so you 176 00:08:46.320 --> 00:08:47.919 still have to put a question mark on there. I 177 00:08:47.960 --> 00:08:49.799 can't say that he's going to be able to like 178 00:08:49.799 --> 00:08:51.720 if you're going to throw him in the playoffs right now, 179 00:08:52.159 --> 00:08:54.279 absolutely not. He cannot be your lead guard if he 180 00:08:54.279 --> 00:08:58.279 can't shoot. And also if he is still willing to 181 00:08:58.799 --> 00:09:01.200 kind of run down hill and not always have a 182 00:09:01.240 --> 00:09:06.360 backup plan or you know, run into like three guys 183 00:09:06.399 --> 00:09:07.919 that are way bigger than him and try and like 184 00:09:07.960 --> 00:09:09.799 shoot over him. Like, there's the infot his game that 185 00:09:09.840 --> 00:09:12.399 he needs to clean up. Turnovers and shooting are the 186 00:09:12.399 --> 00:09:15.960 biggest one, and as Will Hardy has been pointing out lately, 187 00:09:16.200 --> 00:09:21.399 like his ball pressure, his defensive effort, and how much 188 00:09:21.399 --> 00:09:23.720 attention to detail he is using on that end of 189 00:09:23.759 --> 00:09:27.480 the floor, those are the things that have to actually 190 00:09:27.519 --> 00:09:29.679 develop in order for him to be considered a guard 191 00:09:30.039 --> 00:09:31.600 that could last into a postseason. 192 00:09:32.159 --> 00:09:34.840 I don't care if you're John Havlichak, Mounto Genobili or 193 00:09:34.919 --> 00:09:37.399 Keyante George. When your coach comes to you and says 194 00:09:37.399 --> 00:09:39.600 you're not starting anymore, you're going to take that as 195 00:09:39.600 --> 00:09:43.159 a demotion. And you could see it in Keyante's body 196 00:09:43.240 --> 00:09:45.600 language early on, and quite frankly, you could see it 197 00:09:45.639 --> 00:09:48.360 in the production. And you know, when you look at 198 00:09:48.440 --> 00:09:50.960 a lot of his splits, there are still numbers that 199 00:09:51.000 --> 00:09:52.159 are very concerning. 200 00:09:52.240 --> 00:09:54.559 But he has been a little bit better as of late. 201 00:09:54.639 --> 00:09:57.759 The three point percentage is up to thirty five percent, 202 00:09:57.840 --> 00:10:00.960 the field goal percentage is up to forty percent. I 203 00:10:01.039 --> 00:10:03.399 don't know what we can do to get our guy 204 00:10:03.440 --> 00:10:05.200 to at least pretend like he's going to try to 205 00:10:05.200 --> 00:10:08.799 guard because that things. Still, he's a marathon away from 206 00:10:08.799 --> 00:10:10.879 being an acceptable NBA defensive player. 207 00:10:11.279 --> 00:10:13.320 But same question asked you about Isaiah. 208 00:10:13.399 --> 00:10:16.399 Since this rotational switch took place, what are your thoughts 209 00:10:16.399 --> 00:10:17.799 on the way Kante has handled it? 210 00:10:18.960 --> 00:10:23.360 Yeah, I mean you're absolutely right, Like when Keyante is 211 00:10:23.399 --> 00:10:25.200 pushed down to the bench, like you can see it 212 00:10:25.200 --> 00:10:27.480 in the body language, like he is taking it as emotion. 213 00:10:27.679 --> 00:10:29.960 But I think that's kind of the key word here, right, 214 00:10:30.039 --> 00:10:32.200 Like the body language wasn't that great when he was 215 00:10:32.200 --> 00:10:37.000 a starter? Right like he was. He carries himself in 216 00:10:37.039 --> 00:10:39.480 a way that makes you feel like he is deserving 217 00:10:39.519 --> 00:10:42.120 of something, But we have to remember how young he 218 00:10:42.240 --> 00:10:44.919 is and that he needs to prove he deserves something still, 219 00:10:45.519 --> 00:10:48.279 and absolutely he should be taking it as a demotion. 220 00:10:48.519 --> 00:10:50.440 He should be looking at it as like, oh wow, 221 00:10:50.480 --> 00:10:52.960 I need to like really do something and wake up 222 00:10:53.039 --> 00:11:00.000 and show everyone that I'm not san diva. I'm not entitled. 223 00:11:00.159 --> 00:11:02.840 I don't think that I deserve everything. And I'm not 224 00:11:02.919 --> 00:11:05.759 saying that he acts like a diva, but like he 225 00:11:05.879 --> 00:11:08.120 had a real opportunity with the Jaess Human right now, 226 00:11:08.159 --> 00:11:10.440 like Isaiah Collier is taking that away and that's not 227 00:11:10.440 --> 00:11:11.919 anybody's fault but Kiante's. 228 00:11:12.559 --> 00:11:12.919 And so. 229 00:11:14.480 --> 00:11:17.519 What's really interesting about Kiante, and I think is really obvious, 230 00:11:17.559 --> 00:11:19.799 is that there have been a couple of games when 231 00:11:19.799 --> 00:11:22.480 we've seen him try on defense, and there have been 232 00:11:22.519 --> 00:11:25.600 games where we've seen him really take care of the ball. 233 00:11:25.960 --> 00:11:29.080 And so it's not like we it's not like he 234 00:11:29.120 --> 00:11:30.480 has a game where it's like, oh, I don't know 235 00:11:30.480 --> 00:11:32.399 if he can do that, we have to still wait 236 00:11:32.440 --> 00:11:33.960 and see. It's like, no, we know that he can 237 00:11:34.000 --> 00:11:36.039 do it. It's just that he's not doing it. And 238 00:11:36.120 --> 00:11:38.480 so that's where the problem is with Kiante. I think 239 00:11:38.519 --> 00:11:42.720 that Kiante has all of the skill and potential to 240 00:11:42.919 --> 00:11:46.639 be a really good player, and it's just whether or 241 00:11:46.720 --> 00:11:49.679 not he's going to want it bad enough to do it. 242 00:11:50.279 --> 00:11:53.960 And some guys come into the league with that kind 243 00:11:54.000 --> 00:11:57.399 of skill and they're able to maximize all of it 244 00:11:57.639 --> 00:12:02.080 and they become really good players, Like you know, borderline 245 00:12:02.159 --> 00:12:05.159 all star is what you could see out of him. 246 00:12:05.879 --> 00:12:09.320 But if he's not going to use all of his 247 00:12:09.399 --> 00:12:11.960 skill and maximize all the potential that he has and 248 00:12:12.039 --> 00:12:15.679 really take a hold of the opportunity, then he probably 249 00:12:15.720 --> 00:12:17.639 will just end up as like a seventh man in 250 00:12:18.039 --> 00:12:20.240 the league. And that's not bad, but it's not as 251 00:12:20.240 --> 00:12:23.000 good as he can be. And so I think that 252 00:12:23.000 --> 00:12:26.399 that's like the message here right Like Will Hardy, I'm 253 00:12:26.440 --> 00:12:30.480 sure has said similar things, but he's not gonna, you know, 254 00:12:30.639 --> 00:12:33.559 just take take Keiante out of the starting lineup and 255 00:12:33.600 --> 00:12:35.879 put a rookie in his place and not have said 256 00:12:35.919 --> 00:12:39.000 things to him. And so I have to imagine that 257 00:12:39.080 --> 00:12:42.879 Kiante has heard all of this, and now we just 258 00:12:42.919 --> 00:12:44.519 have to see how he handles it from this point 259 00:12:44.559 --> 00:12:45.120 moving forward. 260 00:12:45.279 --> 00:12:48.279 There was a lot to like about Kyle Philipowski in college. 261 00:12:48.600 --> 00:12:52.960 The questions, as it always is, is will that translate 262 00:12:53.320 --> 00:12:55.559 to the pros when he's not thought to be some 263 00:12:56.159 --> 00:12:59.519 dynamite athlete with great speed and great explosiveness, But he's 264 00:12:59.519 --> 00:13:03.679 got good has good skill and in spurts and moments, 265 00:13:03.759 --> 00:13:06.440 it has translated, and certainly over the past month month 266 00:13:06.440 --> 00:13:09.120 and a half when he's had more opportunities, we've seen 267 00:13:09.159 --> 00:13:12.039 some really good games from Kyle Philipowski. Just same question, 268 00:13:12.080 --> 00:13:13.320 We're going to kind of run down the list of 269 00:13:13.320 --> 00:13:15.840 the young players because I'm talking in a minute as 270 00:13:15.840 --> 00:13:17.919 we sit here today early March. Where you'ah with the 271 00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:20.000 development of Kyle Philipowski. 272 00:13:20.559 --> 00:13:23.440 Yeah, I think Kyle's game has a ton of translatable 273 00:13:23.559 --> 00:13:29.759 attribute the passing, his footwork, his shooting. He's actually changed 274 00:13:29.759 --> 00:13:33.240 his shot release this season, and doing that during the 275 00:13:33.240 --> 00:13:35.399 course of an NBA season rather than the off season 276 00:13:35.559 --> 00:13:39.559 is really difficult, and so that shows initiative and some 277 00:13:39.600 --> 00:13:42.440 work ethic from him. But I think is really good 278 00:13:42.440 --> 00:13:47.360 to note the worst thing that Kyle has right now 279 00:13:47.600 --> 00:13:50.679 and it's just going to take time. It's the same 280 00:13:51.159 --> 00:13:55.559 with Cody Williams. He's not strong enough at all. He 281 00:13:55.639 --> 00:13:58.960 has to be stronger. He needs to gain strength, and 282 00:13:59.159 --> 00:14:01.200 he needs to be will to just like kind of 283 00:14:01.240 --> 00:14:05.120 put his body into plays a billion percent more than 284 00:14:05.159 --> 00:14:07.639 he is right now. Like we understand you can look 285 00:14:07.720 --> 00:14:13.320 at Kyle Philipowski and look at guys like you know, 286 00:14:13.639 --> 00:14:16.399 balance Unis or even Jalen Duran, who's the same age 287 00:14:16.399 --> 00:14:18.960 as Kyle philip Howski but is clearly stronger than him. 288 00:14:19.039 --> 00:14:24.039 Right from last night's game, he's just getting bullied, getting 289 00:14:24.039 --> 00:14:27.600 pushed around, and we know that there are times again 290 00:14:27.679 --> 00:14:31.519 we've seen there were moments where Kyle played. He was 291 00:14:31.559 --> 00:14:34.639 matched up with Jokic in a game earlier this season, 292 00:14:34.919 --> 00:14:37.240 and you could tell that he was really really trying to, 293 00:14:37.600 --> 00:14:40.279 you know, plant his feet and not get knocked off 294 00:14:40.279 --> 00:14:42.279 his spot, and he was using a little bit more 295 00:14:42.320 --> 00:14:44.080 forced and that's what you want to see from him 296 00:14:44.120 --> 00:14:45.879 the rest of the season. Like, we know you're going 297 00:14:45.919 --> 00:14:47.960 to get pushed around. You are not the strongest guy 298 00:14:47.960 --> 00:14:50.600 out there. Nobody thinks that you're going to be able 299 00:14:50.639 --> 00:14:53.519 to like hold up Jokic and keep him from getting 300 00:14:53.559 --> 00:14:56.279 to the basket. But you want to see him try. 301 00:14:56.440 --> 00:14:59.840 And then this offseason it's really about him gaining strength 302 00:15:00.080 --> 00:15:03.679 because that's probably where the big the biggest weakness in 303 00:15:03.720 --> 00:15:04.279 his game is. 304 00:15:04.879 --> 00:15:07.080 Let's stick with the good news before we move over 305 00:15:07.120 --> 00:15:09.559 to the space of maybe some things that are problematic. 306 00:15:09.600 --> 00:15:13.919 And you know, if there's one bright spot this year, 307 00:15:14.200 --> 00:15:16.679 if you're asking me for the best news, if you're 308 00:15:16.679 --> 00:15:18.519 a Jazz fan, It's what Walker's done. 309 00:15:18.519 --> 00:15:18.720 Man. 310 00:15:18.759 --> 00:15:23.120 You're three after a rough sophomore campaign, and it's got 311 00:15:23.159 --> 00:15:24.960 to be a bit of a relief, quite frankly, for 312 00:15:25.039 --> 00:15:27.080 the front office and the coaching staff to watch this 313 00:15:27.159 --> 00:15:29.200 young man approach this year, the way that he has 314 00:15:29.879 --> 00:15:32.720 put up monster numbers, and when he is not playing, 315 00:15:32.919 --> 00:15:35.240 the difference is stark. They do not guard the rim 316 00:15:35.279 --> 00:15:38.519 at all when Walker's on the sideline. So I feel 317 00:15:38.559 --> 00:15:41.200 like Walker has played his way into a clear part 318 00:15:41.720 --> 00:15:43.799 of the future and a clear piece to this puzzle. 319 00:15:44.120 --> 00:15:46.919 What's been the Sarah Todd take on watching Walker Kessler's 320 00:15:46.919 --> 00:15:48.080 evolution year three. 321 00:15:48.639 --> 00:15:50.919 Yeah, I couldn't agree more. It's it's the best part 322 00:15:50.960 --> 00:15:54.559 of this season for the Jazz, the brightest spot. I'm 323 00:15:54.559 --> 00:15:56.879 working on a story about Walker, kind of a longer 324 00:15:57.000 --> 00:15:59.960 dive into what's been happening this season, and I think, 325 00:16:00.639 --> 00:16:02.600 you know, there's a lot to be said about the 326 00:16:02.639 --> 00:16:06.240 strength that he's gained, the work that he's done, trying 327 00:16:06.279 --> 00:16:09.000 to use his voice more on the court, which helps 328 00:16:09.000 --> 00:16:12.000 the defense when he's out there too. But I think 329 00:16:12.039 --> 00:16:15.000 that the biggest difference has been like a mental shift 330 00:16:15.080 --> 00:16:19.600 for Walker. He went his first season coming into the 331 00:16:19.679 --> 00:16:22.240 league and just being like kind of I'm just glad 332 00:16:22.279 --> 00:16:27.679 to be here, right, and just appreciating every moment and 333 00:16:29.320 --> 00:16:33.080 not really paying attention to like results or individual stuff. 334 00:16:33.320 --> 00:16:34.639 But when he was out on the floor, just like 335 00:16:34.720 --> 00:16:37.200 trying his absolute hardest because he was so grateful to 336 00:16:37.200 --> 00:16:42.559 be here. And his second year, he started to overthink 337 00:16:42.840 --> 00:16:46.879 and he started to just look at things a little differently, 338 00:16:47.360 --> 00:16:51.320 and often he was pretty negative, and like he would 339 00:16:51.360 --> 00:16:55.159 say that himself, and I think that and he did 340 00:16:55.240 --> 00:17:00.679 like a really really intentional job over the offseason, talking 341 00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:05.960 with a sports psychologist working on just like different ways 342 00:17:05.960 --> 00:17:09.720 to center himself and try and approach every day, every game, 343 00:17:09.920 --> 00:17:13.480 every practice with gratitude rather than thinking about anything negative. 344 00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:18.400 And he said that, you know, I'm just going out 345 00:17:18.440 --> 00:17:20.440 to have fun and try to help the team. I'm 346 00:17:20.480 --> 00:17:24.039 trying not to think about anything else. And I think 347 00:17:24.039 --> 00:17:28.880 that the mental shift and focusing on the team's betterment 348 00:17:29.079 --> 00:17:32.880 rather than what is happening to him individually has really 349 00:17:32.880 --> 00:17:34.799 really changed. And I know that's kind of like a 350 00:17:34.839 --> 00:17:38.119 wu wu answer for like Walker being better this season, 351 00:17:38.160 --> 00:17:39.880 but I think it's a really big part of it. 352 00:17:40.720 --> 00:17:42.960 And he was really intentional with making that a. 353 00:17:42.880 --> 00:17:45.920 Part of it, all Right, I got to ask you 354 00:17:45.960 --> 00:17:46.559 about Cody. 355 00:17:47.559 --> 00:17:51.720 You know, I am certainly not one after being around 356 00:17:51.720 --> 00:17:53.440 this league as long as I have, I will not 357 00:17:53.720 --> 00:17:57.000 annoint nor dismiss a twenty year old no matter what, 358 00:17:57.119 --> 00:18:00.359 thirty six games in his pro career. But it just 359 00:18:00.440 --> 00:18:02.960 hasn't looked good. It really just you know, it's not 360 00:18:03.039 --> 00:18:05.480 just data, it's the eye test. He had a couple 361 00:18:05.559 --> 00:18:08.359 of passes last night where you're like, dude, what exactly 362 00:18:08.400 --> 00:18:09.359 were you seeing there? 363 00:18:10.440 --> 00:18:12.119 Are you concerned for a. 364 00:18:12.039 --> 00:18:15.480 Top ten pick to not necessarily show the organization or 365 00:18:15.519 --> 00:18:18.519 the fan base, in my opinion, enough consistent hope or 366 00:18:18.559 --> 00:18:21.359 are you still optimistic about what Cody can be. 367 00:18:23.400 --> 00:18:26.160 A little bit of both? Right, Like, absolutely, I'm concerned. 368 00:18:26.440 --> 00:18:28.400 I think that anybody who has been watching the Jazz 369 00:18:28.480 --> 00:18:33.279 or watching Cody, you can't not be concerned. At the 370 00:18:33.359 --> 00:18:37.079 same time, like, I recognize that he is a rookie. 371 00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:40.839 He's incredibly small. He kind of has the same thing 372 00:18:40.880 --> 00:18:43.279 as what we were talking about with Kyle. He he 373 00:18:43.519 --> 00:18:47.240 has to gain strength. The problem is is that like 374 00:18:48.039 --> 00:18:50.240 some of some of the guys with like his body type, 375 00:18:50.279 --> 00:18:53.720 he's so he's so slim. It just is going to 376 00:18:53.799 --> 00:18:57.039 take more time. But that's not to say that like 377 00:18:58.720 --> 00:19:01.480 slim guys can be force full and can't be good 378 00:19:01.519 --> 00:19:04.079 in the NBA. Right Like, one of the more recent 379 00:19:04.119 --> 00:19:06.839 guys that I think about is like Micheale Bridges, like 380 00:19:07.400 --> 00:19:11.000 not as tall but still really really slight frame was 381 00:19:11.119 --> 00:19:13.680 at least that skinny, if not skinnier coming into the 382 00:19:13.759 --> 00:19:17.000 league and was nearly a defensive Player of the Year, 383 00:19:17.839 --> 00:19:19.480 Like I think I'm pretty sure he was top three 384 00:19:19.519 --> 00:19:22.359 of the year that he was voted. And so, like 385 00:19:23.880 --> 00:19:26.839 the there are cases where guys with frames like that 386 00:19:26.920 --> 00:19:29.319 like can be good, and I think that that kind 387 00:19:29.319 --> 00:19:31.640 of is the mold of the Jesse for him, like 388 00:19:31.799 --> 00:19:36.440 being like a three and D wing, but he he 389 00:19:36.480 --> 00:19:38.559 also has like potential. I mean, I know that it 390 00:19:38.599 --> 00:19:42.720 hasn't looked good, but like I'm not completely really willing 391 00:19:42.759 --> 00:19:45.160 to write him off yet and I really really hope 392 00:19:45.480 --> 00:19:47.480 that we can see some more good stuff out of 393 00:19:47.559 --> 00:19:51.839 him next season. But I just don't think that he 394 00:19:51.839 --> 00:19:53.839 he has the tools to do it this season. And 395 00:19:54.200 --> 00:19:56.359 you know, I know that it's a small sample size 396 00:19:56.359 --> 00:19:59.359 when we think about like Taylor Hendrix playing in the 397 00:19:59.400 --> 00:20:01.839 first three game of this season, right, Like, that's it's 398 00:20:01.880 --> 00:20:04.759 insane to even really look at just three games and 399 00:20:04.799 --> 00:20:06.960 try and take anything out of it. But if you 400 00:20:07.039 --> 00:20:10.079 compare what Taylor Hendricks looked like just in the if 401 00:20:10.079 --> 00:20:12.200