Utah Jazz: Getting to know new additions to the Utah Jazz

New Utah Jazz acquisitions Nickeil Alexander-Walker, left, and Juancho Hernangomez during an introductory press conference at the Zions Bank Basketball Campus in Salt Lake City on Feb. 11, 2022.

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On Wednesday the Utah Jazz completed a trade that brought Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Juancho Hernangomez to Salt Lake City.

Alexander-Walker, drafted in 2019, has spent 2¹⁄₂ seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans and was traded Tuesday to the Portland Trail Blazers before being flipped and moved to the Jazz. He’s a defensive-minded guard who also is good playing in the pick-and-roll and plays well with the ball in his hands.

Hernangomez is in his sixth NBA season and has spent time with the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics and most recently the San Antonio Spurs. He’s a pretty traditional power forward who is strong and can also shoot a bit from outside.

But who are the Jazz’s newest players off the court?

Alexander-Walker, cousin of the Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, is a self-described foodie. In fact, on Friday morning he found out about a cooking class that Jazz executive chef Anthony Zamora is holding on Saturday for players that are interested and Alexander-Walker said that as soon as nutrition coordinator Taylor Call told him about it he was excited to join in.

“That’s my thing, restaurants, all types of food,” Alexander-Walker said. “I’m from Toronto, so I’m used to all different types of cuisine. I’d say my palate is very extensive.”

Hernangomez is from Spain and has played alongside former Jazz man Ricky Rubio for the Spanish national team. That’s included quite a few contests against the French national team and Rudy Gobert.

“I told him yesterday, ‘I hate to play against you but now we’re going to play together,’” Hernangomez said with a laugh. “That’s the fun part.”

Hernangomez described himself as a normal guy who likes being around his friends and playing video games. He considers Rubio a close friend and said that he’s only heard good things about the Jazz, Quin Snyder and all the players from his national team teammate.

“Ricky was in love with the city and with the team,” Hernangomez said. “He was happy for me and he texted me right away.”

New with the Jazz

Breaking down the Jazz’s trade deadline moves and what to expect in the coming days

Stat of the week

Hassan Whiteside tallied seven blocks against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night, his most in a Jazz uniform. His career-high for blocks was set on Jan. 25, 2015, when he had 12 blocks in a game with the Miami Heat.

This week on ‘Unsalvageable’

Check out “Unsalvageable: A Utah Jazz Podcast,” hosted by Deseret News Utah Jazz beat reporter Sarah Todd and lifelong Jazz fan Greg Foster (no, not that Greg Foster). This week the crew reacts to the Jazz’s moves at the trade deadline.

New episodes come out every week. You can listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast and anywhere else you stream podcasts.

From the archives

This week in Jazz history

On Feb. 13, 2008, Carlos Boozer tallied 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists against the Seattle SuperSonics. He was the last player to post a triple-double in the regular season for the Jazz.

Extra points

Jazz play their most complete game of the season against Warriors (Deseret News)
Jerry Sloan named one of the 15 best coaches in NBA history (Deseret News)
ESPN’s historic broadcast of Jazz vs. Warriors meant something simple to the women involved: ‘Representation matters’ (Salt Lake Tribune)
What type of dealmaker is Danny Ainge? (Salt Lake Tribune)