CHICAGO — The Utah Jazz have a very busy schedule this week.
In addition to the draft lottery, which was held on Tuesday night, and watching all the workouts and games that have been happening and will continue throughout the week at the NBA combine, the Jazz front office collective is also conducting interviews with a slew of draft prospects.
According to team sources, players that the Jazz have either already interviewed or will interview in the coming days include the following:
- Anthony Black (Arkansas).
- Brandon Miller (Alabama).
- Taylor Hendricks (UCF).
- Jarace Walker (Houston).
- Cam Whitmore (Villanova).
- Kobe Bufkin (Michigan).
- Nick Smith Jr. (Arkansas).
- Leonard Miller (G League Ignite).
- G.G. Jackson (South Carolina).
- Dereck Lively II (Duke).
- Rayan Rupert (New Zealand).
- Andre Jackson Jr. (UConn).
- Julian Phillips (Tennessee).
- Chris Livingston (Kentucky).
- Kobe Brown (Missouri).
- Emoni Bates (Eastern Michigan).
- Dillon Jones (Weber State).
At the combine, teams make a wish list of players they want to talk to, and the NBA assigns the interviews.
Interest in a player, the player’s projected draft position and a team’s position in the draft can all impact whether a team gets to speak to everyone on its wish list.
All of these interviews are in addition to the interviews and workouts the Jazz are conducting outside of the combine.
With the ninth, 16th and 28th picks in the first round of the June 22 draft, the Jazz have to cover a lot of ground as they are working through the list of prospects that they’re interested in.
As we near the draft, there’s not a lot that the Jazz don’t know about these NBA hopefuls that can be put on film or on a scouting report.
Instead it’s more about getting to know the players on a more personal level and figuring out if they would be a fit with the team.
The Jazz want their interviews to put the prospects at ease so that they can be themselves and not feel so much like they’re in a high-pressure job interview.
Of course, that’s easier said than done.
“You have to remember that these guys are young and nervous,” Jazz general manager Justin Zanik said. “These interviews matter and you get to talk to them, but they aren’t everything.”
Sources have indicated that the Jazz have also shown interest in Cason Wallace (Kentucky), Gradey Dick (Kansas) and Jaime Jaquez (UCLA).
“There’s a lot of good players in this draft and it’s about getting in front of them and seeing what they’re like,” Jazz head coach Will Hardy said.
“There’s a lot of teams that are going to get guys that are going to really add to their program and be like, potential future All-Stars.”