Utah Jazz: Top takeaways from the Summer League

Tony Bradley showed flashes of potential

Many fans were surprised when the Jazz traded the number 30 and 42 pick to move up two spots to select UNC Freshman Tony Bradley. Even after Summer League play had ended, many fans were left to wonder why the Jazz hadn’t selected University of Utah star Kyle Kuzma.

While Bradley may have not had the eye popping stats that Kuzma had, he did show flashes of why the Utah Jazz were willing to trade two draft picks to get him.

Bradley had a limited role with the Tarheels, who have a history of not giving freshman big minutes. He made noise at the combine however, with his whopping 7’5″ wingspan, and 9’4″ standing reach.

He is never going to blow you away with above the rim plays, but he runs the floor hard, uses his large frame to rebound at a high rate and has good footwork. He also showed the ability to step out and hit a 15-18 foot jump shot.

All of this was on full display during the summer league, and he crested in the final game against Milwaukee, where he finished with 19 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks.

It’s going to take time, and it’ll be hard to have patience if players like Kuzma and Jordan Bell get off to hot starts to their careers, but Bradley has the potential to be a solid rotational player. He’ll likely spend most of his time with the Salt Lake City Stars developing, but he could contribute early on, especially if he can extend his range to hit the corner three.