Utah Jazz draft notes: Great last workout, Walt Perrin discusses prospects

Particularly after a great final pre-draft workout, there are plenty of intriguing prospects for the Utah Jazz to consider in this Thursday’s draft.

The Utah Jazz hosted their final pre-draft workout on Sunday in preparation for Thursday’s 2018 NBA Draft. Utah Jazz VP of Player Personnel Walt Perrin and the rest of the Jazz staff have been putting in lots of work to ensure that they end up with the best possible player on draft night.

Believe it or not, but it’s entirely possible that perhaps the player they end up selecting was in that final workout on Sunday. To be clear, that’s entirely speculation, but it was pretty interesting to see Perrin raving about how good that particular workout turned out.

Per The Salt Lake Tribune’s Kyle Goon, Perrin described all this summer’s pre-draft workouts as efficient, but was particularly complimentary of Sunday’s, as he made the following statement–

"“I thought we finished with a bang. I thought it was a very good workout, very competitive, very good energy from the guys.”"

That statement came shortly after a previous workout in which Perrin seemed somewhat disappointed in how it had turned out, particularly since one of the prospects – Wichita State’s Landry Shamet – was dealing with an injury. He noted that late in the workout process, sometimes fatigue would play a part and impact the players.

But apparently that wasn’t the case on Sunday. In a workout that included potential picks at No. 21 such as Dzanan Musa out of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Jacob Evans out of Cincinnati and De’Anthony Melton out of USC, apparently the prospects were impressive.

Don’t read too much into it, but Perrin later mentioned on KSL’s Sportsbeat (which I’ll be discussing more here shortly) that they went out to dinner with Musa as well. By no means does that mean he’s Utah’s top prospect by any stretch of the imagination, but it would lead one to believe that they are certainly interested in the potential of drafting him.

As I discussed in a recent post, one of the tricky things facing Jazz personnel is the fact that they have so many splendid options that could very well be available in the late first round. With that being the case, narrowing it down to the absolute best option will be a daunting challenge.

On that note, in that aforementioned KSL segment, Walt Perrin went through a number of the prospects that the Jazz may consider with the 21st overall pick. The video is available below, but I’ve also included a brief summary of each player that he touched on, followed by my instant reactions that should be taken completely with a grain of salt–

https://twitter.com/kslsports/status/1008584562715156480

Donte DiVincenzo – Perrin referred to Donte as an extremely athletic player and praised him for being a very dynamic offensive player, but also dynamic defensively, which comes as somewhat of a surprise. He further touched on his abilities as a shot creator and a good three-point shooter.

My take: Perrin seemed pretty high on Donte, and I was especially surprised that he praised his defense. A clue, maybe?

Aaron Holiday – Holiday was mentioned as being from a pro family since his brothers Jrue Holiday and Justin Holiday are already in the league, meaning that he understands the pro lifestyle. Although he’s a little shorter than his brothers, Perrin thought he had good length which could help his defense. He also complimented Holiday’s jump shot and praised him for improving significantly from last year.

My take: I got the feeling that while Holiday brings some good things, he wasn’t super high on the list.

Troy Brown – Not a lot was said about Brown, but you got the hunch that he was viewed as a promising prospect. Although he’s young, Perrin praised him as a versatile player. And although he didn’t shoot the ball well at Oregon (which has been his biggest criticism), Perrin made it clear that he can indeed shoot the ball. He was also adamant that Brown is a very good defender.

My take: I think Perrin really likes Brown as a prospect and praising his shooting was a surprise considering it’s been reported as his biggest weakness. If he’s available at No. 21, the question becomes, do the Jazz risk the pick on a project such as Brown, or instead go with a more sure thing?

Jerome Robinson – Robinson was described as a true two-guard that has a lot of NBA skills including the ability to shoot the three, shoot off the dribble and take it to basket. However, he was also criticized for being a little bit thin and Perrin stated that he needs to get stronger in order to be better defensively.

My take: It felt as if there were a few too many concerns with Robinson’s game and lack of versatility for him to be a strong consideration at No. 21.

Kevin Huerter – It should come as little surprise, but when talking about Huerter, his shooting was praised above all else, including his great range and easy jump shot.

My take: Huerter is a great shooter, but it seemed as if the Jazz would want more out of their draft selection than what he would provide.

Elie Okobo – Perrin had some good things to say about Okobo, such as that he has improved significantly since last year’s workout and that he has really learned to play the  point guard position. He also praised him for being an excellent shooter with a strong body, but that he still has to learn to play NBA defense.

My take: It seems like there were a lot of things to like about Okobo, but defensive concerns may detract too much from his value.

Khyri Thomas – Perrin stated that Thomas was similar to Robinson in that he has a true position also, but also that he is small for his position. Although Thomas can shoot the ball well, he has a long ways to go offensively. On the bright side, though, he’s an excellent defender.

My take: I really like Khyri Thomas as a prospect for the Jazz, so I was a bit disappointed when it sounded like Perrin wasn’t extremely high on him. His defense and shooting are solid, but with the work he needs on offense, he apparently may not be the best fit for the Jazz.

Grayson Allen – As always seems to be the case with Allen, Perrin first spoke of his sportsmanship concerns, which he quickly dispelled. Allen already addressed such issues with the media and the team, and while he has to stay in control, his competitiveness is actually a positive. Perrin praised him for being an improved shooter who can finish at the basket in traffic. He has things to learn defensively, but in terms of his offense and how he conducts himself as a teammate, he was described as a great player.

My take: I’ve never been high on Allen, but everything we’ve seen about him in relation to the Jazz seems to indicate that they really like him. Will that mean anything come Thursday?

Josh Okogie – Josh Okogie has made a name for himself lately with good workouts throughout the pre-draft process. Perrin complimented several things about him such as his long arms, his great body for the NBA and his shooting ability. He was also praised for being able to finish strong, including through contact and for having the ability to become a good defender.

My take: Perrin seemed pretty high on Okogie and had a lot of good things to say about him. Perhaps another clue?

Dzanan Musa – Perrin touched on Musa as a cult hero of sorts in Bosnia due to his success there. The main thing he had to say about him is that he really knows how to score. Musa can get to the basket and has an improving three-point shot. It was also brought up that coaches are going to love him because he can create and get shots off in late shot clock situations.

My take: Between high praise in the KSL interview and the strong statements about the final pre-draft workout, my interest is piqued in Musa potentially being a likely prospect for the Jazz at No. 21.

Jacob Evans – Perrin described Evans as a 3-and-D guy who shoots the ball well. He also clearly liked the fact that he comes from a strong defensive team in Cincinnati and has the ability to guard positions one through three.

My take: Perrin appeared to be big on Evans’ defense and he was another participant in that reportedly excellent final workout. He could be high on Utah’s list.

Jalen Brunson – What really stood out about Perrin’s comments on Brunson was that he considers him one of the smartest players coming into the draft. But that was far from where the praise stopped. He went on to talk about how he can drive, shoot floaters, has a strong body and has shown a strong post-up ability. Brunson can also shoot threes and has a nice mid-range game. The fact that he comes from a strong defensive team in Villanova seemed like an important trait as well.

My take: Yet another guy that Perrin had a lot of praise for and seemed excited about. If he’s available at No. 21, it feels like his name could very well be called.

Moritz Wagner – Wagner was described as a player who can stretch the floor and shoot the three, but isn’t a great post-up player for his size. Still, he adds a lot of other positives on offense such as good passing skills and the ability to ball fake and drive. To be effective, though, he still has to get a lot stronger and better defensively.

My take: Moritz is a promising prospect, but his lack of defensive prowess likely won’t put him near the top of Utah’s list.

Keita Bates-Diop – Perrin had some good things to say about Keita including that he can stretch the floor but is also capable of putting the ball on the floor and going to basket. Though Bates-Diop is known largely for his defense, he can also pass well and simply has a great understanding of the game.

My take: Bates-Diop has a lot of skills the Jazz could use and feels like a pretty safe pick if some of the more promising options are off the board by the time Utah selects.

Anfernee Simons – Simons was described largely how we already knew him. He’s very talented and a pretty good shooter, but has a long ways to go before he’s NBA ready. Perrin noted that whoever drafts him will have to work with him for a while before he’s ready to contribute.

My take: Although the Jazz have a great development program, when Perrin noted that “some team” was going to draft Simons and work with him, it kind of sounded like that team wasn’t going to be the Utah Jazz. His upside is certainly there, but he could very well represent too risky of a project for the Jazz.

De’Anthony Melton – Melton is another prospect that participated in the final workout held by the Jazz. Perrin called him intriguing since he didn’t play last season due to the ongoing NCAA FBI investigation and pointed to him potentially having some rust. He also touched on how he needs to improve his shooting while learning to play point guard.

My take: Melton is an interesting prospect, but it felt as if there were a few too many question marks surrounding him for him to ultimately be the answer for the Jazz.

Next: Utah Jazz: Five free agent options at shooting guard

As you can see, there are plenty of prospects for the Jazz to choose from on Thursday. And this isn’t even the full bunch! The player whose name is ultimately called may not even be listed here, especially if the Jazz ultimately opt to trade up.

The key thing that Walt Perrin and Jazz brass are looking for is a player who will help the Jazz long term. That could be a player with high upside who will be ready to contribute in a couple years or perhaps an already established guy that can make an impact from day one.

Whatever they decide to go with, it will be fascinating to see how Thursday’s draft ultimately pans out for the Utah Jazz.