Former Jazz star Andrei Kirilenko reflects on being ahead of his time

Former Utah Jazz star Andrei Kirilenko is commonly hailed as a player ahead of his time. A versatile wing whose height, wingspan, and skillset allowed him to play multiple positions, his archetype as a "Swiss Army Knife" player greatly benefited the Jazz in the 2000s.

While talking with Sportscasting's Mat Issa, Kirilenko gave his thoughts on being appreciated more now than he was back when he played in the NBA.

“I take that as a great compliment. As a player, you want to be a guy who plays futuristic basketball,” Kirilenko told Issa in an August 15 story. “When you’re playing, you don’t really think about all that, you just play. But now that I’ve stepped away from the game, I have all these people pointing it out, and it makes sense.”

“I like that my style was very different from the players I played with. I think it is more similar to the way players play now.”

Andrei Kirilenko credits Russia for playing style

When Issa asked what turned Kirilenko into the player he became, he credited his home country for what they taught him about the game of basketball.

“I think the Russian style of basketball is different from a lot of other countries and that when we were growing up, we were taught to focus on every aspect of the game,” Kirilenko told Issa. “A lot of kids who play basketball in Russia are like Swiss Army Knives. They can do everything on the floor.”

At the same time, he wishes Russian players were better at one particular aspect of the game.

"[Russian players] are always really good at all the role player skills, but never really good at one-on-one scoring,” Kirilenko told Issa.“That’s why I am always telling people that you shouldn’t try to make everyone a good role player. You need to empower the players who are strong one-on-one scorers to continue to grow that area of their game.”

“I was better than Deron Williams at a lot of the role player skills, but when it comes to one-on-one basketball, I had no chance. He was a beast.”

Kirilenko's highest scoring average in an individual season (16.5) came the same year he made the All-Star team during the 2003-04 season. Even if he was never an established go-to scorer, Kirilenko made his own unique mark on the Jazz.

He represented the Jazz's future post-Karl Malone and John Stockton. In their first season without them, he was the best player on a team that narrowly missed the playoffs but was also a team that many expected to start completely over.

Following the additions of Williams, Carlos Boozer, and Mehmet Okur over the following two years, Kirilenko played a pivotal role in the Jazz's playoff success in the 2000s, including a surprise run to the Western Conference Finals in 2007.

He may not have been the biggest star, but his time with the Jazz is looked back at pretty fondly that he is commonly regarded better than fans remember.