What are Short Term Goals for the Jazz + Individual Goals for George, Kessler and Hendricks

What are Short Term Goals for the Jazz + Individual Goals for George, Kessler and Hendricks

What are big growth areas for the Jazz to achieve both individually and as a team and should Keon George be on the all rookie team find out next all on locked on Jazz you are locked on Jazz your daily podcast on the Utah Jazz part of the locked on podcast Network your team

Every Day hello and welcome into lockon jazz I’m leaf tulen and excited to be back with you guys filling in for David lock on locked on Jazz I am a lifelong jazz fan who’s credentialed NBA draft analyst for locked on NBA bigboard attend you the 2023 combine Utah Jazz broadcast assistant statistician and college

Basketball lover so the stats side college basketball NBA I’ll have you cover don’t expect all the geeky numbers if usual with David lock to be gone and there’s plenty in this episode ahead but I’m hoping to make you guys as knowledgeable about the Utah Jazz as possible thanks for making locked on

Jazz your first listen every day and remember locked on jazz is free and available on all platforms including YouTube at locked on Jazz where the best way to help us grow is to comment anything below and today’s question is what jazz player do you expect to make

The most strides to close this season that being the 2024 side of the 2023 2024 season I’m very curious your take I think there’s going to be a lot of one answer and I’m going to address a few players that I think need to make strides for the Jazz both in the short

Term and the long term and I’ll tell you what those are coming up next want to shout out today’s sponsor it’s brought to you by FanDuel and you can play on FanDuel with any $5 winning bet you can make up to you get $150 in a b in bonus

Bets along with the money you would make with that $ five bet all right so today’s show is a jam-packed one in the first segment I’ll point to areas I think the Jazz as a team should focus on achieving the short run and how they can have long-term

Dividends Beyond just this season and the second segment I’ll make a case for konay George to be on the all rookie ballot and be a first team all rookie uh team player and and that is becoming difficult because the rookies are really starting to grow into their own and I’ll

Also break down certain aspects of Walker Kessler’s main areas to improve and what the numbers dictate about those areas and in the final segment I’ll discuss Taylor Hendricks and the experience of what is Taylor Hendricks for the Utah Jazz right now how he’s been handled and many other things

There’s been some uh fans who voed their concerns about his shooting and other areas and I’ll lay out a reasonable expectation path for growth comparing to other young players in similar situations all right let’s Dive Right In I have three attainable goals for the Jazz to achieve the rest of the season

And that those aren’t directly about winning and losing but they certainly correlate with winning and losing habits uh the Jazz will get better if they do these things well both in the short term and the long term as a lot of these things are individual are are individually driven and with some

Individuals on the team that are younger the first goal is simple the Jazz have struggled defensively since the trade deadline despite playing more minutes of the supposedly Superior Defenders and Walker Kessler and he’s starting he’s playing four more minutes per game than his average which is also being bumped

Up by those games and then you’re playing Taylor Hendricks who in his draft profile you would point to athleticism and defensive uh skill set being being a plus Defender those players are playing more the Jazz’s defense is getting worse the Jazz are given up 129 129 138 and

140 in four games since the trade deadline granted those are against some teams that are good but not great offensively and compared to the rest of the NBA they’re not too far ahead of the average and the Lakers were also missing LeBron James the Jazz’s defensive ratings in those contests were 128 122

135 and 137 meaning the Jazz are giving up 128 points per 100 possessions 122 points per 100 possessions 135 points per 100 possessions and 37 uh points on 100 possessions meaning that there were just over 100 possessions in in most of those games as those the scores were just above that

Rate uh the top NBA offensive rating for any given team is the Boston Celtics and they’re at 122 meaning the Jazz were allowing more points in each of those games than what the Celtics score on an offensive rting On Any Given night and that is the top team in the NBA that

Makes that means the Jazz are making every team look extraordinary which they’ve been good but not extraordinary my first goal is to be competitive defensively as a team and yes regression of the mean will occur and the Jazz won’t be giving up 134 points per game

For the rest of the year after the trade deadline but the Jazz can make strides in that department Walker Kesler has been blocking shots at a high level and he’s among the very best in the league at deterring shots around the rim he allows only 48% of layups to be made

Against him considered very good by Synergy and that is excellent he’s also within six feet the league second best defender as of a few games ago when I was working a broadcast with David lock and he was telling the story of Walker Kesler near the rim you don’t shoot

Against him because you don’t score and that is that has been the case since his rookie year and especially this year where the numbers don’t lie and that backs up how good a Defender he is but why are the Jazz giving up so many points then if he’s playing more minutes

And he’s playing starters minutes next to big guys like John Collins and Lowry Markin well here are some rationals that I will share with you the Jazz allow fewer easy then they need to allow fewer easy paths to the rim which Kesler protects but that leaves the Jazz

Susceptible to from three I think a large part of this is the pride of Defending Your Man guard your yard Chris Dunn and Simone fono were the two players I would associate both most closely with guarding their yard and Dunn is still on the roster but he’s not starting and fonio is in

Detroit he also is in the starting lineup and that’s changed the dynamic as two of the primary uh Wing Defenders and OA baji as well would probably be the third one I would associate with guarding his yard and so those guys aren’t playing as much or on different

Rosters and now the Jazz have formed this offensive identity with smaller guards in a very big front court and they’re not stopping the ball in the perimeter at the point of attack so that’ll be the first thing uh the Jazz need to be able to use that length on

The interior with that front Court of lowry Mark and John Collins of Walker Kesler to to make themselves a better more disruptive defensive unit and maybe get out and run that’s something I think the Jazz haven’t done very much schematically they get a lot of offensive rebounds using their size but

Why can’t they be influential defensively with that size my goal for the Jazz would become a more cohesive defensive unit that can be more serviceable playing man-to-man defense without Chris Dunn in the lineup they tend to play better man-to-man defense when Dunn is in the lineup and they’ve

Been more successful with going in in out of zones when when dun uh with or without dun but the Jazz with dun can be a serviceable man to man defense as he’s taken Shay gilis Alexander and hounded some of the elite guards in the NBA before the trade deadline when the Jazz

Were winning their last couple games they played some of the elite teams they played Tyrese Maxi and and he scored 51 but when the Jazz claught into that game Chris Dunn was hounding Maxi took the ball away denied the ball when he’s not in the Jazz’s identity defensively has

Suffered and they’ve mostly been reliant on winning rebounding battles and winning shootouts that can’t quite last if you’re intending on winning games like the Jazz need to do a number to track that I would nominate would be threes allowed as the Jazz will allowed 17 threes per game in those four games

And once more that is more than any team in the NBA averages and only the Warriors shoot a lot of three so that’s clearly being left open by the Jazz as both the Suns and Lakers have put a beating on the Jazz from behind the ark

As well uh the Suns rank 22nd and threes man the Lakers ranked 27th and they well exceeded their averages in both I would also love to see the Jazz uh see fewer three see fewer threes go down but I think that starts with the perimeter defense and because Kesler creates a a

Deterrent at The Rim the kickout is left open and maybe the Jazz need to use their length to get in those passing lanes and if they’re going to allow Rim attacks need to run players off of the line more uh more effectively the second goal for the jazz is that and this is

Harder to measure but I think it may be more important the number one in the long term and that is finding continuity between Keon George and low as they are already vital to the Jazz this season but will be more so later on in Seasons to come whether this plays uh

This is in terms of plays designed for the two of them with a pick and pop or pick and roll or more actions designed for marketing that Keon George is orchestrating at the top where he’s the point guard finding marketing off of curls if it’s designed post-ups for

Marketing with George finding him or maybe it’s Markin and using his gravity to find Keon George um I think the Jazz need to find a way to create more chances that are easy for Lowry Markin who’s been struggling since Kelly oin he’s shot poorly and hasn’t even reached

His average in the four games of 23 points per game since Kelly oen has departed who is probably the best Creator on the Jazz I think now the Jazz have two gifted offensive players in George and and oen uh who need to find a way sorry excuse me George and marinin

Who need to find a way to get the best out of one another both in the short term and in the long term so that would be a concerted effort mine to get the ball in the hands of those two and work on plays and and the ability to create

Cohesion between the two as often Keon George uh has played with Jordan Clarkson in the second unit and had had the playmaking duties kind of shared with Clarkson and oen and now it’s his job to be the primary Creator and low Marin’s job to be the primary

Score uh keante so far has been below below average pick and roll guard per Synergy shooting just 34% on pick and rolls I don’t think that’s fair to the development in the pick and roll um to say like oh he’s not very good in that

But I also think that he’s got a team that can roll more easily now he and Walker Kessler will play together he and John Collins will play more minutes together and there’s there’s a guy in marinin who can make things very interesting in a pick and roll or pick

And pop situation as he’s so fluid around the rim as an athlete and excellent excellent shooter uh I think George is a very good scorer and I think the it’s vital to see those two coexist not only coexist but flourish as a tandem and I think they could be two of

The cornerstones for the lineup to come uh George scored 33 in his last game against the Warriors and he was able to do that off the uh both catch and shoot and also off the dribble and he’s been a good off the dribble shooter uh in at various levels throughout his

Development as a player both collegiately even in high school collegiately and as a pro so I think that’s key to see him work on the pick and roll exploit that defense and use low markkanen’s gravity to let him grow into being a focal point in the offense as opposed to someone who’s differential

To Clarkson or oen who is a creative Hub u in the second unit in times past the third goal this one I think will be easy to monitor but maybe not easy to make the decision on let me explain the third goal is for Colin seon to continue his

Efficiency with which he scores and can he do so with a younger lineup playing more through Keon while simultaneously Clarkson still is going to get his 17 off of the bench what I mean by that is seon’s been superb after being inserted into the starting lineup he’s averaged

21 a half points per game five and a half assists and 22.5 rebounds sorry 2.5 rebounds in 33 games as a starter this season that’s really really good I would like to see how seon settles into that role as the off ball guard next to konay

George because he figures to be into the Jazz’s future plans as the point guard he’s got the keys to the franchise and if he’s the point guard how does he set up seon how does ston handle having someone younger than him who also is offensively minded uh setting him up as

Opposed to uh someone like Dunn who who is knows his role as defense and being a table setter on offense which allows for seon to do what he wants as a score in the in the games off of the bench and the reason I’ll bring this up is does

Seon factor in as the starting shooting guard if keontay George is the starting point guard of thei future because that’s a diminutive lineup the Jazz have proven with Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley and in other instances that defensively it’s very difficult to play diminutive backwards I know Keon George

Is 64 but he’s also very slender and Colin seon is a 61 shooting guard he’s got a big heart and he’s got a tremendous motor but it’s difficult to be successful in that regard but Off the Bench Colin seon is struggled he scored 12.7 points per game 3.2 assists 2.7

Rebounds and 23 games off the bench so he’s markedly markedly better as a starter can he continue to score efficiently and can the Jazz improve defensively with the back cour of K George and Colin seon I think it’ll be very interesting to monitor Colin seon in that back work can they coexist can

Sexon continue to flourish in that starting role and can it produce winning basketball those are my immediate goals for the Jazz that factor in the long-term equation and coming up next I’ll tell you about Keon George’s all rookie team candidacy plus some areas I think on that are easy to improve or

Maybe not easy to improve but that that I think are feasable to improve for Walker Kesler for this season and he’ll carry over into the long-term success of the Utah Jazz but first let me tell you about FanDuel get buckets with your first beted on FanDuel America’s number one

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The Year voting and all the all rookie team conversations and where does he does he get the first team is he on the second team and what does his promise look like Beyond just this initial year where the voting transpires and secondly where what are the two areas for Walker

Kessler to take advantage of with no oin and playing more minutes alongside starters by the way have you heard about lockon having launched their first ever National Sports 247 streaming Channel on YouTube and now it’s also available on Amazon Fire TV in the free Fire TV channels app locked on sports today is

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Been on there a few times with Lockton college basketball really cool to see the stuff going on over there nationally and you can see all the teams latest on Fire TV could not recommend it more highly and I I think it it’s very cool as you guys are listening to this you

Guys love sports and that that just helps your knowledge of all the sports you love so a player you you love and are going to love even more konay George he as we speak averages 11 and a half 11.7 points per game nearly three rebounds just over four assists and I

Expect those averages to increase by the end of the season which helps his numerical tallies and more people see those numbers and be more impressed Keon has a starter however which he figures to be the rest of the season has averaged 13.4 points per game 5.8

Assists and 3.3 rebounds and 19 games as a starter the ball will be in his hands and I think he will end up averaging around 13 points per game with far more playmaking responsibilities and thus he can add to his assist tally as well in terms of scoring keante is sixth place

Uh in points per game and beyond all rookies wenyama leads the way then Chad holgren then Brandon Miller scoot Henderson and haime hawz Jr are the five ahead of Keon George an assist Keon is in second behind scoot Henderson who has 4.7 keontay George mind you has 4.3 but

As I said as a starter 5.8 for keontay George so there’s a chance he catches scoot there and then so that’s attainable Keon is also narrowly behind Brandon Miller and Jordan Hawkins who each make a touch over two threes per game and George has 1.9 made threes per

Game and I think his volume should increase as a starter George makes 2.1 threes per game which would have him just ahead of Jordan Hawkins and slightly behind Brandon Miller who also is taking off I don’t know if he quite catches Brandon Miller but it’s possible

And some George is a very real case to be first team all rookie my guess is it would be wenyama Chad Brandon Miller Scoot and haime hawz and then George will be sixth the only person I think that you could scooch out of this would be scoot Henderson who is doing this on

A not very good team so George was would have a better team and there stats would be similar and thus count George has a chance but the issue there is if you’re going to factor in the better team Brandon psky who is playing for the Warriors has now been inserted into the

Starting lineup does rival George in in some of these stats um but I think kont George has a chance I wouldn’t I wouldn’t write home and say oh he’s going to be a first team guy bet on it but I would say there’s a real chance especially considering how much faith I

Think the Utah Jazz have in konay George that said if I were redrafting and I did two PODS of this this summer you guys all listen thank you to the every dayers who are uh tuning back in I I had keontay George going about seven right after the draft once the summer league

Started and he was tearing it up that I said I think he’s got as much potential as as anyone other than a couple of these top guys and based on a few other high rookie performances uh from players like osar and amen Thompson uh who who played well at various stints there that

I wouldn’t quite move George who went 16th over guys that went fourth and fifth but I think it’s possible now and I think it’s possible he goes above seven where I had him which already was considered high by many at that point I think it’s very possible that he ends up

Higher than some of the other guys the other risers in the NB in the grant game of the NBA would be haime hawz Jr Brandon psky and cam Whitmore who went 18 19 and 20 George obviously went 16 and I think he can infiltrate the top seven those guys probably are cracking

The top 10 I think George has a real chance if you’re to do a redraft just one year in to be a top five top six pick in the NBA draft meaning the jazz came away with the steel as for Walker Kesler who also would be considered a

Steal having gone 22nd I would love to see his free throw percentage jump that’s that’s a simple one that I think in time will happen but here are some stats to support this if his free throw percentage increases that’ll make him hopefully more aggressive at the rim and

More assertive at The Rim when paired in pick and rolls and I think part of the going up soft is is he doesn’t want to get fouled um I think he needs to be more aggressive in that regard I think Kesler is an excellent Rim Runner where he is considered excellent in transition

By Synergy and that’s a category it’s excellent then very good then good and then below average and those type of things but he is excellent the top top tier in transition um and I hope the Jazz more run more frequently despite a big front court because they have some

Really good athletes secondly I think kler must improve as a finisher of non dunks which boils down to being more assertive and as he only converts on 47 7% of layups and that is very much attainable to improve and that is not very good uh Kesler has been better at

The free throw line as of late Kesler has shot 13 of 15 his last 15 attempts from the free throw line I think confidence and regularity of playing time the playing stins stuff like that really does matter in the for the youthful rookies and and young players

In the NBA I think Kesler will improve in that regard as everyone will T tell you that he’s got really good hands coordination fluidity and when he played at North Carolina his freshman year before playing at Auburn in his sophomore year where the next year he was obviously

Drafted by the Jazz he was known as a stretch five didn’t shoot it particularly well but he’s been touted for having that ability and obviously this summer a lot of the talk was oh he’s trying to work on shooting threes so if he’s got the capacity to shoot

Threes I think he’s got every capacity to improve his free throw percentage uh so finishing and uh improving as a a layups guy I think will go hand in hand with free throw percentage the next one is not quite as numerically tallied but it’s something that I think may be more

Important for the Jazz and for Walker Kessler uh I think Kessler must improve as a screen Setter which allows for him to have more success freeing himself near the rim as a rle man but also setting free the guy dribbling around his screens or flying around the screens

As a shooter and I think it’ll Le lead to more crisp efficient offense hopefully both in percentages and just in points scored and I think with him playing pick and roll a lot with Keon George and that being something that will happen more and more in the future

Uh his screen setting which Rudy goar was OB obviously laed for he was excellent he’s freed Donovan Mitchell Mike connley Joe Engles to a levels that he would get praise from all the coaches in their pregame sound which I’d edit it was always oh we have to figure a way to

Defend goar screens and defend the ball handler and defend the role if Kesler can become someone who sets screens to Advantage his team I think the Jazz get a huge Advantage both for Walker Kesler and the players who will be beneficiaries of Walker kesler’s screen setting and last point of the screen

Setting he picks up a lot of offensive fouls sitting screens that’ll saddle him with fouls less frequently and he’ll be allowed to play more freely once he improves his screen setting ability so those are my goals for Walker Kesler and my thoughts on Keon George but coming up

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Polarizing player on the Jazz at the moment that’s Taylor Hendrick I didn’t expect to say that sentence but I think it’s true Hendrick was drafted ninth out of UCF and with the ninth pick comes large expectations fairly or unfairly but in the case of Taylor Hendricks it becomes interesting to Cipher why he’s

Become polarizing there has been frustration that he was playing the G league and his Pathway to playing was being obscured by veterans like Kelly oen the trade for John Collins Kesler fonio a lot of these guys were playing positions and oh yeah the best player on the team Lowry Markin also plays a

Position in which he’ll get minutes at the position where Hendrick figures to factor in in the front court so with the trades at the trade deadline the Jazz made an obvious commitment to the youth movement and and extending their their focus to where the Jazz have the best

Chance of winning down the road and what players provide that chance of winning and a factor into the future and that’s Taylor Hendricks along with gon George Walker Kesler Larry Markin those are the guys that you build around so now obviously Taylor Hendricks is going to play he’d hardly played before the trade

Deadline and the Jazz was font office was critiqued for it and now they’re being critiqued more is it fair time will tell but but I would say not yet Hendrick’s promise largely was because he is 6 foot n bouncy and in college shot 39% from three which is

Theoretically exactly what the type of player you want the Salt Lake tribunes Andy lson loved him pre-draft I had him on here to talk about it with you guys and many people both locally and nationally in terms of draft conversation like in jiren Jackson Jr or

Jaden McDaniels both of whom are all NBA caliber Defenders and McDaniels or excuse me Jackson was the reigning defensive player of the year so with all that praise I don’t I think it’s natural for Hendricks to underwhelm compared to that praise but that’s where I think the

Jazz fans have a right to be frustrated in the sense of oh well he was picked nine Keon was picked 16 Keon’s overperforming hendrickx however has never been a Ballin hand scorer and and wasn’t as highly touted as konay George in high school or even outside of

College in Team USA camps or aou rankings Keon George was bred to score and was told so at an early age that the the ball was his to go out there and score and it was a shock that he fell to 16 to him and and many people before

That season as he’d never been ranked that lowly in his life uh and that pushed him motivated him and he’s come out with a Vengeance as you’ll see and and T Tony Jones wrote a wonderful piece about that how uh Keon George was ready for the being the underdog which he had

Never been before HRI on the other hand blossomed seemingly out of nowhere at UCF and is being asked by fans to immediately be an impactful player at 19 when he anticipated still being college at UCF with his twin brother where where he committed and Hendricks wasn’t a

Highly rated commit and he he won in in his high school team but he wasn’t at one of those prep schools whereas Keon George was bouncing around Prep School to prep School playing with future Pros he played alongside jerus walker uh and jerus Walker and konay George were

Teammates at IMG Academy traveling to National tournaments konay George was playing with the USA team for years I think that exposure allows you to gain confidence and maybe even just naive a that you really want that you you have this Blissful ignorance and confidence that leads you to having an earlier

Um entree to what the NBA is really like Hendrick has tremendous value in theory if if his shot and defensive cap capacities come along I mean that that’s easy to say he shot 39% and he blocked a lot of shots he’s long he’s bouncy he’s rangy he

Should be a good Defender Hendrick did one of the rare things in this world of basketball and he demonstrated some of that what we’re talking about what what so rare talent that you get liken to all def Ive players well he blocked Kevin Durant not only that’s a rare anyway but

He did so as the primary Defender not the help-side defender didn’t get a sneaky block he blocked Kevin Durant as the primary Defender he also ended up getting crossed over by Kevin Durant but those things happened as the most gifted score in in the last 15 years can can do

That but that’s that type of stuff is what I cling to about Taylor Hendrick is that he was able to block Kevin Durant more than what people will talk about is when he was left wide open as the Dare shooter against the Warriors and Lakers and he struggled he took those shots and

That actually meant a lot to me Hendricks in the G League was scoring nearly 15 points per game grabbing a little over six rebounds which are not prolific but they are substantial they’re no those aren’t tiny numbers those are substantial numbers and he was playing the same rwood in the NBA as a

Three and D guy as the at the small forward and power forward position with a little bit more time on ball yes you may want for more more prolific numbers because oh your lottery pick is in the G League but he’s playing the same role

That he’ll be playing in the NBA and I think that’s beneficial at times it’s just about acquiring confidence the Jazz did this with oag baji last year and then he played a far larger role at the end of the season and had so many fans which are who I’m largely addressing

This too for those of you listening who have been active on Twitter so many were clamoring that oaji was Untouchable because of the way he finished last year well agbaji wasn’t Untouchable but he did average 13 and a half points per game two and a half rebounds a little

Over two assists in the 22 games as a starter in 2022 2023 is close to the season that’s pretty good well Hendrick could have that type of role coming up soon he could have more Reigns I don’t think the Jazz will be as bad as they

Were at the end of last year so he probably won’t quite have the role that oai had but he and oai did turn out to be Untouchable but he’s four years older than Taylor Hendricks is at this current moment uh Hendrick is four years younger at the same stage taller actually a

Higher recruit out of high school than was agbaji and shot just as well in his freshman year of college as o agbaji did throughout his collegiate career Hendricks has struggled a little bit in man-to-man defenses this year which is the the more concerning part than the

Narrative oh he can’t shoot in the small doses of of shooting you’ve seen but I believe the flashes of him defending Kevin Durant the energy the a couple of the blocks running the floor transition defense is stuff you need to watch just as equally as you watch him struggle a

Bit at man-to-man defense so much so that earlier in this season when he was in the Jazz almost exclusively played zone defense that’s that’s an astute observation I overheard from uh working on a broadcast for one of the games and when Hendrick was in the Jazz were

Playing Zone when Hendricks was out the Jazz mostly played man well he’s going to get better in all these areas and he’ll allow for the Jazz to continue playing with that variability defensively because he’s got the the requisite attributes to influence defense he can block shots he can run

Like a deer he can jump he can rebound those type of things are big and he’s got the potential to be excellent weak side Defender and a secondary shot blocker which are becoming more and more coveted in today’s NBA and I think he’ll grow as a perimeter stopper I think Taylor

Hendrick in terms of the way he is as a person he’s a shy guy by Nature who is learning to be confident but I was impressed when he was left open and he’d missed a few he he kept shooting sometimes that rattles players he kept shooting and he did so with confidence

He made one of six threes when he was a true Dar shooter against the Los Angeles Lakers but he also then came into the game and hit a few mid-range jump shots and rebounded the ball and kept playing hard he’s getting 17 minutes a game the

First four games out of this and I think that number is going to grow I think his confidence will grow and I like his demeanor the ability to shoot it when having a hard time he may not make it but the confidence to shoot through a slump is better obviously Deion waiters

Has that famous phrase of yo I’d rather go one for 30 than one for nine because you otherwise you stop shooting maybe he doesn’t have those type of prolific numbers in terms of shot attempts but he keeps shooting I have full faith the number will regress to the mean or in

This case progress to the mean I I believe in Hendrick’s uh developing and I think there are players that have proven this that often when when a player excels in college past their high school ranking they they’re they’re a little bit raw and I think he was always

Meant to be a a bit of a a project that would be a success story of the staff so rather than someone immediately impactful obviously you hope for that and then the staff fur develops them but I think it was wishful thinking to think he’d have such an immediate impact on a

Team that had veteran leaders ahead the Jazz have now committed as many of you guys had wish to the youth movement and prioritizing the future and the winning window and I think he will reward that with more repetitions and more Rhythm Rhythm Is So impactful for shooting it’s

Very difficult to shoot well when you’re playing inconsistent minutes when he plays more consistent minutes develops confidence in himself knows the staff believes in him I think he will continue to improve and you’ll see some of that stuff that oh 39% shooter that has been compared to two perennial all defensive

Team caliber players for the next decade and Jaden McDaniels and jiren Jackson Jr so is he going in a top 10 in the redraft constructed over about this year no was he expected to after year one no can he be top 10 in a redraft after the

Career is said all said and done or in the the next five 10 years absolutely many players were resembling his archetype have blossomed after a a progress-based first year here are some examples that I think are similar players to Taylor Hendricks both in uh the size and and ability but also in

Terms of their development process as Collegiate players and high school recruits well Jade McDaniels was a five-star coming out of college but he was picked 28th but he figures to have a similar role didn’t play too much and all of a sudden has blossomed into like I’ve said an all defense caliber player

Jeremy Grant the Jazz fans are very familiar with him he was integral in Denver’s win over the Jazz in the playoffs and he’s become someone who’s become a top option with the ball I don’t necessarily expect that from Hendricks but Grant when he came into the league was just an athlete

Defensively that would impact shots and rebound the ball fly around and and has become a versatile player who is known for being a great 3 and D player that expanded his talent so much so that he got a big contract and became the number one option on a team Jaylen Johnson of

Duke he was picked 21st a few years ago and now is playing alongside Trey young and really honing his skills as a plus-sized Wing ruy haimura just scored a career high against the Utah Jazz was picked eighth struggled initially there were questions and he was older than Hendrick and now he’s playing alongside

LeBron James and Anthony Davis and plays a vital role for a team in Los Angeles Lakers who have playoff aspirations I think there’s hope for Hendrick Jazz fans may have to be patient as the process may take longer it’s not linear for some of these younger players some

It is some it isn’t but the majority it’s not even if you are picked highly I think there is patience that needs to be given to a player who is is is doing his best and he is Young he’s he’s young in the basketball years as well having that

Expectation you don’t you don’t go to to UCF and then become the ninth pick and expect to contribute immed immediately that would be a pipe dream but I think Taylor Hendricks has this uh trajectory that I outlined from a few of these other players I think he could be

Similar in that regard well thanks for tuning in to lock on Jazz and with your next listen please check out lockt on NBA where some of the latest discussions of what playoff teams are doing what and and what how to fix the All-Star Game are being had but check that out and you

Can find it on the National Sports channel and just a reminder locked On’s the launch the first ever National Sports 247 streaming Channel on YouTube and it’s also now available on fire Amazon Fire TV in the free Fire TV channels app locked on sports today is

Here for you 247 covering the top sport stories of the day with the local Experts of lockon Plus plus our national shows are covering every League find locked on sports today now and available on the free Fire TV channels app and that’ll wrap it up for

Me it’s been a pleasure being back with you guys I hope to be back here once more signing off on locked on Jazz it’s been a pleasure Leaf to lean and you’ve been listening to locked on Jazz and I can’t wait for the season to get back

Underway coming up next with your guy David lock taking over the Reigns once more tomorrow

Leif Thulin outlines attainable goals for the Utah Jazz to both achieve as a team in the remainder of the regular season as well as improve the Jazz’s chances in the long term. Leif discusses Keyonte George’s candidacy to make the All-Rookie Team and where he would go in a re-draft. Leif also points to areas where Walker Kessler can immediately improve with fun stats to back it up. Lastly, he discusses the polarizing Taylor Hendricks and his up and down rookie year.

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