2024 Draft: Jeff Peterson Media Availability | 6/27/2024

2024 Draft: Jeff Peterson Media Availability | 6/27/2024

Jeff congratulations on a a first draft uh with KJ Simpson in particular what stood out about his game and I guess if you could talk a little bit about your interaction with him um prior to the draft he said you guys had a really good meeting I think in in Chicago during the combine yeah thank you Sam um super super excited about KJ he’s a guy that you know we had targeted as a uh as a talent that should have win in the first round and um just his again talk about his intangibles he’s an ultimate ultimate competitor uh he works um if not as you know harder than anyone just as hard as anyone um he’s an elite Defender um you know he shoots the ball well he gets others involved so there’s a lot to be excited with him um and then yes of course we spent some time with him in Chicago uh his characteristics are are exactly what we want the Hornets to be about go ahead Scott uh hi Jeff if you could just make a overall comments about what you did today um and yesterday and what you like about what you did and what you still think you need and can you also comment on this trade report yeah Scott I’m I’m very very excited about what we did on whole um just you know our group it was a true team effort had a ton of people in the front office and Scouts and coaching staff medical performance we had some goals set out and really excited of course starting last night with with with uh getting tjn and then today of course with KJ as I just said he’s you know his character is is exactly what we want the Charlotte horns to be about and I have no doubt that you know those two guys are going to maximize themselves uh as far as the trade goes I I I can’t com comment on that um what I will say is we will always be very strategic and opportunistic um in terms of being able to collect assets and uh and utilize our room this summer uh going in the free agency um as it relates to finding finding future Hornets as well thanks go ahead Rod hey Jeff just wondering what is your vision for this roster like how I guess aggressive will you be over the next few days to kind of change the roster and make it the way you want to go forward yeah right it’s uh you know look as you guys know this time of year it’s always fluid uh just things happen all the time with trades and uh just different signings that that maybe were uh not expected so as I said before we’re going to be very very strategic uh my my group and our group here is uh we have a ton of different iterations and paths that we’re prepared for so I know we’ll be able to capitalize uh at the right time in terms of how we will use that room collecting additional assets and finding future Hornets then obviously you guys have a big free agent with Miles Bridges I’m just wondering what can you say about that and what how did the new CBA rule allow you guys to kind of communicate and kind of negotiate help if at all do this process as you kind of figure out what’s going on with that yeah I I think the new CBA rule is is ultimately a positive um you know what I would say Rod is I I don’t want to get into any individual uh negotiations um that I’ve had what I you know I’ve made it very clear to miles that we want him to remain as a hornet Nick Carboni hey Jeff there’s a pretty clear theme when you talk about the two guys that you drafted over the last 24 hours and it seems to be about effort defense has mentioned a lot do this draft way for you guys to kind of set the tone of what you want the culture to be it is Nick and that’s you know that’s something that Charles and I specifically we’re we’re very very uh excited about you know we have incredible opportunity here to again as you said tailor the roster to how we see uh you know how we want the Charlotte Hornets to look like um and those two guys you you hit it on the head that’s why I’m so excited about it uh they they compete on a nightly basis uh they’re very very very unselfish they play the right way they’re physical um and they love to defend so all those things that you know look you can’t control if you’re making shots on a nightly basis you can’t control a lot of things but you can control your effort and your your work rate um and your overall approach and those two guys they uh they’re very very special in those categories James Clow right hi Jeff James from Hornet sunai um can you just talk a little bit about the remaining uh roster kind of some weak areas that you’re wanting to maybe address in the the coming days and weeks here things that you think the team need yeah thanks James as I said earlier I I think this it’s hard this time of the year it’s so fluid right again just unexpected trades random signings so I I think we’re going to look at it more as just again being very opportunistic and strategic uh with how we utilize our room um so you know I think if you ask all all teams right now there’s there’s just going to be something that that pops up that maybe you weren’t expecting necessarily so just we want to M remain very flexible um and I’m I’m excited about contining to add assets and and future Hornets Steve Reed hey Jeff um it seems like it seems like uh defense certainly defensive skills was was was a priority uh heading into this draft would you you agree with that yeah I think the uh again yes we always love guys who who take pride uh on that end of the floor um it’s not certainly not easy but you know of course you know I think some of the best teams you know they’re able to have success because they defend certainly you saw that with with uh Boston this year and Charles is coming from that as well um now I also want to say these guys are pretty good offensively as well tjn has a lot of upside um as I said last night he can you know he’ll shoot the ball he can rebound and push he’s he’s a bit uh versal on that in the floor and and KJ’s a very good offensive player as well he you know I think averaged around 20 points in the Pack 12 and shot above 40% from three um took care of the ball does a great job of getting his teammates involved so it’s uh it’s certainly a positive that they can play offense but uh I’m really really excited that they uh again their approach on the defensive end is where we want it to be Sam Farber hey Jeff congrats on wrapping up your first draft uh two questions one in terms of KJ uh was this pick more in terms of fit or best on the board how would you describe it and then looking ahead to Summer League this would be your first time filling out a roster are there any priorities or common traits that you’re looking for for players that will try and earn their way onto it to the Hornets roster that R yeah thanks Sam uh you know with KJ a little bit of both really like again as I said he was someone who we uh we had pegged as a as a first round Talent um so we are thrilled that he was there uh when we were picking so uh but yeah fit you know we think he he’ll help out at that guard position as well so uh and in terms of Summer League I think it’s a great opportunity one just to uh you know have you know guys like KJ and tjn and uh Nick Smith those guys will compete in summer league so be great to for Charles really and his staff to to get their hands on them on a daily basis and and see them in in game action uh and just continue to further further evaluate those guys Sam Hurley Jeff I want to ask you just a quick followup on um on KJ uh just looking at his first two years at Colorado it seemed like the three-point shot was um a little bit of a struggle for him and he talked about he he really uh you know clamped down last summer to to get it up to and I think he jumped from 27% to 43% uh what sticks out about his his shot approach and how much film did you watch from the I guess maybe the previous year at Colorado compared to this past year to see how much of a difference there was with maybe how he looked how he was approaching shot selection what what would you kind of contribute to the to the Improvement yeah it’s a great question Sam uh I what I attribute to it is just his work rate and his work ethic um again that’s that’s we had some long conversations about uh really how how he was able to improve in those areas and he essentially locked himself in the gym and and just until he got very very comfortable I love his shot Pro profile I think guards who can make shots off the bounce are are a little bit more dangerous and he can do that his his level of confidence um I think it you know he had just natural maturation in terms of uh probably his shot profile and distribution taking a little bit better ones uh so he had a pretty good uh sample size from the three-point land and again was able to obviously shoot it at a high clip this year we’ll go to Jason Brown Jeff thanks for taking the time uh I think we all sort of take your point as far as things being fluid with the roster this time of year you know but I I for several years now you I’ve heard the term positionist basketball I’m just curious your philosophy when you’re shaping this roster and looking at the depth of it are you just looking at position as basketball or do you you know identify positions that maybe of need yeah I I think it’s more of um you know comp you know how the roster compliments one another right so yes I think positionist basketball is a trendy right term and and yes I I think it can can certainly apply at the end of the day we need guys on the floor who compete who work who are going to give the effort who are going to defend and then of course have some requisite of you know skill in terms of passing shooting of course you want your bigs to rebound um so there’s certainly uh different metrics that you want uh you know those five players to hit on the floor but a lot of it just comes down to how they complement one another when they’re on the floor all right guys we got time for three more we’ll go to rod and then Nick and then James so go ahead Rob yeah Jeff to kind of follow up on Jason’s question with KJ being a point guard you already have Trey M on the roster obious lamelo just what’s your philosophy I guess in terms of stacking up I guess positions guards how do you feel about um having maybe three or four whatever at certain spots that could seem like it could be overload in other people’s minds per se yeah look I I see it as a positive you you have no idea what’s gonna happen through the season in terms of just foul trouble or whatever it may be right so I think all three those guys are very good they’re also different right lamelo has a little bit more size than all of them um of course Trey can play on and off the ball KJ is a little bit more ball dominant excuse me dominant so they uh you know in some ways they compliment one another some ways they you know they’re they’re different so I think uh I see that as a positive go ahead Nick Jeff I know Rick and Gabe are basketball junkies but what what did they know about to John before and and how did you kind of got him through that process and and just what was their involvement with you everybody there for the first time in the STP yeah I I think you know prior to uh prior to me arriving they you know they certainly didn’t see tjn much um but when I got here to to Charlotte I one of the first things I did actually was go to Europe when I had a little bit of a break to see tjn um and as soon as I came back I just told him like got we gota we’re gonna really zero in on this guy he’s he has a potential to be uh be special so you know I I think you know after I of course um educated him on that you know they they were excited and you know yeah of course they were here here with us uh and just full of support they uh they were tremendous resource in terms of you know allowing the front office to to continue to proceed and and go through with the pick and and things like that so very they’re very excited last one to James Flite Jeff you mentioned you you’ve held interest in tjn for quite a while you took the NBA World a little bit I think by surprise with the pick yesterday are you happy in the the modern day of leaks and rumors that that was kind of able to to be kept quiet until just maybe an hour or so before the draft yeah I’m thrilled I I think you know it’s one of those things that of course everyone’s looking for information but uh look I I felt good about our process um it’s never perfect these things never are but I think we did a pretty good job in terms of uh like you said keeping it quiet and uh ultimately you know going into the night our highest goal was to select tjon and we got that accomplish

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