The instructions are simple for the Jazz rookies. If they want to make the roster and play a role in Utah's rotation, they will have to follow these two things: give it their all and make passes, as franchise GM Justin Zanik reminds us.
“Will (Hardy) talks about a lot of things, but the main thing he talks about is there are no free minutes and you have to move the ball.”, Zanik recalls. “Having players who like to pass and can pass gives you a really good foundation to develop your game from.”
That's exactly what Cody Williams, who was selected in 10th position in the Draft, intends to bring. The Colorado product is a winger who is already interesting in defense and who has a lot of room for improvement in attack.
“The biggest impact I can have is on the defensive side,” says Cody, Jalen Williams' little brother. “We practiced today and got the numbers up. Last year, the team was 30th of 30 on 3-pointers taken by the opponent, and 30th of 30 on thedefensive efficiency. So I'm going to come in as a rookie, with my wingspan, my size and my versatility and I'm going to focus on what I can bring on defense.”
Three rookies expected in the “lottery”
The Jazz were especially successful in acquiring players in the late first round and early second that some pundits had been expecting as lottery picks. Injuries and a disappointing year for the Trojans changed the situation for Isaiah Collier. However, he remains an offensive talent.
“With the young people in our team, we try to make them players capable of playing on both sides of the field”the GM says of Collier. “He has all the physical and technical talent to do it. These are the most valuable players in our league, guys who can play both ends. There's a lot of potential there, and we're going to help him unleash it.”
This is also the case for Kyle Filipowski, the big loser of the new Draft format. First expected in the “lottery”, then around 20th place, just before the Draft, he had fallen until being selected in the second round. The pivot compared to Kelly Olynyk could have a role to play next season with movement expected for Walker Kessler and Lauri Markkanen
“Our entire staff couldn’t believe he was still available. Honestly, it was a very, very easy choice for us. He was someone we really wanted. We ran for the podium when it was ours. Kyle has a set of qualities that allow him to differentiate himself and become a man apart.”judge Zanik. “But starting with liking to pass, understanding the game, knowing how to play, having size and being able to dribble, pass and shoot. … That's a good start.”
