- 17 hours ago
Draft Day has finally arrived! Ben Anderson joins The Junkies for one last preview of the 2026 NBA Draft before the Wiz make that No. 1 pick.
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00:00Welcome in Ben Anderson, Utah Jazz Insider for KSL Sports in Salt Lake.
00:05He is in New York.
00:07He's on the East Coast for the upcoming NBA draft tonight.
00:10Ben, thanks for the time, man.
00:11We appreciate it.
00:13What's up?
00:13My pleasure.
00:14Ben, what's been the World Cup traffic, foot traffic up there since you've been in New York?
00:20It's not been crazy.
00:21There are some streets that are certainly getting blocked off because you have to make several stops before I guess
00:25you can get into the actual arena to watch the game.
00:28But it's been pretty relaxed.
00:30I almost wonder if the city's died down after the parade last week.
00:33Right, right.
00:34So, I don't know.
00:35It's so intriguing to me that we don't know for sure.
00:38Even though the betting markets are, you know, heavy, heavy, heavy.
00:42It's the Bonsa one.
00:43And I think the media as a whole is like 85%, you know, of the mainstream media people are saying
00:51it's the Bonsa one.
00:52But they're being very tight-lipped about it.
00:54But the only reports we might hear is that Leonsis may favor the Bonsa, which, you know, if your owner
01:00favors it, that's a pretty important guy.
01:04I still think that there's a chance, a reasonable chance, I don't know, 20%, 30% that it could be
01:09Darren Peterson.
01:10What is your best guess as to what's going to happen here at the top of the draft?
01:14And then where does that leave Utah?
01:16Yeah, I was at the NBA media availability for the pre-draft yesterday, and it felt like A.J. was
01:22the guy.
01:23I mean, A.J. carried himself like he was the guy.
01:26He spoke like he was the guy.
01:27It certainly feels like that's what everyone is expecting tomorrow.
01:31And even some of the movements like Darren Peterson having a late conversation with the Jazz before the workout after
01:37canceling it originally last week.
01:38I think it does seem to imply that, but as you guys mentioned, you know, you are one strange morning
01:44away of the ownership or management waking up and saying, you know what, I thought about it.
01:49Ultimately, I'm going to go with Darren Peterson, and I certainly think that's still in the cards.
01:53Yeah, I think so, too.
01:55But it's wild.
01:57DeBonsa admitted last night, though, that he has no idea.
02:00He'll know when we know.
02:01And I just think that that's unusual.
02:04And Peterson said the same thing.
02:06He said he's trying to get a read on everybody, and they've got a poker face, and they can't really
02:09tell.
02:09So, I mean, unless all the players are in on this as well and, you know, know what's going to
02:14happen but are keeping themselves tight-lipped, I truly think nobody knows.
02:18I think they're probably not going to know until a few minutes before the draft when they make it official.
02:22All right, so we've all seen highlights of DeBonsa and seen him play a couple of times, and we know
02:26his upside.
02:27But you being in Utah, you probably saw him way more than any of us.
02:31Tell us about his game in particular and what type of kid he is.
02:36Yeah, as far as the kid goes, I think he's great.
02:38I think he's a super pro.
02:40I think he really is built for this type of experience.
02:43I think he wants to be a star, but some guys want to be a star and don't really have
02:47the ability to make it happen.
02:49He carries himself like a star, but I don't think he's obnoxious.
02:52I don't think he's entitled.
02:54I think it is just a level.
02:55He's always been above everybody else as a player throughout his career, and I think that plays out on the
03:00floor.
03:01As far as his game goes, I mean, outside of being a knockdown three-point shooter, it's kind of the
03:05perfect modern wing.
03:07He's very good with the ball in his hands, but he can get anywhere on the floor that he wants
03:10to.
03:11He's a much better passer than advertised.
03:13You know, he's not making incredible reads, but when you're 6'9", and the entire defense collapses on you,
03:18you just need to know where somebody is in the corner in today's NBA, and he does that very well.
03:23Obviously, he gets to the midrange better than anybody, but I think he's going to finish at the rim a
03:26ton in the NBA.
03:27I think the spacing he's going to have around him, whether it's shooters in Washington or in Utah,
03:33I just think it's going to really open up the floor for him, and that 42-inch vertical is going
03:37to really jump off the floor.
03:39His quick-twitch athleticism is going to really pop.
03:42I think people are going to be surprised and remember, oh, they may have overthought this.
03:47The whole H-80 boss, this saga, if he doesn't end up going number one.
03:51And Ben, don't you think his perimeter game, I understand that the three-point shot is deeper in the NBA,
03:55but don't you think the perimeter game will get better?
03:58I mean, he's going to be working on that.
04:00Yeah, I know there's kind of some lack of belief in some players' ability to develop the three-point shot.
04:05You just have to be able to shoot the three now in today's NBA, so guys work on it so
04:09much.
04:10It becomes such a focus for NBA, everybody.
04:13You know, that wasn't the case, obviously, 15, 20 years ago.
04:15You didn't have to shoot the three.
04:16Now, because you have to, it's going to be his biggest priority,
04:19and the type of worker he is, the type of kid he is, and the touch he has everywhere else.
04:23I mean, he has an incredible mid-range shot.
04:25I just can't imagine eventually that doesn't spread out to the three-point line.
04:30So, Ben, do you think right now that Danny Ainge, if DeBonsa is the number one pick,
04:35is it a 100% certainty that Darren Peterson goes to, or is booze in play there as well?
04:42Well, and I saw your tweet from yesterday about Darren Peterson and, like, his personality.
04:46You said he was warm, he was sharp for the 20-plus minutes in the media availability.
04:51Like, I know that was kind of a question mark with him.
04:53Did that, like, soothe some people's fears about him, kind of like off the court, his personality yesterday?
04:59Yeah, you know, because he did so little media throughout the season at Kansas,
05:04there was this kind of mystery around him.
05:06I think even for front offices, now front offices can talk to, you know, coaches and scouts and say,
05:11yeah, we kind of get this intel on the guy, but I'm sure it's different when you actually sit down
05:14with him
05:14for a dinner, for a breakfast, if they're coming to stay in your city.
05:17And obviously the Jazz didn't get a full dinner or breakfast with him because I don't think he visited Utah.
05:21But you do get him on the phone and you realize he's probably a little more stoic than he is
05:25kind of put offish.
05:27I didn't get the sense at all that he thought he was too big for the situation or too cool
05:31for Utah or Washington.
05:32I would be surprised if that's anyone's kind of read on him.
05:36I think he's quiet.
05:37I think he's young, but I don't think he's, you know, thinks he's above any of this.
05:42And I thought that was really impressive.
05:44So my guess would be that he's leaning towards the, that Jazz would be leaning towards DeBaza at this point.
05:51Booser was impressive as well yesterday.
05:53I mean, he just speaks like he's a veteran.
05:54It's kind of funny to hear him talk.
05:56You can tell some of these guys who have been around the NBA their entire lives,
05:58and Booser's certainly one of them.
06:00But I thought Peterson was much different than I had expected.
06:04And I wouldn't be surprised if he impressed some teams during the interview process.
06:07Did you ever get the sense, see, part of the reason why people think that the Wizards are so tight
06:12-lipped about this
06:13is they're trying to just, you know, explore every opportunity, potentially get a trade and maybe going.
06:19I think it's also because they're just going back and forth on the deal.
06:22But did you ever get the sense that Danny Ainge would trade up anything for any of these guys?
06:29You know, I haven't heard any real concrete evidence of that.
06:34And then you change your mind at the last 10 minutes.
06:36You know, I mean, that just certainly happened because why would the Jazz leak that?
06:40So while I've absolutely heard nothing about it, I've heard nothing about the Jazz having interest in moving up to
06:45number one overall,
06:46or things like that have to be a priority.
06:48Like we just said, you know, the Wizards might wake up and think, ooh, maybe it's Darren Peterson this morning.
06:53The Jazz could wake up and just have this gut feeling that, oh, it has to be AJ DiMonto,
06:58or they have to get up to number one to get their guy, whoever it is.
07:01And they don't want to wait for him to fall to two.
07:03And if there's, you know, a first-round draft pick that has to be included, something along those lines,
07:07I could absolutely see the Jazz doing it.
07:09I do not think it would ever be Ace Bailey.
07:11The Jazz love him.
07:12And I know that's kind of been the popular name, as close as he was to getting drafted by Washington
07:15last year.
07:16It would be a much smaller deal.
07:18But if the Jazz decided, hey, why tempt fate if you want to go get one specific person,
07:23I could still see them doing that.
07:26Ben, I've tried to make this point a few times on this show when people, you know,
07:31media and fans are trying to compare Peterson to AJ, especially when they played head-to-head.
07:38But AJ DeBonsa, he put up some big numbers against college teams that historically are really good defensively.
07:45Houston, Arizona, Texas Tech, Iowa State.
07:50I mean, he put up some, he lit up a few of those teams.
07:53I mean, he had 25 against Houston, and Kelvin Sampson's team is usually the best in the country defensively.
07:59Is that something that you kind of try and emphasize in terms of how good of a fit he would
08:04be in Utah?
08:06Well, I will say this.
08:08I think the 20 minutes, the first half between BYU and Kansas is some of the kind of most misleading
08:15film there is
08:16that I remember in draft history, because obviously everyone wants to watch these guys go and play head-to-head.
08:21And Darren Peterson has that huge first 20 minutes and doesn't play the second half.
08:25And AJ is very quiet.
08:26I think if you go look at the box score of that game, AJ still finishes with like 25 points
08:30in the second half.
08:31Yeah, I mean, every time you watch AJ with like very, very limited examples, he's just unstoppable.
08:38And yeah, that's Houston, and that's Iowa State, like you mentioned, all these teams.
08:43And it's really funny to go back.
08:44I mean, you can take a freeze frame basically any time BYU's on offense, pause the film,
08:49and you've got four guys pointing at AJ DeBonsa or wondering where AJ is, whether he has the ball or
08:54not.
08:54I mean, he was just the focus of what everyone was trying to take away, because BYU was talented,
08:59but they were flawed, and they weren't particularly deep.
09:02So if it wasn't, you know, AJ or Richie Saunders hurting you, you were probably pretty safe as a team.
09:07So yeah, I mean, AJ's production is pretty unimpeachable.
09:13He's going to produce in the NBA.
09:14He's going to be a big-time scorer.
09:16And I don't think he's a pig.
09:18I don't think he's the type of guy who's going to get his numbers regardless of whether it helps the
09:21team or not.
09:22I do think he really cares about winning, and then that's going to translate really quickly.
09:26Saw the dad being interviewed.
09:30I respected the guy.
09:31I think he's done a great job raising this kid.
09:33Some, though, think maybe the dad and the family, maybe they could possibly be a little too meddlesome.
09:39Do you see that scenario playing out?
09:41I saw AJ at some jazz games, and his dad was always there.
09:44And I kind of wondered that same thing.
09:46You know, if he'll round a little bit too much, they didn't hire an agent.
09:49And sometimes that can end up leading to a father who's a little overbearing.
09:53I've not heard that from anyone, though, who's been close to him.
09:56And, in fact, what I've heard is that Ace, by the way, is AJ's dad.
10:00Ace has done a good job of making AJ available, you know, kind of making him accountable, putting him out
10:05there for some of these things.
10:06I don't necessarily think this is AJ trying to live out his father's dreams.
10:12And I think that's when you can get some of these guys to go astray.
10:15I honestly think he just wants to be involved in his son's life.
10:17He's a former police officer, so kind of wants to make sure he stays on the straight and narrow.
10:22From everything I've heard, AJ is just a very good kid on top of it.
10:25So I would be surprised if he never hires an agent.
10:28Usually that does end up being beneficial.
10:30But I wouldn't really worry too much about the father's aspect.
10:34We're joined by Ben Anderson, Utah Jazz, insider for KSL Sports in Salt Lake.
10:38He's in New York City for tonight's NBA draft.
10:41I want your outsider's opinion on Trey Young re-upping with the Wizards four years, $212 million.
10:49What did you make of that news when you heard it yesterday?
10:52Pricing.
10:53It's certainly expensive.
10:54My brother, who's even a casual fan, texted me against the number with the large eyes emoji.
11:00I think everyone was a little surprised by the sticker shock of it.
11:04But look, the NBA, it's just not kind of a consensus anymore on how teams are going to operate with
11:09their cap.
11:10Nobody wants to be over the second apron.
11:12But if you're not close to being there, I think teams are pretty comfortable spending.
11:16And here's what I will tell you.
11:18In Utah, the one thing I've heard about the Wizards consistently is that Ted Leonsis just wants to win now.
11:23And that was a part of the Trey Young deal.
11:25That was a part of the Anthony Davis deal.
11:27That's why Caleb Wilson was really never considered as the number one pick here.
11:30They're kind of done with the rebuilding process.
11:32The same thing is happening in Utah.
11:35So even if you have to pay these guys now, it seems like that's the desire.
11:39Start winning again.
11:40Get back in the competition.
11:41There's no value of being one of the worst teams in the NBA with the new tanking rules.
11:45So it's steep.
11:46It's a little bit expensive.
11:48I do think we have a short memory in the NBA.
11:50Trey Young, not three years ago, was viewed as one of the top 15 or 20 players in the NBA.
11:56I know he's been flawed, and it's expensive.
11:57It is.
11:58But you can get reasonable value out of it.
12:01Ben, from the jazz fans that you talked to, if AJ goes one, which I expect he will, are
12:07they okay?
12:08Are they excited about Peterson at two?
12:11Yeah, there's kind of been a weird flip-flopping just because some of the narratives in Utah
12:15where, you know, for a minute everyone was afraid it was going to be Cam Boozer.
12:19Then everyone jumped on the Cam Boozer bandwagon.
12:21Now I think people are coming back to Darren Peterson.
12:23In fact, a lot of people are telling you they want Darren Peterson over AJ DeBonta.
12:27That's because I think they recognize it's pretty unrealistic that AJ stays in Utah long-term.
12:32So, yeah, I think that they're going to be on board for Darren Peterson, and then there's
12:35going to be an annoying argument between the Wizards and jazz fan base about which team
12:41got the better player for the next 10 years.
12:43Yep, that'll definitely be a thing.
12:44Ben, thanks for the time.
12:45We know you're super busy.
12:47Best of luck to your jazz at that number two slot tonight.
12:50We'll talk to you again soon.
12:52My pleasure, guys.
12:53Thanks, bud.
12:53Thanks, bud.
12:54Ben Anderson, Utah Jazz Insider for KSL Sports in Salt Lake.
12:58He is in New York City for tonight's NBA draft.
13:01You can join us at the Anthem tonight.
13:03There's a Wizards draft party going on there.
13:06We're broadcasting starting at 7.
13:08Wizards make their pick at 8.
13:10We hope to see you there tonight.
13:12We're the Junk's.
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