Jackpotting Around: A Utah Jazz Podcast · Art Cummings and Chad Lowe

Episode 40: Tony Jones from The Athletic - Draft and Offseason Preview

·1 hr 19 min·5 clips

Tony Jones says he would be “petrified” to draft Ace Bailey or pass on him.

1. Jackpotting Around: A Utah Jazz Podcast focuses on the Utah Jazz draft and offseason with Tony Jones from The Athletic. 2. Chad Lowe hosts, Art Cummings co-hosts, and Tony Jones provides the draft reporting and roster context. 3. The episode asks what Utah should do at No. 5, how much draft smoke matters, and which prospects fit the Jazz. 4. Tony Jones says teams like Dallas, San Antonio, and Philadelphia can be direct about their picks, while Charlotte and Utah must be more guarded. 5. He frames the top of the draft as a tier from three through nine that includes VJ Edgecombe, Kon Knueppel, Ace Bailey, Tre Johnson, Jeremiah Fears, and Derik Queen. 6. The conversation returns repeatedly to the idea that the top ten could move because of trades. 7. Jones says he would almost be surprised if there were not “a trade or two in the top ten.” 8. He says a Phoenix first-round pick or a Brooklyn move could change the tenor of the board. 9. The hosts also discuss Philadelphia, where Jones says VJ Edgecombe and Kon Knueppel interviewed extremely well. 10. Jones says those two prospects “sounded like adults” in their team meetings. 11. He links that to locker-room value and says teams are betting on the person as much as the player. 12. Jones says good locker rooms matter because a stable group affects what happens on the floor. 13. Ace Bailey becomes the central debate because Jones sees him as both high-upside and high-variance. 14. Jones says he would be “petrified” to draft Ace Bailey and also “petrified” to pass on him. 15. He compares the range of outcomes to Paul George on one side and Cam Reddish on the other. 16. Jones argues that Ace Bailey’s spot in the draft depends on incomplete information because Utah and Philadelphia have not gotten him into their buildings. 17. The discussion shifts to Austin Ainge, and Jones says the Jazz roster will not control the new front office’s draft choices. 18. He says a future Jazz pick can be driven by basketball reasons even if the choice is Ace Bailey, Jeremiah Fears, or common alternatives at No. 5. 19. Fans who follow Utah Jazz draft rumors and lottery-prospect debates would get the most from this episode. 20. Fans who want only game recaps and no draft board talk should probably skip it.

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Jackpotting Around: A Utah Jazz Podcast