Hornets Draft Transcript: Bower, Scott on Julian Wright
June 28, 2007
Julian Wright poses with a New Orleans jersey moments after being drafted. Wright will wear jersey No. 32 for the Hornets.
|
New Orleans general manager Jeff Bower and head coach Byron Scott addressed the media after the Hornets selected Julian Wright in the first round of the NBA Draft, with the No. 13 overall pick.
Highlights from the question-and-answer session:
Hornets.com: What position do you see Julian playing, or is that to be determined?
Scott: I think one thing about him is he’s very versatile. He can play the 3, 4 or 2. We’re extremely excited about having a kid who can do so many things, is a proven winner and has played in a big-time conference (Big 12). We expect him to come in and play well.
Hornets.com: Jeff, you talked before the draft about not getting preoccupied with filling a positional need. Do you feel like with Wright you’ve kind of filled three different positions, that he’s that versatile?
Bower: He has skills that can be used in so many ways. He’s able to take a defensive rebound and turn it into a transition opportunity with his (ballhandling) and ability to make plays for other people. He’s able to go into the post, and that’s something you’ll see more of as he gets more comfortable with his offensive game, that continues to get better. The thing that’s also important is when you go back to his high school career, he’s played minutes at the point guard position as well. This is a player we can remember watching in the McDonald’s All-Star Game as a high school senior. We were quite amazed with his skills back then. Now to have him join our franchise two years later is really a positive, positive thing.
Hornets.com: Byron, is there a current or past NBA player that you would compare Julian’s game to?
Scott: If I would compare him to a past one, this is probably a pretty big reach, but he’s probably a poor man’s Magic Johnson, with his skills, the way he passes, the way he handles the ball, his vision on the floor and unselfishness. He’s really good when you watch him play and he has a lot of the intangibles we talk about, in that he’s 6-8 and can push the ball. He’s going to help us out big-time as far as our fast break is concerned.
Hornets.com: The Hornets obviously needed a shooter and that was talked about before the draft. How difficult was it to pass up Nick Young? Was it a case where Julian Wright was too good of an athlete to not pick? Was it a tough decision?
Bower: We looked at both of those players very closely and measured each one against each other and a variety of other players. To be honest, we didn’t have to have much discussion about where Julian would fit on our board, as our coaching staff and scouting staff met over the last few days to finalize things. We were all in agreement on what talent and unique traits Julian possessed. He has an all-around game and can help us in many areas. Not only offensively, but also rebounding, passing the ball, extending into passing lanes. He brings a polished, mature approach to the game and we think he’s a player who has that word we are all looking for – upside – and room to grow.
Hornets.com: Byron, most players who are only in college for a couple years are not polished defensively. How would you rate Julian’s defensive ability?
Scott: Above average. I think he has a pretty good idea of how to play one-on-one defense, and his basketball IQ is very high. If you watched Kansas play, he’s obviously been well-coached and has a good understanding of how to play team defense as well. Like Jeff said, he’s going to be able to help us in a number of different ways, on both ends of the court.
Hornets.com: Do you see Julian being able to come in and make an impact right away, given that last year’s draft picks did not see a lot of court time?
Scott: Well, he’s just like every (other rookie). He’s going to have to come in and earn that playing time. Summer league is going to be something where we get to know him and he gets to know us and the system a little bit. There are still going to be some guys he’s going to have to battle with (for playing time), just like last year’s rookies. But I think he’s a little bit further along than Hilton (Armstrong) and Cedric (Simmons) were at this time last year.
Hornets.com: What type of offensive player is Julian? Is he a back-to-the-basket player, or a scorer from mid-range?
Bower: I think he’s a guy who is going to put the ball on the floor and be able to drive to the basket, and use his length to his advantage. He’s a player who has solid range from about 20 feet and can make the jump shot from that range. He’s got the ability to play in the middle of the paint, particularly against zones. He’s been a phenomenal player when you watch him against teams that play zone. The way he handles the ball and his aggressiveness in the middle of the zone totally compacts it. If he isn’t scoring, he’s capable of making a play for others, and with his size he’s able to get to the glass and be a factor on the offensive boards.
Scott: The first thing about the kid is he’s going to make guys better and make us a much better passing team when he’s on the floor. And he can score in the low post, either with his right hand or left hand. He’s got a tremendous first step and is very explosive getting off the ground. There are a lot of little things he does well that are going to help us overall.
Hornets.com: You both talk about his versatility. If you had to list him as a 2, 3 or 4, what would it be?
Scott: I don’t think we can list him at one position. If you have to, it’d probably be a 3.
Hornets.com: He has been described as athletic and a slasher, as well as a decent shooter. He sounds similar to Desmond Mason in that respect. How would you compare Julian to Desmond?
Scott: That’s a good comparison. Julian is bigger, a better ballhandler, a better passer and a better rebounder. Desmond is a very polished offensive player, especially on the post. Julian Wright has the potential to be that as well. All-around, as far as passing and bringing up the ball, and playing a point-forward position, he’s probably a little bit more advanced than Mase was.
Hornets.com: Did you try to arrange a workout with Wright?
Bower: We spoke with his agent (Rob Pelinka) early in the process, and at that point, they were only going to work out for teams at the top of the lottery. That shows how highly he was rated and regarded coming off his college season. To be honest, we understood their stance. We felt he was a prospect that would be at the top of the draft. When they declined the workout, we understood it and moved on. We relied on the body of work from Julian that we’d seen throughout his college career, and actually going back to his high school career as well. We had such confidence in him that we felt he was a prospect we wouldn’t pass up, (even though) he didn’t come in for a workout. Our decision was based on his play for his college team in 5-on-5 situations (as opposed to workouts where the play is 1-on-1 or 2-on-2). That’s why we feel as confident as we do in this selection.
Hornets.com: What do you want to see from Julian in summer league?
Scott: Just what he’s shown during college. I want him to be able to grab rebounds, push the ball, make plays for others, attack the offensive glass, use his athleticism and basketball IQ. Summer league will give him an indication of what this is all about, an introduction to the NBA. In October, he’ll be better, because he’ll know what he needs to work on to get better. He’s going to be coming in with a veteran group.
Hornets.com: What do you want to see from Hornets veterans Hilton Armstrong, Cedric Simmons and Marcus Vinicius in Las Vegas?
Scott: I hope Hilton and Cedric can dominate. They’re going into their second year, and they have to show me a lot. I’ve already made that statement to them. I expect those guys to be in our rotation (in 2007-08), but in order to do that, you’re going to have to come to Vegas and play well, then come to training camp and be ready. I think both of them understand that, and Marcus does too.
Hornets.com: How might the pick of Wright affect your approach to free agency, now that you’ve obtained a player you didn’t think would be available?
Bower: The first thing we’ll do is sit back and analyze everything. Our approach all along has been to improve the team. (Free agency) is going to be a slow-moving process. We’re going to have to let the market determine the interest in our players and act accordingly. We’ve added a player we have a lot of confidence in and can help us.
Scott: We’re targeting shooting (in free agency). We’re going to get a shooter, there’s no doubt. Passing up a guy like (Wright), knowing what he can do on the court, would have been crazy. We knew he was good, and there was not one guy in our war room who thought he’d be there at 13. The closer he got, the more excited we got.
Hornets.com: How much of a priority is re-signing Devin Brown and Desmond Mason?
Scott: It’s a priority, but you also have to understand that you might lose them. You have to protect yourself. If we lose Mase, (Wright) can step in off the bench or maybe be a starter one of these days. Our priority is always to re-sign our own free agents, especially the guys we feel are going to be able to fit in and continue to contribute.
Hornets.com: How many of your free agents are you going to try to bring back?
Scott: It’s probably going to be two or three. You have to understand that those guys are trying to see if they can sign somewhere else and get more money or a bigger role. At some point you hope to find a common ground. Out of (our free agents), we’d hope to sign two, maybe three at the most.
