What the five prospects the Utah Jazz might draft at No. 5 said at the NBA combine

Chicago • The NBA draft combine may not have all of the flash of its NFL counterpart — but it’s still a valuable place to get information.

Yes, of course, there are the measurements, the drills, the scrimmages, the workouts. There’s the NBA draft lottery, with representatives from all of the teams in the back lottery room and the TV studio stage.

But from a media point of view, perhaps the most interesting part of the combine came when we had the chance to meet with the prospects themselves. Sure, everyone can watch tape, but getting a chance to interact with a young player can tell you a lot about how they see themselves and their career. For many, mental makeup is a valuable part of prospect evaluation, and these interviews can be a hint at just that.

So here are some of the most interesting quotes from those media sessions from the five players the Jazz have the highest chances at drafting at No. 5 on June 25.

Ace Bailey, Rutgers

How do you want to develop your game in the NBA?

Which players do you compare yourself to?

“KD (Kevin Durant), Paul George, Jayson Tatum and T-Mac (Tracy McGrady). But I can see some (Carmelo Anthony) in me, too. I can see some Melo. All of us, we all do the same thing, for real. We create shots. I mean, we can shoot over defenders. We create our own space and stuff like that.”

If a team drafts you, what kind of player are they going to get? Like, what kind of character can you bring to the team?

“I’m a very energetic guy, love to be around me. Having fun, uplifting. Very funny. I’m a very competitive person, too.”

What’s an underrated part of your game?

“My passing I feel is underrated. I feel like I’m a great passer. When it’s time to get a bucket, it’s time to get a bucket, but I feel like I’m a good passer. I can get that pass off. Because if you look back, there’s some games I got double- or triple-teamed. I made that right pass, that right kick out at the right time.”

How do you explain the season Rutgers had, with two of the potentially top-five picks, but then the wins didn’t add up?

“It’s life. Life happens. We didn’t expect that, we wanted to go farther. But I guess life went the other way. Everything happens for a reason.”

VJ Edgecombe, Baylor

Whichever team takes you, what type of player are they getting?

“You’re going to get a two-way player, man, someone that’s coming in day one, ready to play, ready to hoop, that’s gonna play with all his heart for that program and represent the front of that jersey with pride.”

What does being a two-way player do for you in the NBA?

“It’s going to help me a lot. I mean, I’ll be able to play. Just being on the floor means a lot. Just being on the floor — you know, most rookies, they can’t guard. I just want to change that dynamic, and go out there and guard.”

Who’s a player whose defense you — maybe not model yourself after, but appreciate watching?

“Jrue Holiday, Lu Dort. You saw Lu Dort last night, Jrue Holiday, you’ve been seeing him over the past couple years, just seeing how they take defensive pride, man. Playing with defensive pride is something that’s truly amazing, and that’s something I’d love to do, too.”

What’s the most underrated part of your game?

“My scoring ability. I feel like everyone looks at me as like a defensive person, just someone that dunks. But I know I can provide more than that for sure.”

That scoring ability that you hope to show at the next level, what do you feel like are the steps to continue to develop that part of your game?

“Every day, just get better. Just work on every aspect of my game. Work on everything, every situation I can be in, just do all that just to get better.”

Tre Johnson, Texas

For people who aren’t familiar with your game on the court, how do you describe your game?

“A scoring playmaker that is slowly becoming to a two-way (player), for sure.”

Are you more comfortable on or off the ball as a scorer?

“Either, it doesn’t really matter. Just because when you’re in the gym by yourself working out, there really isn’t anybody passing you the ball to be playing off the ball in the workout. So most workouts are you on the ball. So that’s naturally what you’re most comfortable. But if somebody is creating an advantage and then giving me the ball with the advantage already starting as a scorer, I feel like that would be easier for anybody.”

How did you become such a good shooter?

“I think it’s more of a mental thing, just being able to do the same thing over and over for sure, I think that’s really all it is. Guys know how to make shots, but if you can do the same thing mentally over and over to make the shot, I find that’s really all there is to it.”

What’s the feedback been from teams so far?

“I’ve been asking in every meeting which areas I can look better at, and everybody’s really saying, just keep progressing in the defensive area and just getting stronger.”

Outside of getting stronger, how can you improve as a defender?

“I feel like watching more film can help me become a better defender, just knowing different tendencies and stuff like that, and just also becoming quicker, too.”

I saw an interview where you said you kind of don’t have many off-court hobbies. Can you expand on that?

“That’s really what it is, though. There’s not much to explain. Everything I’m doing is basketball related, unless I’m — I just got a book, so I’m trying to expand a little bit into reading. But everything is basketball related unless I’m either listening to music, on the phone with friends, sleep, and that’s probably about it."

Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma

What is the message in those team interviews that you’re trying to get across?

“Really just the star power I could bring to the team, and hopefully they’re looking for somebody in my position.”

There’s been a lot of comps thrown out about you in the last few months. Who do you think the closest one is, or who do you maybe try to model your game after?

“I try to model my game after Kyrie Irving and Steph Curry.”

In what ways?

“I kind of model my game after Kyrie Irving, just the way he’s able to get to his spots and rises up. You can’t stop Kyrie from getting to a spot. Just the way Curry moves off the ball and he wins. And I would also say, Ant-Man (Anthony Edwards) because of his mentality. He fears nobody, and he goes at everybody.”

Where do you feel like you need to work on your game most, outside of shooting consistency?

“Really, just the weight room for real — continue to live in a weight room and just continue to build my body.

What do you weigh right now? What would you like to weigh?

“I weigh 183 right now, I’m trying to get to potentially 190. I wouldn’t be mad at 185, but I’m trying to get to 190.”

What’s the most underrated part of your game?

“My steals, for sure. My anticipation is very, very good.”

Kon Knueppel, Duke

Thinking about your game as you get to the next level, what do you bring to an NBA team?

“I think I could do a lot of things while on the court. Obviously shooting, shooting translates. But being able to do a bunch of other things offensively and then being versatile defensively.”

What do you want to improve about your game as you get to the next level?

“Shooting off the dribble, and also creativity around the rim. And then there’s always room for improvement on defense.”

What’s an overlooked or an underrated skill that you think people need to take notice of?

“I think just how much I did in the ball screen and ball screen pick and roll handling this year, I can be an efficient player there and be a secondary ball handler for a team.”

Who do you compare yourself to in the NBA?

“I try not to compare myself to anybody. I take a lot from — I watch a lot of NBA games, from a lot of players. You know, I watched a lot of Jimmy Butler, his finishing the lane, how he finishes off two feet, uses his pivots, uses shot fakes. I think Klay (Thompson), just like his consistency with his release and his form. Bits and pieces of players. But I wouldn’t compare myself to any one guy."

What have you taken away from the playoffs? It’s been some really high-quality basketball.

“They’re going to pick on you if you can’t guard. So just being ready for that. Also how physical it is: these games are night and day different between the regular season and the playoffs. It’s been really fun to watch, but then going to a couple games in person and seeing how you could affect the game on the court has been pretty cool as well.”