More than just Shane Larkin at Jazz workouts

SALT LAKE CITY — The Jazz held their third pre-draft workout, second with six players, and the star of the show looked to be Shane Larkin, but don't be fooled he wasn't the only player there.

Larkin has the talent and demeanor to play for the Jazz. He also plays the position they need and will probably be available in a spot they can draft. These are some of the reasons Larkin was the main attraction for media and probably most fans.

He is as athletic as they come he also might be as short as they come. He is calm, cool and instantly likeable. He grew up in the spotlight, well in the shadow of his father's, Hall-of-Fame baseball player Barry Larkin, spotlight, so he knows that there will be fans stopping him and he would welcome it.

"I'm a good guy on and off the court," Larkin said. "I'll be great in the community. Friendly face. If anyone ever sees me in the community you can come up to me, I'm not going to be stuck up ever. I don't care how big I get. That's something my dad was like, very humble guy. I'm never going to be like a show-off, boastful guy like that. Very personable. I did well in college. I got the All-ACC, second team AP, all that stuff."

He understands off the court how to be and has the ability to back it up. He is only 5-11, and that might be a little generous, but he has athletic ability to back it up. He had a 44-inch vertical at the combine, second-best there, and knows that he has to use his speed to and different approaches to get the job done. He compared himself to Ty Lawson of the Denver Nuggets.

Walt Perrin, Vice President of Player Personnel for the Jazz, talked to the media after and he seemed to beam when talking about Larkin. He had a smile for most of the interview, which could be just him, but it seemed especially evident when he was talking about Larkin.

"If a guy can play it doesn't matter what his size is," Perrin said. "It also helps how big his heart is, and Shane's got a huge heart."

It doesn't hurt to have a vertical that Perrin called "eye-popping." So, do the Jazz believe he can play?

"We think he can play," Perrin said. "Can he play at this level, how well he plays at this level, because he will play at this level, that's something we still have to decide."

Perrin said they bring in people they want to look at in their range. This isn't just the 14th pick, but all three of theirs and even players who might end up being undrafted. He said their draft board is very fluid right now and nothing is really set, but with some gentle connecting of the dots, it seems that Larkin is pretty high up on the Jazz's board right now.

There were others at the outing that could pique the Jazz's interest as well.

One of those players is Reggie Bullock out of North Carolina. He is a sharpshooter who can stretch the floor and knows his role. He will be a hard worker who can play in the league for years between his shooting and defense.

"I try to take pieces from a lot of people's game," Bullock said. "I like Danny Green, how he can shoot the ball, how he spaces, how he defends. I like how Kawhi Leonard defends. But somebody I try to pattern my game after and try to work on this that he does is Paul George."

He doesn't have the size of George. He isn't really as athletic as Leonard, but Green might be an apt comparison. He is a smart kid who understands who he is and what his role should be. He probably won't be a superstar and he won't act like a superstar. He will go out and work.

So at the end of the day if he can do nothing else, what skill can he hang his hat on?

"My shooting ability and I play defense and rebound the ball and spacing and I run the floor," Bullock said. "But my main one I hang it on is shooting the ball."

He isn't super familiar with what the Jazz are going through, he follows fellow Tarheel Marvin Williams, but has a base understanding. He played in the ACC with two other invites, Larkin of Miami and Lorenzo Brown of North Carolina State.

Brown is the other point guard in this group. He was actually recruited by current Jazz assistant Sidney Lowe at N.C. State. He is a pass first point guard who admittedly isn't a great shooter. He said he needs to improve his 3-point shot and the consistency of his jump shot.

Tony Mitchell is a hard-working athletic power forward, who might have worked a little too hard. As the workout ended and the media was walking into the practice facility he was sitting on the ground drinking lots of water. After the interview was finished he basically lied down for a minute still trying to get some more rest.

It isn't easy coming to Utah and these players have found that out. The other players at the workout were Malik Story and Amath M'Baye. Neither are expected to be drafted, but both could be looked at after the draft if the Jazz think they can become a player in the future.

The Jazz will host six more players on Thursday. Vander Blue or Marquette, Pierre Jackson of Baylor, Jack Cooley of Notre Dame, Trevor Mbakwe of Minnesota, Solomon Hill of Arizona and Glen Rice Jr. of Georgia Tech will be there.

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