SALT LAKE CITY — The Jazz had their best draft workout of the summer so far, with four players who are expected to be drafted in DraftExpress' current mock draft. Not only was there a quantity of good players, but quality as well: Donovan Mitchell, a likely lottery prospect, attended the workout. Notes and quotes from the Jazz's workout Saturday.

Donovan Mitchell impresses

To say the least, it was surprising that Mitchell was on the Jazz's workout list. Mitchell is currently slated to go 12th in DraftExpress' mock and 15th in ESPN's top 100. Usually, prospects work out for the teams that are in their range, but Mitchell would have to slide in a very surprising way (or the Jazz would have to trade up to get him) to end up in Utah's hands.

I asked Mitchell why he was here given his projections.

"I wanted to work out for the Jazz. I love the organization. I talked to my agent, and he said we like the people and the group. Mr. Lindsey is a great guy, and I played against his son, and the first thing he talked about was the two steals he had against us when we were up 25," Mitchell said. "That type of camaraderie is something I like in an organization. Having one of the higher-ups interact with a player, and you see, it's just a lot of fun. You don't hear anything negative about the Jazz."

He wasn't done. "And Utah, I love it. It's quiet and nice, everything is clean for starters. I'm from New York, where it's loud and dirty," Mitchell said. "But I like Utah a lot. It's beautiful. I just like it out here."

That's probably the most positive review I've seen from a draft workout player about the Jazz, especially from a player who didn't need to come here. It's the sort of thing that makes you wonder if Mitchell and the Jazz have a future together in the NBA, even if it doesn't come in June.

Mitchell is a talented player. While he's only 6-foot-3, making him short for an NBA shooting guard, his measured 6-foot-10 wingspan means that he should be able to have a bigger impact than other shorter players. He's also just physically strong, another compensating factor for his height.

The other factor: he's just an incredible athlete. He posted the NBA Combine's best standing vertical at 36.5 inches, and posted a 3.01 second three-quarter quart run time, the best measured number since 2008.

In other words, he's the kind of player that is only helped by the workout process. Teams can see his athleticism up close, and if his time in front of the cameras with the media was any indication, he's probably doing well in the interview process with the team executives too. If the Jazz want Mitchell, they'll have to make significant moves to get him.

No guarantees

There was a report out of Michigan that said that the Jazz have given a guarantee to D.J. Wilson, in order to try to keep him in the draft.

Jazz vice president of player personnel Walt Perrin denied the report. "Did not happen. Did not happen," Perrin said. "I don't know where Rod Beard got that from, and I'd imagine he got it from somebody else, but we're not a franchise that gives guarantees unless we're absolutely sure. And we're not absolutely sure. It did not happen."

I asked Perrin how many guarantees the Jazz had given out in his 16-year career with the Jazz. "None."

I get why Perrin would have to deny that Wilson received a guarantee, but I also believe him. Given that it's very possible, even likely, that the Jazz end up trading one of the picks, why would you guarantee a spot that may not exist to a player?

Furthermore, Wilson's a good enough prospect that most think he'll go in the first round anyway, regardless of whether or not Utah's interested.

Wilson did work out for the Jazz on April 29, so the Jazz have seen him up close. "I think he's interesting because he's got good length, and he shot the ball well here. He's pretty active and athletic. He's one that early entry, so he's got a ways to go. He's intriguing and interesting. With what pick, I don't know."

This is just speculation, but I suspect that the Jazz told Wilson that they liked him and were interested in him, and somewhere between the communication between Wilson and Beard, somebody turned "we like you" into a guarantee. It's just like that telephone game we all played at summer camp.

Other prospects

Besides Mitchell, three other players slated to be selected in DraftExpress' mock worked out for the Jazz Saturday.

• Frank Mason, the consensus 2017 National Player of the Year, had a good workout, he said. Mason stands at just 5-foot-11, but was one of the best players who participated in the actual games at the combine. He probably projects as a backup point guard, but I think he'll have an NBA career. DraftExpress has him slotted at #48 right now.
• Josh Hart, the four-year guard from Villanova, also worked out for the team. He was also a consensus first-team All-American selection. He's a nice jack-of-all-trades-but-master-of-none prospect for a wing position, but his work ethic and basketball IQ make it easy to imagine him becoming an important role player. DraftExpress has him slotted at #44 right now.
• Devin Robinson is a 6-foot-8 combo forward who is very athletic and can shoot, so there's a clear good base to work from. My biggest worry with him is that he totaled shockingly low assist numbers during his college career, including just 23 total assists last year in 952 minutes. I get that Florida used him differently than an NBA team would, but we've seen how much the Jazz like all five players on the floor to be able to make the right pass. He's slated to go 50th in the DraftExpress mock.

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