This is the final of a three part interview that I did with Jerry West at Summer Leak. He was kind enough to give me two hours of his time and pretty much nothing was off limits. In the final segment, though, he gives a very candid opinion about some of the rookies and second year players that were at Summer League
that I wanted to know, really his thoughts on. I was peppering him with questions on the sidelines next to him at a game, and I was like, you know what, I think people would want to know what he has to say about Pollo and Jabbari and Jade Nivey and all these kids. So I figured I would ask him and get his evaluation on the record, so that when we find out who these players really are, we'll either
have receipts or the receipts will be old takes. As before, the quick caveat is that the audio is not great because of the nature at Summer League, things are very hard to achieve the same level of success, with quiet rooms being impossible to find. There were no quiet places to sit down. We sat we set a Starbucks. Yeah, we did at a convention hall inside of a hotel inside of the strip of Las Vegas, so the audio has a lot of background noise. We've worked really, really
hard to minimize it. I thought there was going to be impossible. If you have a pair of headphones, I would suggest you use those and not put it on the speaker of your laptop or phone. As this interview before, like I have said, has been edited for time and for clarity. But let's get into it. I think Jerry West is the best talent evaluator in the game, full stop.
I think the record of it is obvious. You've seen multiple trades go down, You've seen trains get kai bashed, You've seen picks happen that turned out to be some of the best in history, right like the Kobe Bryant pick that was traded from Charlotte. Pretty good one, I'd say. I wanted to get his thoughts. It's most specifically on Chet Holmgren, probably the most polarizing player in this year's draft. A lot of people very high on think he can be a unicorn. A lot of people think that he
could be brittle and break down. I want to know how his game translates to the NBA and the way that he broke down Chet, who he said, by the way, was his favorite player in the draft, which was stunning, was fantastic. I also thought him breaking down the difference between Kevin Durant and Chet was also really good. I asked him whether they were the same. His opinion, not at all. Find out why, Well, he is unique.
You don't see a player of that size that can do the things he can do.
He's a tough queen and he's going to get bigger and scars work here. But his knowledge of the game when his.
Skill level was it's surprising when he sees Hione that but big in terms of hide and you look at his bond and say, oh my god. You know, this looked like some kid who's, you know, twelve years old, who's grown six inch in one summer.
And he's a tough kid. But he's gonna be really, really.
Good, and he's a player that's gonna make every players better.
He's gonna block a lot of shots.
So he just didn't stand there where people just drive to the basket, and he moves and he's active. He's gonna go from side to side. But he's probably was my favorite player the god because I just see that people gonna like to watch him play. They're gonna watch him get better and you're gonna watch, okay, see get better with him there. So he's again I don't I don't know the kid at all, but he's he's fun to watch.
A lot of people have tried to compare him to other players that are tall and skinny and can handle the ball. You saw one up close. Uh, you helped recruit one up close, slim reaper, Kevin Durantz. How do those two players compare.
Oh, they're completely different, but you know, Kevin is thin looking, but he's always been finn and Kevin's a generational start. When I was around him in Golden State with the thing of this amazing to me or just how he how professional he is.
I mean, he works on his game and you.
Really can't guard him unless he's the only player out there with the substance.
He does everything he can defend, he can pass the ball, block shots, he's not sells them.
And yet he still manages these incredible spoiling game in Brooklyn, and they did him have all the players there together with him just watching.
Him and knowing him.
But he's someone that I'm glad I got a chance to interact with him.
But if there's a game on TV, I'm gonna watch him play. If he doesn't, he looks so easy.
And the other one said always tall on this and that it's got an incrediblest goal.
And let's say, I just love him as a person.
Also, coming off of a of a championship, if you were still there with Golden State in the capacity that you were before, did you do whatever it took to go and get Kevin back on the team.
Well, you know, speculates about where he's going.
No, you know, I think the only people who look at their rosters and you know where we going when you have success, you played a player, Yeah, there's more than one or two that are that much.
Better than that, too much better. And they have some really, really terrific players, but they.
Would have to give up so much it would be almost.
Well, I'm not even going to comment on it, because they're really good and I had an opportunity to make some great friends up there. Uniquely different ownership, and they've done a remarkable job and really one trade and one injury set them.
Up for a long time.
And yeah, you want to stay with if you look, they've got three young kids that are that are the Wiseman kid who is the second picker take to drap him and played.
For two years. He's playing here in the summer.
The now.
You see great promise there. The Coamingia kid is really really a great prospect. All the time.
He goes pretty fast and so he needs to slow down a little bit, but he is he can really guard for a young kid.
And then also knows the meaty kid he's he's going he's a player.
Yeah.
And so you look at those three players and all of a sudden, you know, you see the older part of the Steph Curry, but you see these young kids. It's a nice curd and uh you know they lost players that people probably would one painting attention to the two of them, but they were very important to them.
The Border kid he signed somewhere else.
And when Gary Payton said that time had a great job to them at thirty years of age, with all these different teams, it shows.
You his determination. And I know his dad very well and I know how proud he is that he's a terrific little little player. But he doesn't play a little. He plays really big