The Utah Jazz have put several players with a certain pedigree and proven career in the NBA up for sale. Mike Conley, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Jordan, Clarkson or Patrick Beverley among others. The player Danny Ainge is getting the most calls for, though, is Jarred Vanderbilt, the 23-year-old newcomer from the Minnesota Timberwolves. This is how Jake Fischer tells it in his latest podcast. “I don’t know how many or which teams. But the last time I talked to my contact in Utah he told me he was the guy they got the most calls for.”
This is explained because Vanderbilt has just starred in the season that has definitely put him in the NBA showcase. Also, being a No. 41 pick in the extended draft by the Timberwolves early last year, he has a nice $4 million-a-year contract through 2024. Vanderbilt has proven himself a good multi-positional defender off the ball. To which he adds his nose as a rebounder on both boards.
Probably his only major blemish was seen in the playoffs, where his inability to shoot from the outside compromised the Wolves’ attack to the point of having to give him a reduced role in some first-round games against the Grizzlies. His averages last season were 6.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 25 minutes per night.
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