Episode 46: The 2023 Rookie Class - Noah Clowney, Dariq Whitehead, Jalen Wilson

Chris sits down with the Brooklyn Nets’ 2023 draft picks Noah Clowney, Dariq Whitehead, and Jalen Wilson.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
Hey, what's going on. It's Chris Carrino. This is the
voice of the Nets. Back on June twenty fourth of
twenty and ten, the Nets selected Derek Favors in the
NBA Draft, and at the time, he was the youngest
player ever selected by the Nets in their franchise history.
That distinction stayed with Derek Favors until this past Thursday night,

(00:33):
June twenty second, twenty twenty three, when with the twenty
first pick, the Nets selected Noah Clowney, rookie of Alabama.
And Noah Clowney was born on July fifteenth, a day
later than Derek Favors, so he turns nineteen a day
later than Derek Favors did just shy of his nineteenth birthday,

(00:56):
but the draft was a couple of days earlier, so yeah,
you know, you get it. Noah clown the youngest player
ever drafted by the Nets, a distinction that would stay
with him for about four.

Speaker 2 (01:06):
And a half minutes.

Speaker 1 (01:08):
And then the Nets selected with the twenty second pick,
Durek Whitehead out of Newark, who, when he was about
an eight year old kid, used to go to Prudential
Center to see the Nets play. In his home City
and perhaps saw Derek favors in his few months as
a Net before he was shipped out to Utah part

(01:29):
of the Darren Williams deal. So it all comes full
circle there. Durek Whitehead won't turn nineteen until August first,
so the distinction of being the youngest Net ever drafted
in the NBA Draft belongs to Drek Whitehead. With the
second round pick, the fifty first pick, the Nets took

(01:51):
Jalen Wilson out of Kansas, who spent four years at Kansas.
He redshirted one year, so we still did have another
year of eligibility, and he did claire for the draft
last year and then pulled out of it. He was
a member of that Kansas Jayhawk national championship team in
twenty twenty two and in twenty twenty three was the
conference player of the Year the Big Twelve.

Speaker 2 (02:13):
There have been a number of.

Speaker 1 (02:14):
Players over the years in the NBA that have been
drafted in the second round, late second round, undrafted who
have gone on to be really good players that were
Conference players of the Year. I always feel if you're
the best player in a conference, a good conference, you've
got something to contribute in the NBA maybe just need

(02:35):
the right situation. And sometimes these guys that stay in
school a little longer, they've shown more of who they are,
so there's not as much of that upside potential. And
that's why eighteen year olds go in the first round
and sometimes twenty two year olds go in the second round.
In terms of Clowney and Whitehead, they may be projects.

(02:58):
Certainly with Whitehead because he's coming off a foot surgery
a few weeks ago. You know, you're looking it upside.
You're looking at not trying to rush them along, You're
looking at developing them down the road. In the case
of Wilson, I think he's got a chance to even
come in and play.

Speaker 2 (03:14):
So we'll have to see. We'll have to see.

Speaker 1 (03:16):
But I did get a chance to sit down with
all three of these guys individually the morning after the
NBA Draft. I was really impressed with all three of
these young men. Jalen Wilson is the most mature and
seasoned guy. He's been through a lot, he went through
four years of college. He's twenty two years old, a

(03:36):
little more reserved, but obviously mature. The other two guys,
Noah Clowney incredibly introspective and interesting, and I think you're
going to enjoy our conversation with him. And in the
case of Daik Whitehead, just great energy about him. You know,
we're talking about people being energy givers. He's an energy giver,

(04:02):
A very very pleasant young man with a great vibe
and great.

Speaker 2 (04:06):
Energy about him.

Speaker 1 (04:08):
So hope you enjoy getting to know a little bit
more about these three terrific young men who are going
to be part of the Nets coming up this season.

Speaker 2 (04:18):
Will go in.

Speaker 1 (04:18):
Draft order, so we'll go with Noah Clowney the twenty
first pick, a guy who's long and lanky, been described
as Nick Claxton with a better jump shot. I mean,
that's your upside. That's what happens when you take an
eighteen year old. You're talking about upside, what can they become.
You don't want to project him as Nick Claxton just yet,

(04:39):
because Nick Clackson was a guy who was in the
conversation for Defensive Player of the Year. You don't want
to minimize how hard he has worked and the place
that he has gotten to in his NBA career. If
you can get to that place, if you're Noah Clowney,
that would be unbelievable, right, So that's where he's shooting for. Obviously,
South Carolina guy, similar Bill, but you'll hear on this

(05:02):
he feels like he's got more to show than what
you may know about him from his one year at Alabama.
Then we'll do the twenty second pick and Drek Whitehead
at a Newark, New Jersey, a guy who was, if
not the number one guy, one of the top three
coming out of high school only about a year ago,

(05:22):
and an injury right before his first year at Duke
kind of just put him behind the whole year and
he never was really comfortable, and he'll talk about that.
But a wing with size, great shooting ability again, tremendous upside,
which is what you're looking for, and you're taking in

(05:44):
now eighteen year old player. And then finally we'll speak
with as we mentioned, the elder statesman of the group,
the fifty first pick out of Kansas, another wing with size,
who can score, who can rebound, and has a maturity
level and experience level that may help him contribute right

(06:06):
away with the Nets this year.

Speaker 2 (06:08):
We'll see so.

Speaker 1 (06:10):
A draft day edition on the Voice of the Nets.
I hope you enjoy getting to know these three young men.
Noah Clowney no relation to Jadevian Clowney.

Speaker 3 (06:25):
To be honest, we form the same area and we
got the same last name, so very possibly. But like
I have never seen him as a cookoutter or no barbecue.

Speaker 2 (06:31):
No, no, But are you a good pass rusher for me?

Speaker 3 (06:35):
I mean I played d En. I played d En,
you know, yeah, I mean I was. This is in
middle school, Okay, I quit in high school. I wasn't
very good.

Speaker 2 (06:45):
You don't get hit as much in basketball.

Speaker 4 (06:47):
Yes, it's a different type of hit.

Speaker 2 (06:49):
High school in South Carolina.

Speaker 1 (06:51):
Yes, you're a lot in common with Nick Claxton right
high School, South Carolina. The comps all kind of when
you look up during this draft prep, they go, what's
the comp Well, Nick Claxton, what was your relationship?

Speaker 2 (07:06):
Did you know? Nick?

Speaker 5 (07:07):
Uh?

Speaker 3 (07:07):
So, everybody, if you knew basketball back home, you knew
of him because he's, you know, the player out of it.
I want to say Greenville that's getting drafted. That's like
thirty minutes, Spromberg twenty minutes. So it's like, if you
knew basketball, you knew about him. I knew about him
at least, but personal relations I don't think we ever spoke.

Speaker 2 (07:25):
Okay, nothing like that. I'm sure that will happen.

Speaker 1 (07:28):
Yeah, probably, But then people also describe you as Nick Claxton,
but maybe with more of a jump shot. You talked
about in your opening pressure about what it is that
people don't know about your game that you're going to
be able to show in the NBA.

Speaker 2 (07:46):
Are you a jump shooter?

Speaker 3 (07:48):
So obviously in Klitch, I shot a lot of shots,
but if you look at the percentage, you'll think, like,
I don't know why he was shooting all those shots.
So I shot for three of a year and I
had two slumps over over twenty one.

Speaker 2 (08:02):
I don't bring down your percentage.

Speaker 3 (08:03):
Yeah, but so I end up in this offseason. In
my last two months, I've been perfecting my shot. That
was like the main thing. If I can make shots,
make open shots, even semi contested shots, you know, now
I open up the rest of my game. I can
do a lot more because now you got to really
close out. You're not closing out short no more, You're
closing out fully. Now I get to drive down. He'll

(08:24):
make decisions and things like that. So it's a lot
more that can be shown, and I'm more of a
consistent shooter.

Speaker 4 (08:29):
So that's what I meant by that.

Speaker 1 (08:30):
But you also want to know what your bread and
butter is, and that's been defense. Of course, that's who
you take pride in. Yes, I'm switching one through five,
drop is it anything of your preference?

Speaker 3 (08:41):
Whatever you asked me to do defensively is gonna get done.
That's pretty much it. Now five men in the league
are a lot bigger, stronger, so I got some time
to put on some more weight. I don't put on
like probably like twelve pounds since the season ended, So
I got some more time to put on weight. But
there's some big old five men in the league, so
some of them all.

Speaker 2 (08:59):
Know there are.

Speaker 1 (09:01):
But like you said, if you can start, not if
they got to come out and guard your twenty two
feet away from the basket, you got an advantage.

Speaker 4 (09:06):
Yeah, offensively, it'll be hell form for sure.

Speaker 1 (09:08):
What was your h You mentioned you played a little
football in grammar school. Maybe, but you end up going
on and becoming a high school basketball player, but not
not highly recruited, not one of the top seventy five guys,
and in one year your first round draft pick in

(09:30):
the NBA.

Speaker 2 (09:31):
What do you attribute that.

Speaker 3 (09:31):
To So for one, we don't like numbers, those rankings,
those numbers, they mean nothing. I want everybody to know that.

Speaker 2 (09:39):
Number to turn to where you were drafting or you
mean the high.

Speaker 3 (09:42):
School the high school ranking number where you drafted. Oh
that none of that matters because I mean the same time,
if you give an opportunity to take advantage of, you don't.
That's it's only two outcomes quite quite frankly. And so
for me, it was like I always had like a chip,
so coming out of high school at the AAU and
you know, so I had one AU season, I start
getting recruited the high school.

Speaker 4 (10:03):
We won state titles. But it's like it's a public school.

Speaker 3 (10:06):
Everybody's looking at all the you know, the IMG, the Montford,
all these new private schools everybody's going to. But I
wasn't gonna leave home for high school, and knowing I'm
gonna leave home for college too, like spend as much
time as I could. And so I mean I left.
I mean the AU. I got recruited by a couple
of people. Oakes took a chance on me, he got me,
and I mean I just keep my head down and

(10:28):
work on really say too much.

Speaker 1 (10:29):
Yeah, it's not like you went to some mid major.
I mean, you went to Alabama, you played in the SEC.
Your average ten and eight, you're blocking shots, and you're
getting the NCAA tournament and now you're here. Now you're
in the NBA. Now the comps with Nick Claxton. I've
talked to him in the past. He was he was
like six ' four, like going into high school, and
then all of a sudden he had this huge growth

(10:51):
spurt in the middle of high school to a point
where it had like paints, you know, growing pains, and
actually took a year to just condition and kind of
get used to his before he went back to playing.
And were you always tall? Did you have a growth
spurt at some point?

Speaker 3 (11:06):
I was always tall. It was always above average height.
That's kind of why I stopped baseball too. I was
getting too tall for strike soon was huge now yeah, yeah,
Like I always been tall. So I've had like growing
paints here and there. But it's like, you know, you
get over You're a good baseball player.

Speaker 4 (11:22):
That was great short stup third base and I pitched
a little bit.

Speaker 1 (11:26):
Wow, shorts, it's not good to be like a seven
foot shorts. Now yeah, it's not hard to get to
that went Byama grabbed the bat and ball and throw
the first pitch out of Yankee State.

Speaker 3 (11:34):
Yeah, he had the ball like like a like a
tennis ball exactly.

Speaker 4 (11:39):
It was insane.

Speaker 2 (11:39):
I interrupted, you we're gonna say about baseball?

Speaker 4 (11:42):
What was I saying? I don't know, man, we just chat.

Speaker 2 (11:45):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (11:47):
I came into the room before and I saw a
bunch of Rubik's qs. Are you a Rubik's cube guy?
Did they bring that out for you?

Speaker 3 (11:53):
So in high school, so I graduated pretty much eleventh
grade year, right, but I still went to school twelfth
grade year because I wanted to play basketball my last year.

Speaker 2 (12:03):
Wait, if you graduated high school in three years?

Speaker 3 (12:06):
Kind of like I had no classes to take twelfth
grade year, Like those weren't classes tours like my credits
for Really I go to school. I had like my
first class was my first semester of my class with
my head coach. My sex semester class was my assistant coach.
So like I didn't, I didn't. And then I have
fourth block, which was like basketball class. Okay, so I
do that and so throughout the whole day instead of

(12:27):
leaving and coming back from school, wasting gas because you
know gas is expensive. I would just like go to
I had two classrooms. I'll go to either Coach Johnson
room with Shannon, or I would go to uh means
mister means room man.

Speaker 4 (12:44):
So I'd be in there. Means had rubs Cub's playing.

Speaker 3 (12:46):
When I was like, you know, I can learn how
to do this, it ain't that or so somebody taught
me how to do it, and like for like a
week going the straight just learning how to do the
Rubes cube. Then so I got it. I started just
trying to do it faster and faster. Then I taught
my little brother, so we both don't have to do
it now. But the rest of the family, you don't
want to learn.

Speaker 1 (13:00):
They're not I saw a guy the other day set
the record in like three point one four seconds.

Speaker 4 (13:06):
I don't know, like they observe and they just know
what they're gonna do before they do it.

Speaker 1 (13:11):
So the like people were, I think people look a
lot at athletes that leave college after a year, and
you know you're eighteen years old.

Speaker 2 (13:17):
You're not gonna be nineteen until July.

Speaker 1 (13:20):
So people think, well, those guys probably didn't like school,
but you were I heard you're on the Dean's list
at Alabama. Like, like in school or at least being
good in school was not had nothing to do with
your decision to come out of college.

Speaker 3 (13:33):
No, my decision was based upon the best opportunity for me.
We had a good season. I know we would never
have a team like that again with everybody leaving, with
coaches leaving, it was it would be very hard to
replicate something like that. And then it was based purely basketball.
As far as academics go, I'm still gonna go back
and graduate because I want to do like mental health counseling.
So I got probably about another five years of school.

Speaker 1 (13:55):
You want to do mental health counseling, it is something
in your life that has inspired you for that.

Speaker 3 (14:01):
So I had my own mental issues like eight through
tenth grade. So people always telling me like, you're so mature,
you have like you old. Like it's because when I
have my own issues. And then my mom she told
me one day, she was like, you can't stress up
what you can't control us. And then that like sparked
my research. I started researching more how to mind work
things like that, and then I just kind of went
from there and ended up going to school for psychologe.

(14:22):
You learned a little more in my one year there,
and then yeah, just I want to help other athletes
because people don't understand from non athlete perspectives how stressful
these situations really can be. When you're going into arena,
you just think and you just want to play basketball,
and you're being slandered and people really hate you just
because you're good at basketball, or even if you're bad
at basketball, Like, it's a lot.

Speaker 5 (14:43):
Then you got to.

Speaker 3 (14:44):
Balance that with schoolwork, trying to pass class. It's just
a lot.

Speaker 1 (14:47):
There are rooms in every NBA arena that they reserve
as a quiet room. I don't know if you realize that.
It's almost like a mental health room. I think they
call it at the arena. So if you do want
to get that quiet space before a game to calm yourself,
you can go there.

Speaker 4 (15:05):
That's great and I'll be using it.

Speaker 1 (15:07):
I think that's something that's taken a lot of advanceage
over the years. Were you were you anxious? Was that
the issue.

Speaker 3 (15:14):
When you're through tenth grade? So it was it was
a lot of different things. Uh, it was a combination
of like things weren't really going how I needed things
to go at that point in my life, and I
didn't know how to handle it being young that and
then I was sometimes I was angry, like it was
a little stupid stuff, to be honest, like I see
other people have more money, have a lot more things

(15:34):
that I had, and they would like make me like, man,
I wish I could have that, and things like a
bunch of stuff built up, and then it just I
didn't like to talk about my feelings. I didn't like
talk about any emotions. I didn't talk to anybody. I
just held everything again. Then one day I had like
an outbreak and then that's when my mom told me,
you can't stress up what you can't control, and so
since then, you know, I just don't stress over what
I can control.

Speaker 4 (15:54):
I meditate, I do a lot of different stuff.

Speaker 2 (15:56):
I was gonna say, what, what are the tools that
you used to get by that?

Speaker 3 (15:59):
So it's gonna out corny, But the breathing treatment, they
really be telling you that you really would like relax you.

Speaker 4 (16:03):
And then I stargaze. I do stuff like that.

Speaker 1 (16:07):
Form meditation, it's just about sort of attaching your your
your mind, detaching from the world and sort of coming
internal and yeah, I think that's I think that's great
that you were able to figure that out. Your mom
helped you with that important person in your life. Would
imagine there. I'll get into this. You know, Jim Valvano
had this speech the SP's that time, never give up.

(16:30):
You heard it or seeing it, and he always said,
you know, you got to do three things in life
to have a full day every day, laugh, cry. Think
so I kind of get into people and how they are.
When I say what makes you laugh? You seem like
you're a you're you're kind of self spoken guy, but
you seem like you're a fun guy.

Speaker 3 (16:51):
I am, And I think that's a misconception everybody has
because I don't don't talk much. I'm I'm I wouldn't
say I'm anti social. I'm getting better. I was for
sure put them getting better. I'm more social now I'm
I'm fun.

Speaker 4 (17:04):
It's just like it.

Speaker 2 (17:05):
Makes your laugh.

Speaker 1 (17:06):
There's something what you what you're like a movie that
made you laugh?

Speaker 3 (17:09):
A movie I leaught just about the any movie. I'm
gonna be honest, I feel like people who are tense
up and don't laugh ever, like you just you need
to relax, like you don't know how long you got
to live enjoy it, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (17:21):
So I love that. I love that attitude.

Speaker 1 (17:24):
You're a chill guy, how do you There's always the
line though, of being chill but then still being able
to be fierce on the basketball court. You ever have
a you have to you have to push yourself to
be one way or the other.

Speaker 5 (17:39):
Nah.

Speaker 3 (17:39):
So the I'm a competitor. So that's why I say
the misconception. Everybody in college, they thought I was never
happy because the only time they see cameras on me
is when I'm on the court, and I'm never smiling
on the court. And so they like, if you go
on Twitter, like when I was at the draft lottery,
they seen me front roal smiling. They're like they're posting,
be like a rare smile from Noah Clowney. Like I
never tease or nothing, but like I really be happy.
I be smiling. It's just like on the court, man,

(18:01):
my one goal is to win. If we up thirty,
I smile on the bench, but like we got to
win first.

Speaker 1 (18:06):
You seem like though you're very in talking about the
other stuff, that you're very in touch with.

Speaker 2 (18:09):
Your emotions somewhat.

Speaker 1 (18:12):
So I would say, like, what makes you cry and
moves your emotions not necessarily in a sad way, but
but what really moves your emotions.

Speaker 5 (18:22):
Cry?

Speaker 4 (18:24):
I'm not gonna I haven't cried in a lot. I
cried yesterday, but.

Speaker 2 (18:28):
When you heard your name called.

Speaker 3 (18:29):
Nah, I hit it then then I cried a hotel.
But other than that, I haven't cried in a long time.
I kind of look. I try to look at the
positives in any situation. There's no situation where I feel
like it's just no pots or outcome. If it's a
terrible situation, it's just all bad and you learn something
from it. You might not want to accept that at first,
but eventually you got to accept that you learn something

(18:50):
from it.

Speaker 1 (18:51):
So the the oculus is this digital screen outside the
arena where every I mean so many people see it.
So if you put something up there, you know every
but he is going to be hundreds of thousands of people.
Millions of people perhaps could see it. If there's a
message you can put up there for people to think about,
what message would you want to get to as many
people as you could?

Speaker 3 (19:12):
Take care of your mind. I don't think people understand
how important their mind. It's like on the court, like, yeah,
that's hard. You gotta work. It's not easy at all.
So I don't want people to think it's easy. But
I feel like your mind is like a minimum fifty
percent of the game sixty really.

Speaker 1 (19:27):
And what would you what would your message be to
net fans about Noah clowns.

Speaker 3 (19:33):
About me? I think you probably learned enough about me.
And if you listen to all of this, but you know,
see ow it's on you know, yeah, see you soon.

Speaker 2 (19:43):
And no, thanks so much, man, this is really great.

Speaker 5 (19:45):
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (19:50):
Jareek Whitehead out of Newark, New Jersey, went down to
Mont Verd for your high school years and then one
season of duke And.

Speaker 2 (19:57):
Now remember the Brooklyn Nets.

Speaker 1 (20:00):
What was it like to hear your name called by
the Brooklyn Nets?

Speaker 2 (20:05):
Uh? It was.

Speaker 6 (20:06):
It was crazy, you know, like I said, growing up,
it used to be the New Jersey Nets at the
Prudential Center. So I used to go catch a lot
of games, and you know, when the Nets were on
the clock and we got the call, everyone just went crazy,
you know, just knowing that I'll finally be able to
play back home again. You know, it was like a
real moment that me and my family got the chairs
together and we.

Speaker 2 (20:22):
Know, and you went to games int Poinentcial Center. Yes,
and the nets all right, I.

Speaker 1 (20:26):
Do remember I was there for those two years. One
of the years was not very good. Their probably tickets
were pretty easy to pretty easy to get.

Speaker 2 (20:34):
Who though, was your who is your guy? Who is
your favorite player with the nets? Well I was. I
was big on Kmarra. I mean back a little before
your time.

Speaker 6 (20:42):
That was a little before my time, but I was
That's who I was like from the nets who I
was big on? You know, back then I used to
think that, you know, the high flying ducks was all
it was to basketball, So that kind of attracted me
a lot.

Speaker 1 (20:51):
Well, he was and he was a great player who
the number one pick over in the draft that year,
college player of the Year and had his leg during
the NCAA tournament, so very similar he had an injury
and injury coming in. Get into your situation in a second.
But what attracted you to Kenyon?

Speaker 5 (21:09):
Was it?

Speaker 2 (21:09):
The high flying dunks was the big thing. It was
the high flying dunks.

Speaker 1 (21:12):
You know.

Speaker 6 (21:12):
He was super athletic, about what six ' eight, you know,
and he was just like, yeah, that was like back then,
I was just like I found it like amazing that
he was that big and able to still you know,
get above and the ram and fly like that.

Speaker 2 (21:23):
Yeah yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 (21:24):
And now you're you're you were young when the nets
you're playing in New Jersey back then, very young. How
did you get to Montverd? How did that connection end
up coming up? Because you were right, You weren't like
a kid who played high school for a couple of
years like you were in mont Verd your whole high
school career. How did you go from being an eighth
grader in Newark to getting hooked.

Speaker 5 (21:43):
Up at Montbird.

Speaker 6 (21:44):
So my uncle that's out there, coach, my uncle Hayes.
I was a football player and he was one of
my football coaches, and he thought that I should start
playing basketball. So I started playing basketball. I kept training
and then eventually he had a guy by the name
of Pete Marston, who is you know, he's from down
but he got a tight connection from when coach Boyle
and coach Ray was down at Saint Patrick.

Speaker 2 (22:04):
So I was working out with him and.

Speaker 6 (22:05):
Then you know, he made a call to coach Boyle
and coach Boyle they came to see me at you know,
about two tournaments when I was in the seventh grade,
and tried to get me to come there to seventh grade,
but my mom was like, he's too young, you can't
go yet. And then eighth grade, you know, just being
from Norton, New Jersey, is a rough area, so I
pretty much just it was just time to go.

Speaker 1 (22:21):
No, And I figure Kevin Boyle wasn't gonna let anybody
playing in Newark in eighth grade. That's really good, get
out of here. He's gonna find that guy, because of
course you mentioned he was. He was a legendary in
New Jersey high school basketball coach. And now down there
on was Dyron Sharp teams with you.

Speaker 2 (22:35):
Yes, Darron Sharp was my tenth grade year. That's right,
that's right. You're at Kay Cunningham.

Speaker 6 (22:40):
K Cunhamtdy Bar Moses Moode and then we won four
national titles there.

Speaker 5 (22:45):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (22:46):
Wow, that's incredible.

Speaker 1 (22:48):
I mean I would imagine that your your practices there
were tougher than tough for sure, one hundred percent, because
you're playing up against the guys that would end up being.

Speaker 2 (22:57):
All American players. One hundred percent.

Speaker 1 (23:00):
What's something that you took away from your time at
mon Bird that prepared you for you are right now.

Speaker 6 (23:05):
Like I said, I came into my very young, so
I kind of didn't know what it was like to
carry myself like a pro.

Speaker 2 (23:10):
And being there with those guys they were a lot older.

Speaker 6 (23:12):
Seeing Dayron and those guys, how you know, if practices
at nine o'clock, they're getting there at seven thirty. And
I used to think that if practice at nine o'clock,
I get there at eight thirty. And I used to
just you know, just seeing how they was carrying theyself
with things I tried to imply to myself, you know,
getting extra shots up after practice, you know, taking care
of your body, the little things that just helped me
eventually you know, know what it took to become a pro.

Speaker 1 (23:32):
You know, we have another podcast series with and that's
about the two three that teams.

Speaker 2 (23:37):
You're talking about Kenyon Martin.

Speaker 1 (23:39):
There's a great story that Bill Raftery tells about Jason
Kidd and Kenyon Martin. They were walking off the practice
court one day and Kenyon Martin is sort of he's
down on himself. He's like a you know, I'm not
can't get my jumper. The fall I don't know what's
going and jay k you said to him, you're the
first guy to leave in other words, telling him, look,

(24:01):
right now, you're the first guy to leave practice, Like
that's not the way you get better as a player.

Speaker 2 (24:07):
Just thought I tie that in with it absolutely. Keny Martin, think.

Speaker 1 (24:11):
You came from a family with professional athletes because your
brother we were talking about your brother to hear, who
was a linebacker for twelve years in the NFL with
Detroit Carolina Oakland. What did you learn about being a
pro from seeing your brother all those years?

Speaker 2 (24:28):
Aside from basketball.

Speaker 6 (24:29):
You know, I used to think that all there was was,
you know, just to play the game. I didn't know
what coming in with eating the right things, you know,
making sure you were putting the right supplements in your body.
And you know, he kind of taught me the rope,
so that just making sure that you know, like you said,
he told me that, you know, this was gonna make
me my money, which is my body. So he kind
of implied on me just you know, eating the right things,
not being able to eat fast food that much anymore,
pretty much. And those are all the things he taught

(24:51):
me as I grew up to eventually take care of
my body.

Speaker 1 (24:53):
Did you were you around him a lot? Did you
go to NFL games on the road and things like.

Speaker 2 (24:57):
That with him?

Speaker 5 (24:57):
Oh? Yeah.

Speaker 6 (24:58):
When I was younger, I used to be able to
go to a lot of games. But as I started
to grow up and get in, you know, more into
my mont verg career, we started traveling so much and
you know, being one of the top guys.

Speaker 2 (25:07):
When I got older, it was like we had.

Speaker 6 (25:09):
To do so much in the summer, so I couldn't
really catch a lot of his games in person anymore.

Speaker 1 (25:12):
Yeah, but it had to be fun on a Sunday
going into the NFL stadiums.

Speaker 2 (25:15):
For sure out there playing.

Speaker 5 (25:17):
For sure?

Speaker 2 (25:17):
Which high school he go to?

Speaker 4 (25:18):
Newark?

Speaker 2 (25:18):
He went to the west Side, west Side, Yes, sir,
Randy Foy, he go to west Side, Do you remember, no,
Randy Foyd?

Speaker 6 (25:23):
Then I forgot where he went. He didn't go to
west Side? Yeah, maybe east Side? Yeah, I think with
east Side. Yeah, he was.

Speaker 1 (25:28):
He was here with us for a while. Let's talk
about you. You're as we're talking to this right at
the that facility the day after the draft, you have
a boot on your right foot. Uh, this was a
foot injury. You had a foot injury in August of
last year, right before the season started. Had to be
frustrating right last year going you know, you're going into

(25:50):
your first year at Duke and to have that injury.
Did that kind of just set the tone for the
whole year for you?

Speaker 5 (25:57):
Uh?

Speaker 6 (25:57):
You know it was a little difficult. You know, like
I said, you had all these plans coming in with
the coach. You know, you're the guy, and you know,
you get injured the first day of practice. It's kind
of like, you know, you're just sitting there and as
you know, you suck. You know, it sucks. You know,
you're not you're able to think about a lot of things.
But you know, like I said, they kind of definitely
shape me into who I am and that kind of
resilient person of just making sure I was going to
fight back through that injury and get back to, you know,
helping my team in any way possible.

Speaker 1 (26:19):
You missed only a few games to start the year.
But was it ever because you end up having another surgery?
Was it always bothering you throughout the season?

Speaker 2 (26:28):
Uh?

Speaker 6 (26:28):
Yeah, throughout the entire season, it was bothering me. You know,
I had to take Ivy profram before the game at halftime,
you know, just doing anything I could to you know,
not make an excuse for having to sit out again.
You know, even though I know, you know, I should
have been telling the trainers. I was just kind of
you know, telling them sometimes. But then, like I said,
just trying to play through it, just trying to do.

Speaker 1 (26:44):
It hard, right because it's not now you're and you
got a pain or something bothering you, right, Like you
can't really be yourself on the court. Yeah, what's your
strength of your game once you get back to full speed?
I would imagine once you get you know, Martin Mallley's
had a great history and you go back to Brooklow
as charrousel of birth and that's trust him and I'm
sure that was a big part of why they drafted you.

(27:06):
But once you get that healed up and you don't
have to worry about that anymore, what do you feel
is the strength of your game.

Speaker 6 (27:13):
I'm a dynamic scorer who can playmate for my not
just myself, but for others.

Speaker 2 (27:17):
I do that very well.

Speaker 6 (27:19):
And then really my defensive versatility. I feel like I
can show, you know, when I'm one hundred percent that
I can be able to guard, you know, and then
the ways today game going one through four, you know,
just being able to bang with the guys who's a
little bigger, but also stay in front of them small
guards and show that, you know, I can contribute to
winning basketball and the highest way possible.

Speaker 1 (27:34):
The three point shot. Yeah, they're comfortable out there at
NBA range.

Speaker 6 (27:38):
Absolutely, you know, definitely that was something I had to
work on when I got to do you know, coming
in there, that was a big question was kind of
shoot it consistently. But since you know, like I said,
I had the injury and I knew I couldn't beat
guys off the dribble no more. So I spent the
countless number of hours just making sure I, you know,
my shot became better and eventually it started to pay
off in the games.

Speaker 2 (27:54):
Did you feel like you got the duke experience?

Speaker 1 (27:57):
Like did you get that playing in Cameron and with
the Razies and going to the NCAA tournament. Did you
feel like you're able to even though you had the
injuries and maybe you weren't. Your game wasn't where you
wanted it to be. Did you at least enjoy the
duke experience?

Speaker 2 (28:10):
A little bit. Yeah, that was a great way to
put it.

Speaker 6 (28:11):
Like you said, my game wasn't where it needed to be,
but I enjoyed.

Speaker 2 (28:14):
The time I spent that dude.

Speaker 6 (28:15):
You know, just being able to get that environment of
being a camera you know and door camera stadium. You know,
that's something your dream of as a kid, and I
got to you know, live out that experience.

Speaker 2 (28:23):
So you know, like I said, I can't complain now you.

Speaker 1 (28:25):
Weren't a Parky Center to hear your voice, but you know,
kind of the way you are with the boot and everything,
you wanted to kind of be just not have to
run around the arena.

Speaker 2 (28:33):
So you were at a restaurant last night. How many
people did you have with you? A lot of people?

Speaker 6 (28:39):
I mean not a lot. It was just more so
like family and friends from home. So I say about
anywhere between fifty to sixty people.

Speaker 1 (28:45):
That's a good number of people. I mean, yeah, yeah,
do you it's exciting.

Speaker 2 (28:50):
To be home right and you're going to play in
this area?

Speaker 1 (28:53):
But is it also do you have to worry about
the distract who's going to take care of a ticket
request and the distraction that could involve being playing close
to home?

Speaker 2 (29:02):
It's gonna be my uncle and my aunt.

Speaker 6 (29:03):
You know, they're very good at that, you know, no
matter if it's telling my mom no, you know, they
want to make sure they're doing whatever it is for
my well being and making sure I'm focusing on what
I need to focus on. So they're kind of good
at making sure, you know, people are not distracting me,
letting me focus on what I need to focus on.

Speaker 2 (29:16):
And like I said, get back to one hundred percent.
Have you thought about where you're gonna live? You're gonna
stay in Brooklyn.

Speaker 6 (29:20):
Uh, that's something we're trying to figure out right now.
You know, we were talking about it last night. Yeah,
but you know that's something we're trying to still figure
out right now.

Speaker 2 (29:27):
Yeah. All right.

Speaker 1 (29:28):
You know you've heard of Jim Balvano, the old coach,
you know, a basketball coach you had They asked to
be speech never give up right.

Speaker 2 (29:34):
That was a famous speech.

Speaker 1 (29:35):
So he used to say three things to have a
full day, you need to laugh cry think so, uh,
Drek Whitehead, what makes you laugh? Is there something that
recently maybe there maybe it's a person or movie something
like that that can get you to laugh. You look
like You're a laugh for them. You look like you
got a good sense of humor.

Speaker 2 (29:52):
Really just being around great people.

Speaker 6 (29:53):
You know, if I'm around great people with a great
energy and a great vibe, you know, that's that's what's
gonna bring out, you know, the joy and me I'm
gonna start to laugh and be myself around people who
I know is genuinely good people.

Speaker 2 (30:03):
Day Ron Sharp make you that for sure.

Speaker 5 (30:06):
For sure.

Speaker 2 (30:06):
His personality sure, great personality for sure.

Speaker 1 (30:09):
And I don't mean, you know, the cry part is
not so much makes you sad, but which moves your emotions.
You know, I would imagine maybe hearing your name last
night as we taped this being called in the NBA draft,
But what is it that that moves your emotions?

Speaker 6 (30:24):
Like I said, you know with the injury, you know,
to hear my name called last night, you know, it
was definitely something that you know, it was kind of
like I wanted to cry, but it was a lot
of people there, so I kind of held it in.

Speaker 2 (30:34):
Don't move it in, let it flow, man. Yeah, I
kind of held it in.

Speaker 6 (30:39):
But like I said, that's something that definitely moved my
emotions last night, just hearing my name called knowing that
it's a team from home that you know, my family
could come and support me.

Speaker 1 (30:47):
Do you feel like you have something to prove because
you were such, you know, national player there in high
school and then you end up, you know, not having
the kind of year you wanted to because of the
injuries and slipping down where you might have been a
high lottery pick. Are you still confident that you're that
guy from coming out of high school? There's any of
the other noise feel like you have something to prove?

(31:08):
Or do you or do you feel like I don't
have anything improve?

Speaker 6 (31:10):
I mean, I don't feel like I have anything to prove.
I mean, you know, coming through seeing a year, you know,
like you said, I had a National Player of the Year,
McDonald's game, MVP, you know, all them award. So I
feel like it's just a matter of me getting back healthy.
You know, the entire year I was at Duke, I
was hurt the entire year, playing on one leg, and
I'm sure a lot of people knew that. So now
it's just like I said, it's just time for me
to get back to one hundred percent.

Speaker 2 (31:30):
It's a good, healthy attitude.

Speaker 1 (31:32):
Finally there's an oculus message board outside Barkley Center, right,
if you could put a message up there, this is
the think part for everyone to say when they come in.
Maybe a message to NET fans.

Speaker 2 (31:43):
What would it.

Speaker 6 (31:44):
Be personally that you know, I just want to tell
you that y'all gonna get that dog that you're seeing
in high school.

Speaker 2 (31:49):
You know, you're gonna get the player that you.

Speaker 6 (31:51):
Know, everybody eventually thought I can be, you know, go out.

Speaker 2 (31:54):
There, do whatever it takes, be that two way.

Speaker 6 (31:55):
Guy that you know people thought I was coming into college,
and that's what I'm a show, you know, once I
get one hundred percent, and then for NETS fans, and
I just want to tell you, you know, we coming.
You know, like I said, you guys were there. He
was in the first round, you know, but like I said,
we coming.

Speaker 2 (32:09):
That's it great? What ended Greek Whitehead? We're coming?

Speaker 5 (32:12):
All right?

Speaker 1 (32:12):
Sah, thank you so much for do appreciate his shit, Man,
Taylor Wilson, it's official. We got to clap to start
the video. We got you sitting here in a uniform
at the NETS practice facility, wearing number twenty two. All right,
I want to start with your relationship with Jacques Vaughan.

(32:33):
One of the great players in the history of the
Kansas Jayhawks. Did you have any prior relationship with the
Jacques as far as besides just knowing who he was
at Kansas?

Speaker 7 (32:44):
Uh, kind of only just knew about his time in Kansas,
obviously being a great player there here about him all
the time when I was at school, and kind of
just became crazy when I when I got drafted here
that now I'm playing for another Jayhawk.

Speaker 5 (32:58):
You know, it's kind of cool.

Speaker 1 (32:59):
I know he was locked into you guys. I mean
because we him and I talked before every game we'd
do an interview for radio, and during the tournament, you
guys are playing and jocks, he's talking about you guys,
he's talking about the team.

Speaker 2 (33:12):
So he was certainly watching. How was your draft night?

Speaker 1 (33:16):
I know you were there in the building and tell
us about your experience and hearing your name.

Speaker 5 (33:21):
It was great.

Speaker 7 (33:21):
It was great to have fun to be one of
the fifty eight guys to be drafted, To hear the
name called as a huge blessing. I think, I you know,
just speak for a lot of us that we've been
dreaming of this our whole life and to be able
to live it as, you know, a real dream come
true and just to walk across the stagement experienced that
and I guess walk across to my own gym now

(33:43):
it was pretty cool.

Speaker 2 (33:44):
Texas.

Speaker 1 (33:45):
You're from Texas. Who did you have with you last night?
We're taping this to day after the draft?

Speaker 7 (33:50):
I had all my family, mom, dad, brothers, uncle's grandmother.

Speaker 5 (33:56):
It was everybody. That's great family, Rose deep man.

Speaker 2 (33:59):
They all came up. Was it nerve wracking?

Speaker 1 (34:00):
It all?

Speaker 2 (34:00):
Er?

Speaker 1 (34:01):
You had an idea that you were going to get
taken by somebody.

Speaker 7 (34:05):
I mean I had an idea. Just you just never
know where. That's the crazy thing about the draft. You
just don't know what city you'll be living in you'll
be playing in. But you know that day after is
pretty good because now you know it all.

Speaker 2 (34:16):
Did you work out with the nets?

Speaker 7 (34:18):
Not this this past summer, but the summer before I
tested the waters and worked out for Yeah.

Speaker 1 (34:23):
You originally declared for the draft and then took your
name out of that. That was after winning the national
championship with Kansas? What made you go back to Kansas
for another year?

Speaker 7 (34:34):
Just saw the opportunity I had to be a leader.
I'm a guy that loves my school. You know, that
school's poured everything into me and helped me become the
man I am today. So I felt like I just
had more not only for myself, but just for the
entire community to h to go back into kind of
lay it all online and ended up being one of
the best scions I could have made.

Speaker 2 (34:54):
Bill self. What did he mean to your development as
a player?

Speaker 7 (34:56):
A lot, A lot as far as me being a
player a man, teaching me so many different things on
off the floor, and to have a Hall of Fame
caliber coach right by yourself for four years is definitely
an advantage.

Speaker 5 (35:09):
And he's helped me, you know, do so many different things.

Speaker 1 (35:13):
He missed the early part of the tournament last year
he had a medical procedure. Some did that rattle you
guys a little bit? Or was that you know, how
did you handle that situation?

Speaker 7 (35:21):
I think our foundation and our culture is pretty strong,
and you know, we always have that next guy up mentality,
and I felt like when coach had to go do
what he had to do, we just stepped into the
play for him and was able to have as.

Speaker 1 (35:33):
Back you remember you said, you know, you took your
name out of the draft, and this year you go
back to school, you're you're the conference player of the year,
you lead the conference in scoring and rebounding, but you
don't get drafted till fifty one and it benefits the nets.
But so is there is there a little bit of
something to prove coming into this year and being did.

Speaker 2 (35:56):
You feel like?

Speaker 1 (35:57):
You know, why did I last? I had all these accomplishments.
How come I had to wait to so long to
get drafted.

Speaker 5 (36:02):
I kind of just look at it as like, I'm
here for a reason.

Speaker 7 (36:05):
I feel like everything through my life has been you know,
I have to work hard for no matter how easier
or how no greade it may seem. I had to
do a lot of work to get to wherever I'm
in life, and I feel like this is another step
in the journey as far as working towards what I
want in life, and that's is a successful NBA career.

Speaker 1 (36:23):
I looked at it last night when I saw your
name still in the second round, because I have this
theory about players of the year in great conferences make
great probs, and a lot of times I think it's
almost a bias that you stayed so long and that
you're twenty two years old. Maybe people don't see the
upside they see an eighteen year old, right, but think
of guys like Jalen Brunson, Van Vliet, Malcolm Broggen. It

(36:46):
was a rookie of the year, you know, Conference players
of the year in big schools that people, I guess,
don't you know they think it works against you being
a little older, But you're more mature.

Speaker 2 (36:55):
You're probably more NBA ready than a lot of the
guys that were drafted last night.

Speaker 5 (36:58):
I just used my experiences to my event. Haven't winning
the National Championship.

Speaker 7 (37:02):
I've seen a lot as far as what it takes
a sacrifice with a lot of great players around you,
and uh, you know, I use it in my age,
to my credibility, as far as applying it to my game,
applying it to life and allow my maturity and my
experiences to carry me through the way.

Speaker 1 (37:18):
Well, that showed in your contribution to National championship. You
guys beat a really good North Carolina team that was
playing as well as anybody at the time. Your teammate
of that team was Christian Brown, who just won an
NBA title with Denver. He was with you last year, right, Yeah,
what was your relationship like, Oh, no, that's.

Speaker 5 (37:36):
One of my best friends.

Speaker 7 (37:39):
You know, I was super glad to see him out
here supported me, you know, that's what that's what brothers do.
And uh, super excited, super happy for him for one
of the finals. You know, that's a big acomplishment.

Speaker 2 (37:47):
I think he was one of the m vps of
the celebration easily.

Speaker 5 (37:50):
Easily, I think I was unanimous. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (37:54):
Any any other players on this net roster that you're
familiar with from prior.

Speaker 7 (37:58):
Experience, you know, I know probably there's the largest from
like knowing basketball as far as personal relationships go, not
not too many of them, but you know that's what
we have this this time for.

Speaker 1 (38:10):
Yeah, absolutely so. And what's what's your personal life? Like,
what do you like to do when you're not playing basketball.

Speaker 7 (38:16):
I'm a real chill guy, play video games, chill with
my family, enjoyed nice views. You know, this is actually
one of the best guylines I've always liked. So to
be able to practice in the gym and go see
it the whole time's pretty cool.

Speaker 5 (38:28):
But just a real chill guy.

Speaker 2 (38:30):
Honestly, video game, your sports video game, or.

Speaker 5 (38:33):
Every video game. Honestly, war zone.

Speaker 7 (38:36):
Whatever y'all want to play, I'll play all right, FIFA,
we could play sure.

Speaker 1 (38:42):
You know you mentioned the skyline. You see it from
the practice. You talked about that. A lot of guys
come like the draft is the first time they come
to New York.

Speaker 2 (38:51):
Have you ever been besides the play? Uh no, yeah,
this is my play at the Garden though probably a couple.

Speaker 5 (38:57):
We were there a year ago, I think.

Speaker 7 (38:59):
But yeah, besides basketball, I haven't made it for anything else,
so I really haven't got to enjoy you know, the
city of New York and stuff like that.

Speaker 2 (39:07):
It doesn't intimidate, it doesn't.

Speaker 5 (39:08):
Nah, No, none at all.

Speaker 2 (39:09):
I would I would.

Speaker 1 (39:10):
Think that you face as much scrutiny at a place
like Kansas, you know when it comes to the fan
base and the media, as you probably will you're.

Speaker 2 (39:19):
In New York.

Speaker 5 (39:20):
No, yeah, we're not.

Speaker 7 (39:21):
We're not everyone's favorite school as far as college wise.
We get a lot of hostile crowds. But that's what
I love. I love environments like that. That's where I
feel like I play my best and have the most fun.

Speaker 2 (39:32):
Well, you were at the draft. We talked about that.

Speaker 1 (39:35):
Everybody talking about Victor winb Banyama are you struck? Because
I feel like he was this guy that was talked
about and all of a sudden he showed up last
you know, at the draft, and he's larger than life.
You didn't get to see him play in college or
anything like that obviously, So I'm wondered your first impressions
when you see.

Speaker 7 (39:51):
Him very goot to be that tall and be that
fluid in his game is I haven't seen really anyone
like it before. So he has the tools to be
a very great player.

Speaker 2 (40:03):
Yeah, and just big.

Speaker 5 (40:05):
Yeah, he said something.

Speaker 2 (40:07):
So what are you how long you're going to stay
in town?

Speaker 7 (40:10):
I'll just be here for whatever. I don't know, whatever
the schedule is. I don't even know what.

Speaker 1 (40:15):
Do you look you got something that you're looking forward
to doing while you're in town?

Speaker 5 (40:19):
Just to enjoy the city.

Speaker 7 (40:20):
Honestly, Like I said, I haven't really been here besides basketball,
So just getting around, maybe find like the food spots
here or something like that.

Speaker 2 (40:26):
What's your food go to?

Speaker 5 (40:27):
What do you like?

Speaker 7 (40:29):
I try anything, really, but I keep it like basically,
I don't do too many too many you know, sauces
and stuff like that.

Speaker 5 (40:36):
I'll keep it, you know, straightforward.

Speaker 2 (40:38):
It's interesting. We're gonna have to work on your food. There.

Speaker 1 (40:41):
There's a lot, there's a lot pretty much anything you
want five mile radius of here.

Speaker 2 (40:47):
Have you ever ridden the subway?

Speaker 7 (40:49):
I don't think I had maybe one time in high
school when I was here, but uh now it's been
a long time.

Speaker 2 (40:55):
Would you ever consider right in the subway.

Speaker 5 (40:57):
If I need? Yeah, yeah, it's if it's Yeah.

Speaker 1 (41:01):
It's all about being part of the part of being
in New Yorker right to embrace the culture you'll be
You'll be amazed because you'll you can walk around this
city and there's so much going on that people won't
really even if they know who you are. A lot
of times we just won't even like mind your own
biliness knows.

Speaker 5 (41:17):
Everybody's fast paced here. Everybody's walking fast going somewhere.

Speaker 1 (41:20):
You mentioned your your your family is all here. Everybody
came up your home life. How many brothers and sisters?

Speaker 5 (41:26):
Got two little brothers?

Speaker 2 (41:27):
Two little brothers? Are they good hoopers?

Speaker 7 (41:30):
One actually was football in college and one is thirteen now,
so he's he's.

Speaker 5 (41:34):
Doing his thing.

Speaker 2 (41:35):
Where's your brother playing?

Speaker 5 (41:36):
Comes San Antonio?

Speaker 1 (41:39):
Okay, your advice to those guys coming up younger brothers.

Speaker 7 (41:45):
Uh, stay humble, stay true to yourself, keep guy first,
and don't let uh you know outside know it's changed
who you are.

Speaker 1 (41:51):
Those is this little thing at the end of my
interviews Jim Balbano.

Speaker 2 (41:54):
Do you remember him?

Speaker 5 (41:55):
You know? Yes?

Speaker 2 (41:55):
We speech never give up?

Speaker 5 (41:56):
Yes, yes, yeah.

Speaker 1 (41:57):
So he said to do three things every day to
have a full like laugh, cry, sick. What makes Joe
Wilson laugh.

Speaker 7 (42:06):
Laugh honestly just anything like genuine nothing forced, and uh
my humor is pretty easy.

Speaker 5 (42:14):
I laugh a lot.

Speaker 2 (42:15):
So favorite movie go to like movie like laugh?

Speaker 7 (42:18):
Yeah, a laugh, I honestly love just go with it.
Adam Saidler, that's like my favorite Adam Sailor. Yeah, that's
my would have been a serious stuff like serious if.

Speaker 5 (42:27):
I serious, Dark Knights. My favorite movie Halloween. Michael Myers,
I like, I said on me, Yeah.

Speaker 2 (42:33):
You really wow? Look at that.

Speaker 5 (42:36):
He's only Yeah.

Speaker 2 (42:37):
Are you a horror movie guy?

Speaker 5 (42:39):
I'm really not, but I like Halloween. So I watch
all like Halloween.

Speaker 1 (42:42):
Because our producer Steve Goldberg has a has a horror
movie podcast.

Speaker 5 (42:46):
Oh that'd be that'd be dope. Dope. Now, okay, when you.

Speaker 2 (42:49):
Have fear tattooed on the inside of your right arm there.
What is what is the fear standpoint for you? Just
just call the MI.

Speaker 5 (42:58):
I got fear God. Just you know, I feel like.

Speaker 7 (43:02):
I wouldn't be here with our guys as far as
everything I've been through in life. And you gotta gotta
gotta fear something that that's bigger than you, that can
control a lot of things that you can't control.

Speaker 5 (43:11):
So that's kind of just been my mindset.

Speaker 2 (43:12):
But not let fear control you.

Speaker 5 (43:14):
Nah.

Speaker 2 (43:15):
Never what moves your emotions?

Speaker 1 (43:17):
Maybe not in a sad way crying, but is there
something that really gets you choked up?

Speaker 7 (43:23):
I don't know, honestly, maybe this stuff in my family. Uh,
you know, there's been a long yeah, a long journey
to get here, so uh, to be here is a
pretty special moment.

Speaker 2 (43:35):
What about when you heard your name last night?

Speaker 5 (43:36):
Yeah? Yeah, that was pretty crazy. That was pretty clear.

Speaker 7 (43:38):
Leading those to the draft, it was a lot of emotions,
but to hear my name was definitely like a I
can breathe now a little bit.

Speaker 2 (43:45):
All right, You've given everybody a lot to think about.

Speaker 1 (43:47):
But the oculus outside Barkley Center has that digital screen
for everybody to see when they're coming out of the
subway or into the arena.

Speaker 2 (43:54):
You could put something up there to let people think about.
We want to put something in people's heads. Are slowing
something to live by? What do you think it would be?

Speaker 7 (44:01):
I always say, like the marathon continues, I'm a big
guy with the You know, it's gonna be a lot
of ups and downs in life, but you just got
to keep pushing, gotta keep grinding to get to where
you want to get.

Speaker 2 (44:11):
Jalen Wilson, thanks so much for sating down with great
to get to know you.

Speaker 1 (44:15):
Thanks all right, my thanks to those three young men
who had a terrific time talking to you. Hope you
enjoyed the conversation with Noah Clowney, Derek Whitehead and Jalen Wilson.
You know, rookies, everybody always walks you away from the

(44:36):
NBA draft thinking, oh, these guys are great these this
guy is going to be this, this guy is going
to be that. I can see this happening, that happening,
and we don't know, we don't know. Oftentimes, the real
test of where a guy's career arc is going to
go is where they go from after year one in
the year two, what they become in their second season

(44:58):
in the NBA. So the upside is always kind of
indicative of what happens to them going from year one
to year two. So there's still a lot to be
determined with these young players, but certainly just from their personalities,
their intellect, I think, their maturity. I think these three

(45:19):
guys have a chance to really make that jump.

Speaker 2 (45:23):
So we'll see what happens.

Speaker 1 (45:24):
Hopefully for the Nets, they can do that and turn
into valuable assets for this team going forward.

Speaker 2 (45:30):
I'll tell you what else made the jump from year
one to year two.

Speaker 1 (45:34):
A show that I thoroughly enjoyed in year one called
The Bear, about a classically trained chef whose brother dies
and he had this popular kind of lunch spot in
Chicago and he takes over the business and plenty of

(45:56):
things in sue, but talk about what makes you cry
and think The Bear has it all. It's really hard
to say it's a comedy it's a drama because it's
got some incredibly funny moments and it has got some
very real dramatic moments, And having worked in a restaurant

(46:17):
when I was younger, it depicts what it's like to
work in a restaurant, probably better than anything that's ever
been on the screen. And Year two, Season two just
came out and it has made the jump. It has
made the leap from year one to year two where

(46:38):
the upside and the potential is turning into stardom. I
can't recommend it enough. Watch season one if you haven't
already seen it, and get on to season two. It's
fantastic and the music is tremendous as well. It reminded
me a little bit of when Pearl Jam went from
ten to verses. Album two solidified their arc as one

(47:03):
of the great rock bands of all time.

Speaker 5 (47:05):
But I digress.

Speaker 1 (47:07):
My thanks to Steve Goldberg, our producer, Isaac Lee, our engineer.
Talk to you next time. I'm Chris Carino. Thanks for
tuning in subscribing to the Voice of the Nets.