Notes from an interview Friday with Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin.
Corbin said Utah 2012 second-round draft pick Kevin Murphy is a "scorer." During the initial three days of Summer League camp this week near Orlando, Fla., Murphy immediately impressed with his ability to quickly get off shots and his understanding of how to play in a pro-style offense. The former Tennessee Tech guard is also longer and taller than Corbin thought he'd be.
Second-year Jazz players Alec Burks and Enes Kanter are in excellent shape, following recent appearances at P3, a high-performance training facility in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Corbin said Utah plans to keep all 16 players in camp on its Summer League roster. But the Jazz will primarily play athletes on their official roster during next week's games, which run from July 9-13 in Orlando.
Corbin will watch contests from the bench and stands but won't coach, relying on a rotating crew of assistants to run the team.
Corbin wouldn't comment about specific Jazz personnel changes because of the ongoing free agency moratorium period. However, he acknowledged Utah has already made a couple positive moves on paper and he likes the direction the Jazz are heading.
Corbin expects Utah's 2012-13 offense to mostly remain the same. But he expects to make some changes to the team's pick-and-roll defense, which was a liability throughout 2011-12. Alterations could be based off personnel changes, Corbin said.
Lastly, Corbin said it's an honor for the Jazz to have Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors practicing with the U.S. men's basketball team in Las Vegas.
Brian T. Smith
Twitter: @tribjazz
