Utah Jazz: Aldrich hoping to be much more than just an Ostertag clone

SALT LAKE CITY — The Jazz had a big workout Thursday.

Shot-blocking, sky-scraping big.

There was Hassan Whiteside, a 6-foot-11 freshman center from Marshall with a 7-7 wingspan longer than that of any other prospect in the June 24 NBA draft.

He merely led the nation in blocks last season, swatting 5.4 per game.

There was Ekpe Udoh, a senior power forward from Baylor who stands 6-9 in shoes. He blocked 3.7 shots per game last season, fifth in NCAA Division I.

And then there was Cole Aldrich, a junior center from Kansas — 6-11 in shoes — who really is a chip off longtime Jazz center Greg Ostertag's Jayhawk block.

On a day "big" really was vogue in Utah, Aldrich — a very real possibility for the Jazz with their No. 9 overall pick in the draft, especially if Georgetown big man Greg Monroe is gone — laughed while readily acknowledging he's heard the Ostertag comparison "a small bit."

"I like to think I might be slightly better-looking than Greg," the enthusiastic Aldrich joked while flashing a missing tooth — very much a la Ostertag — in the wide smile beneath his tight buzz cut.

Minnesota-born Aldrich blocked 253 shots over three seasons at Kansas, leaving the Big 12 Conference's Defensive Player of the Year just five shy of all-time KU career leader Ostertag.

He plays a self-described "physical game down low."

"I think a lot of teams need that big guy that loves to bang and grab rebounds and block shots," Aldrich said.

The kind of center, in other words, the Jazz really haven't had since now-retired Ostertag's Utah days.

Not that Aldrich claims to be an Ostertag clone.

For one, he has no Fred Flintstone tattoos.

For another, Aldrich yields about 3 inches and plenty of pounds to Ostertag.

Then there's his game, one Aldrich suggests is a bit more rounded than the oft offensively challenged Ostertag.

"He's got a different game than I (do)," Aldrich said. "I get up and down the court a little more. … I can hit an outside jumper. I'm really kind of working hard on my offensive skills and continue to play good defense."

That established, Aldrich is an Ostertag fan.