Utah Jazz: Marcus Morris tells it like he sees it at workout

SALT LAKE CITY — One thing about Marcus Morris became evident at the Utah Jazz's pre-draft workout Sunday.

The Kansas junior is a straight shooter.

And that has nothing to do with his actual shooting capabilities.

Whether admitting he believes fellow workout participant Chris Singleton is "not very talented" on the offensive end or speaking about his own talents, the highly regarded 21-year-old forward says it like he sees it.

"Honestly, I think I'm the most complete player in the draft," the 6-9 Morris said. "I think I'm one of those guys that can just do a lot. (There are) lots of parts of my game I can hang my hat on."

Morris is a lottery prospect — pegged to go ninth to Charlotte by ESPN.com expert Chad Ford — and Jazz brass are impressed by him.

But Walt Perrin, the Jazz's vice president of player personnel, laughed when asked to comment on Morris' confident comment.

"That's a guy who has confidence in himself," Perrin said.

Perrin is glad Morris believes strongly in his game, but, yes, there was a proverbial "but."

"That's his opinion," Perrin said, smiling. "His opinion doesn't count on draft night."

So, is Morris the most complete player in this draft?

"That's subjective. Who is the most complete player? He might be the most complete college player, but is he the most complete NBA player? No. And that's what we're looking for — progression," Perrin said. "I don't know if there is a complete player in the draft. Even at No. 1, they all have flaws. Every one of them. That's my opinion."

And his opinion does count on draft night.

SECOND CHANCE: Perrin watches hundreds and hundreds of hours of basketball over the course of a season, so he's seen most of the guys the Jazz bring in for workouts play live at least a couple of times.

Considering how many thousands of college and international basketball players there are in the world, it's no surprise occasional exceptions occur. And Illinois-Chicago forward Paul Carter is a pleasant exception this year.

Perrin admitted he only occasionally is surprised by what he sees in the short workouts because he's usually seen the players enough to know what to expect, but they liked the unheralded Carter enough to bring him back for a second, closer look in a week.

"He surprised me," Perrin said, adding that he hadn't seen the 6-foot-8 forward play and knew little about him.

A similar situation happened in Jazz history. Way back last year.

"Jeremy Evans came in and impressed us in a workout," Perrin said.

Utah, of course, then drafted the under-the-radar product out of Western Kentucky in the second round.

The Jazz, by the way, don't have a second-round pick this year, having given it to Chicago in the Carlos Boozer's arranged sign-and-trade. Utah received a trade exemption, which made the Al Jefferson deal possible.

FREQUENT FLIER: If UCLA forward Tyler Honeycutt has jet lag, there's a good reason why. By the time Thursday's draft arrives, he will have worked about for half of the 30 NBA teams.

And that's after being forced to cancel several auditions.

Honeycutt feels "a little bit" worn down, understandably, but he's embraced the chance to improve his draft stock — even if he has to bounce around the country to do it.

"You kind of forget what day it is and what city you're in until you put the shorts on and see the logo," Honeycutt said with a grin while sporting Jazz gear. "It can be a long process. ... Flying from every city every day, only seeing the gym and the hotel. It can be pretty tough, but it's a once in a lifetime experience."

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