SALT LAKE CITY – At media day, Jazz and Mammoth owner Ryan Smith explained how Utah is perceived differently amongst the NBA and NHL circles.

He pointed out the differences in team building between the leagues as the main contributing factor.

Starting with the NBA, Smith said that recent contenders have built their teams mostly in-house.

Which is mostly true. Oklahoma City acquired Shai Gilgeous-Alexander before he was a star, and drafted Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, and other key contributors. Going back further, Boston drafted Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Denver drafted Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, Golden State drafted Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.

Although these teams make moves to trim up the edges, the cores of these recent title-winning teams grow within

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