Holding the 12th overall pick in the first round, the Utah Jazz want to find the answer that will finally get them over the hump and into the playoffs. Whether they use the 12th pick or make a trade, Utah will have plenty of of options to choose from Thursday night.
The Jazz missed out on the playoffs by one game this season, finishing with a record of 40-42, behind the mess that was the Houston Rockets, who finished 41-41. The top eight of the Western Conference is usually a club that is not easily broken into, but the lack of quality teams in the middle of the conference presented a special opportunity for Utah to break through. But a mix of injuries and underperforming forced them to miss out on their window, squandering their chance late by losing four of the last five games.
Throughout the season, Utah especially struggled with their guard depth. Dante Exum missed out on his entire sophomore season after tearing his ACL playing for Australia. Alec Burks, who has never had good luck with injuries, played in the first 30 games before he fractured his left fibula, keeping him out of the team until the last three games of the year. Trey Burke’s early career has largely been a disappointment, as the two players selected with the picks the Jazz gave up for him, Shabazz Muhammad and Gorgui Dieng, are arguably both better than him right now. For the last 25 games of the season, Shelvin Mack was the starting point guard.
Utah would’ve killed for a quality point guard at various stages of last season, but both Exum and Burks are expected to be ready to go at the start of the season, somewhat alleviating their concerns at the position. But Exum will be playing in only his second season and still has a lot of development to do, and players like Burks, Mack, and Burke all have their limitations that subsequently limit Utah’s ability to create offense.
It wouldn’t be surprising if Vanderbilt’s sophomore guard Wade Baldwin IV was still available when the Jazz are on the clock, and he would likely garner a major look from them. Baldwin is a 6-4 point guard who boasts an impressive 6-11 wingspan, using that length to be a strong defender, capable of defending both guard positions. And he is a strong shooter from deep, shooting over 40 percent from three in both of his college seasons. Utah is in desperate need of more outside shooting, and adding a player at a position of need who adds to their defensive ethos while being a more than capable outside shooter could be a huge boost. He has struggled with his playmaking at times, but Gordon Hayward carries a lot of the load in that regard, taking the load off of Baldwin, or any of the guards they put on the floor. DraftExpress and The Vertical both have Baldwin mocked to the Jazz at #12.
It’s a weak draft for point guards, with Dejounte Murray from Washington being the only other point guard Utah could consider with their pick, and I’m not very high on him, but point guard isn’t the only spot on their roster that needs to be addressed.
Their frontcourt is pretty loaded, as Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors have developed into pillars of the team. And the depth behind them is strong as well, with Trey Lyles coming on strong in his rookie season and Jeff Withey proving he has the potential to be a quality backup big.
Where their depth is lacking is on the wings. Hayward is a star, and Rodney Hood was an inspired pick, but beyond them Utah doesn’t have a lot of answers on the wing, and suffered because of it down the stretch. Players like Trevor Booker, Chris Johnson, Joe Ingles, and Elijah Millsap saw the backup minutes, and none of them were consistent options, especially shooting-wise. Adding a wing player who can continue to provide the spacing that Favors-Gobert lineups need would be huge for the competitiveness of the team.
The wing options in the middle of the draft aren’t abundant, but a few are intriguing.
One option could Timothe Luwawu, the Frenchman who had a strong season in the Adriatic League. He is talented offensively and is a strong outside shooter. Luwawu is versatile and could help out at multiple positions for Utah. Malachi Richardson is another, younger option on the wing, as the freshman from Syracuse also offers the perimeter shooting the Jazz lack, although he isn’t as versatile as Luwawu.
Utah is by no means tied to the 12th slot either. Depending on how they feel about the value of certain players, they have options going up or down in the draft. Trading into the top eight could give them an opportunity to take any of Jamal Murray, Buddy Hield, or Jaylen Brown to add to their depth at guard or on the wing. Trading down to could enable them to get additional value and then go with any of Furkan Korkmaz, Denzel Valentine, or Taurean Prince, depending on how far they go down.
The Utah Jazz have been knocking on the West’s door for a couple years now, and nearly have all the pieces they need to finally put a playoff run together again. This draft and subsequent decisions made in this offseason by the front office with have lasting implications on how far this team can go.
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