Utah Jazz 2024 NBA Draft Lottery Preview

The No Ceilings crew continues their preview series of all of the teams drafting in the lottery today with the Utah Jazz.

Maxwell: The Utah Jazz are fascinating to me. The front office has acquired a wealth of draft capital. They have an outstanding Head Coach in Will Hardy. Still, the future remains relatively uncertain as they continue to build on the fly. Lauri Markkanen’s improbable mid-20’s breakout gives them an All-Star level talent but also a potential trade piece. Walker Kessler is one of the best young rim protectors in the league. It seems like they nailed the Keyonte George pick. They’ve got solid vets in John Collins, Collin Sexton, and Jordan Clarkson. Taylor Hendricks and Brice Sensabaugh will be fascinating to monitor as they head into year two. 

That’s a lot of pieces. Still, I’m not sure that there’s a true cornerstone here. Picking at 10, there may not be players on the board with the sexiest ceilings in the world. Philosophically, this presents an interesting conundrum. Do you swing on a player with some warts who may not reach their upside, or do you add yet another solid piece who may be lacking that star potential? From a needs standpoint, I’m ideally eyeing a wing of true lead guard, and deeper down the board, an extra rim protector could make sense. Before we get into names, what are you thinking from a team-building standpoint?

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Rucker: I like what Utah has cooking in the kitchen, Maxwell. When you’re a rebuilding team, you need assets. Then, you need to find a way to duplicate those assets. Danny Ainge and the Jazz front office have done an outstanding job of putting this Jazz team in a quick position to rebuild on the fly. They found a number of intriguing young pieces to develop in their first year in the likes of Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks, and Brice Sensabaugh. All of those players should be in line for a potential big step forward next year. Markkanen has become one of the most interesting trade assets in the league now. Utah can either look to sell high or continue to keep him in Salt Lake City. 

Personally, I think Utah just had the chance to really add some fantastic pieces in this class. If you’re building this team from a multi-year view, the 2024 class could be the year to be the icing on top of the cake (the 2025 class). Imagine you find two great rotation assets this year and then can add a potential star upside talent next year. That’s where things can get rolling in a hurry. But before I get too far off track, Maxwell let’s focus on this year…

I feel like Utah is in a really good spot when it comes to the range in this class. They’ve got multiple picks in this year’s class that can turn into some great depth for them moving forward. Let’s start with their first selection, at #10 overall…What possible names do you think make sense there?

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Maxwell: Because I like to keep an eye toward upside for teams without a sure-thing future All-Star, how about Cody Williams here? The statistical downsides are fairly clear–he didn’t shoot a lot of threes, he didn’t rebound well for his position, and his defensive counting numbers were pedestrian. But let’s look at the positives. He’s a late bloomer with a 7’1” wingspan. His rebounding numbers were better before a series of injuries mounted. And the dude can really put the ball in the basket. Williams had a 62 true shooting percentage and made 74.2% of his halfcourt rim attempts. Even with his warts, he’s an elite halfcourt finisher who doesn’t take bad shots. He needs to fill out his frame, but he’s definitely not afraid of contact. Defensively, he comes out of his stance far too easily and doesn’t make a ton of plays. But the raw tools are there, and teams generally feel confident in their ability to coach up young prospects with regard to on-ball defense. Is there a chance it doesn’t all come together for Cody? Sure. But Utah is in a great position to take chances. If Williams is the guy he looked like pre-injuries, that’s the type of prospect that is tough to come by, and he should be valued as such.

Speaking of injuries…what do we think about Nikola Topic here? Keyonte George has some real juice with the ball in his hands, but a big part of his appeal is also that he’s a devastating off-ball player. Looking at the rest of their young core, guys like Walker Kessler, Taylor Hendricks, and Brice Sensabaugh are more eaters than chefs (trademark J. Kyle Mann). Other than Kessler, all those dudes can shoot, and Kessler is one heck of a lob target. Topic could be the straw that stirs the drink for them. He’s a nasty downhill attacker thanks to his acceleration and screen manipulation. Topic’s head fakes, look-offs, and the variety of passes at his disposal make him one of the class’s most tantalizing playmakers. He’s got some shooting concerns, but he’s dynamite at the line. The defense is a big work in progress, but if I’ve got a guard with defensive concerns, I’d feel much better with dudes like Taylor Hendricks and Walker Kessler behind them. The knee is definitely a concern, but Topic could bring a creation element that they don’t have among their younger players. 

Also, I’m going to drag you into some Sicko Talk, sorry not sorry. The Jazz also have picks at 29 and 32. Anyone you’re feeling for them in that range? I’d love another shooter with some size in that range, a few might be on the board. On the longer side, there’s Pacome Dadiet or maybe even Tyler Smith if he slips. On the meatier end of the spectrum, we’ve got the offensively-titled Baylor Scheierman or the physically imposing Jaylon Tyson. I’m also a sucker for the stat-sheet stuffers like Jonathan Mogbo, Isaiah Crawford, and Dillon Jones, even if they might not provide the same level of spacing. Either way, this is a great draft to have picks in that range. I’ve said enough! Rucker, what are you thinking?

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Rucker: We know Utah has a front office that has a history of being patient with exciting young talent. Cody Williams is a great shout-out here. He’s the upside swing that is a diamond in the rough. If you have a plan in place and can be patient, there’s a high amount of exciting potential with his game. Coming into the 2023-24 NCAA season, I thought Cody was a candidate to be a prospect that could have a massive sophomore leap. Suddenly, that picture shifted into “holy crap, is this guy going Top 10 now?” Cody exceeded expectations in his freshman year, as he looked generally raw going back to his showing at FIBA the previous summer. But there was some really impressive stuff on tape during the first half of this season. After dealing with some injuries, it was clear that Williams was battling but the rawness started to rise to the surface. We’ve seen what Danny Ainge has done with young talent before, such as Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown who didn’t find his groove until a couple of seasons down the road. Could Cody be a high-upside swing for Utah with their first selection? Absolutely, and it makes a lot of sense.

The Nikola Topic injury now puts Utah in a fascinating position. There’s suddenly a chance that one of the youngest players in this class will be on the board for Utah’s pick. Keyonte George was a slam dunk pick for the Jazz last year and should be a potential breakout candidate as a sophomore, even after an impressive rookie showing. If Utah invests in Topic, you’re looking at adding a dangerous playmaking guard with good size, giving Utah a pretty talented backcourt that can offer offensive versatility and coexist in an intriguing way given their skills.

I still think Ron Holland could be a name to watch out for here. We know how exciting Holland is when he’s cooking. He’s one of the most dangerous transition players this class has to offer. Personally, I’d love Holland to end up with the Jazz organization. He won’t turn 19 until he’s at Summer League, and the sky's the limit if he can land in the right place. Holland shows flashes of being a two-way weapon, and if the consistency can be unlocked, there’s a lot of talent to work with. Landing in Utah would be an exciting combination for both parties, as Holland could blossom into a fantastic connecting piece alongside some talented offensive weapons. 

It seems as if Utah could also be a team that starts to get creative with that range of the draft and might throw a bit of a curveball compared to the “consensus.” Sure, we’ve thrown around names like Dalton Knecht, Matas Buzelis, or even Stephon Castle to the Jazz at one point during this cycle, but what if the Jazz look to go in a different direction? Could we get a wild curveball like Carlton Carrington perhaps? Adding Carrington’s size and upside alongside Keyonte George gives a thrilling backcourt of potential to work with going forward. Could Jared McCain be a sneaky candidate to come into the mix, given his floor spacing ability and potentially high floor? Personally, I would be a bit shocked if that’s the direction the Jazz would go, but we know that McCain can flat-out play, and he’s a relentless rebounder for an undersized guard.

Utah’s next pair of selections is where things can get REALLY fun. I’m right there with you, Ratiopharm Ulm wing Pacome Dadiet would be a heck of a get for the Jazz with one of their latest picks. He’s been a player I’ve been extremely high on all year and landing with the Jazz would be a big piece for their developmental staff. Dadiet has the tools and upside to be a dynamic wing addition with his offensive potential and raw ability. Baylor Scheierman seems to have plenty of fans in NBA circles and should be a name to keep an eye on near the Jazz’s late first round pick. I think the other names you brought up are intriguing options to keep focus on moving forward, especially Jonathan Mogbo. But let me try to bring another name to the picture. 

How about Nikola Djurisic as a wildcard? There was plenty of attention throughout the year to Mega Basket due to the impressive play from Nikola Topic, who is destined to be a potential lottery pick. After Topic headed to play for Crvena Zvezda, Djurisic started to really find his groove. Listed at around 6’8”, Djurisic has been a name on NBA radars for years. He’s a crafty wing with spectacular feel and playmaking ability, but the outside shot never seemed to come around. After an impressive scoring boost to close the year, including some legit strides with his three-ball, Djurisic has become a serious sleeper to keep an eye on. The tools are there for Djurisic to be a heck of a talent. If teams are buying the outside shot development, he’s going to have plenty of fans.