The NBA Draft Combine ended this weekend and this is where draft analysis really starts to get fun. All sorts of new information comes out and players rise and fall in the draft board. As a result of this players names start to become attached to teams and the rumors start to fly. What is the truth? Who knows. Interpret the information as you will but now at least the offseason becomes much more interesting for all fans whose teams are no longer in the playoffs.
Utah Jazz fans are not exempt from this. In fact there are two players linked to the Jazz now that the combine is over. Their names are Dennis Schroeder and Tony Snell. Dennis Schroeder is a 6’2″, 165 lb point guard out of Germany and won’t turn 20 until September 15th. He is a quick, fast, athletic point guard that by all accounts see the court very well and excels when playing with talent around him. He’s a bit more of a shoot first point guard right now but that sounds like because so much was needed from him on his German teams. At the Nike Hoop Summit he impressed scouts with his 6’7″ wingspan and elite ability to penetrate and get to the hoop. He scored 16 points and added 8 assists and really wowed scouts with his game. When asked which teams he’d like to play for he said Utah or Milwaukee but listed the Utah Jazz as his favorite. Sounds like just the playmaker the Utah Jazz are looking for; did they promise to draft him with the 14th pick?
The second name linked to the Utah Jazz is Tony Snell. Snell is a 6″7″ 200 lb SF out of New Mexico. He will turn 22 on November 10th. Last year he averaged 12.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg, and 2.9 apg. He shot 42.2% from the field and 39% from 3. He was also a 84.3% free throw shooter going 86-102 from the line. Here is the nugget dropped to us from Chad Ford on ESPN.com “New Mexico small forward Tony Snell also appeared to make the leap this weekend from interesting prospect to potential first-round pick. He still has a long way to go as far as proving to scouts he can play with consistent effort, but the raw athletic ability and elite size for his position, combined with smooth shooting touch really improved his stock. I’ve heard his name as high as No. 21 to the Utah Jazz.” He’s another player that helped his draft stock out at the combine, and has a lot of abilities that the Utah Jazz are looking for. Is he being considered for the 21st pick as Ford suggests?
In my analysis of this draft so far I’ve been convinced the Jazz were going to take a PG and a Center. Point is obviously a big time need but I also thought they’d draft a center to have a nice 3 man rotation. The fact that these two athletes have been linked to the Jazz is intriguing. If this is true, then it’s obvious the Jazz are looking for length,athleticism and good shooters to play a more uptempo type of offensive system. These two players can really move up and down the court and would seem to blend in nicely with Gordon Hayward and Alec Burks on the wings. Throw in Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter who move up and down the court very well for big men and you have an exciting, fast paced brand of basketball. It appears that Ty Corbin is being listened to and the Jazz are giving him the personnel to play the type of offense he would like to run.
These type of clues are very important to help determine what the Jazz are going to look like next season. These type of athletes lead me to believe that the chance of Big Al resigning with the Jazz are slim at best. As Jazz fans this should excite you and motivate you to put your money where your mouth is and go see these young athletes play the type of basketball you’ve been craving. Here at The J Notes we’ll be keeping a close eye on all the draft info that will continue to come out over the next couple of weeks. I’d be very interested to see if Brandon Davies is a big guy the Jazz would consider taking in the second round. We’ll find out soon enough when team workouts begin in earnest the beginning of June. Also remember the draft lottery is tomorrow night! I’m so excited to hear Adam Silver say “and the #14 pick in the 2013 NBA draft goes to the Utah Jazz.”