Utah Jazz Draft History: 2000 – Present
By Cody Powers
2003
The 2002-03 Jazz season was heartbreaking for Jazz fans. Not because of the record, however. The Jazz finished the season with a respectable 47-35 record, and ended up getting ousted by the Sacramento Kings again in the first round of the playoffs. The heartbreaking part came after the season, as the Stockton and Malone combination that Jazz fans had seen for so many years, came to an end. Looking to move on, the Jazz owned the 19th and 47th picks in the upcoming draft.
With the 19th pick, the Jazz selected Sasha Pavlovic, who appeared in 79 games for the Jazz his rookie season. Regarded as one of the best drafts in NBA history, guys like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh came off the board quickly. The Jazz took Pavlovic, who had a decent career, over guys like Boris Diaw (21), and Kendrick Perkins (27).
With the 47th pick, the Jazz selected Mo Williams. Mo only spent one season with the Jazz, but as many remember, came back to the organization during the 2012-13 season. Now, Mo is currently with the Portland Trail Blazers backing up Damian Lillard in the playoffs. The Jazz didn’t really pass on too much when they took Mo. The only guy that they missed on with this pick is Kyle Korver (51), who ended up playing for the Jazz later on anyways, and being a crowd favorite.
2004
The Jazz were supposed to be absolutely awful during the 2003-04 season. The “experts” projected that the first season the Jazz didn’t have Stockton or Malone, that they would win a total of eight games. The Jazz surprised everyone and finished the season 42-40. The Jazz got a fantastic season out of Andrei Kirilenko, who averaged 16.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game to lead the team. The Jazz also got Matt Harpring, Carlos Arroyo, DeShawn Stevenson, Raja Bell, and Gordon Giricek to average double figures for the season.
As surprising as the season was for the Jazz, there decision to take Kris Humphries with the 14th pick in the draft was just as surprising. Humphries had a great freshman season statistically at the University of Minnesota, but was said to be a very selfish player. He didn’t last long in Utah. With only one pick in this draft, the Jazz took Humphries over guys like Al Jefferson (15), Josh Smith (17), J.R. Smith (18), Jameer Nelson (20), Tony Allen (25), and Kevin Martin (26).