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What Position Should the Utah Jazz Focus On in the Draft?

By Jared Woodcox

Jun 25, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Trey Lyles (Kentucky) greets NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number twelve overall pick to the Utah Jazz in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 25, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Trey Lyles (Kentucky) greets NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number twelve overall pick to the Utah Jazz in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 10, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Will Barton (5) defends against Utah Jazz guard Rodney Hood (5) in the second quarter at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Will Barton (5) defends against Utah Jazz guard Rodney Hood (5) in the second quarter at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

Shooting Guard

Honestly, if both Alec Burks and Rodney Hood are healthy, this could very well be the Jazz’s strongest overall position currently. Both Burks and Hood are fit to be starters and still have yet to reach their ceiling. With those two firmly in place, the shooting guard spot doesn’t seem like the most pressing area where the Jazz necessarily need to improve.

Nevertheless, with Burks out for most of last season, shooting guard depth actually was a pretty glaring weakness. If the Jazz feel the need to improve depth at this position and add some insurance to the backcourt, drafting an up and coming two-guard wouldn’t be a bad option by any means.

If the best player on the board by the time the Jazz’s pick rolls around is a shooting guard, they shouldn’t feel any hesitancy to snatch him up.

Also, in the slim possibility that either Hood or Burks is packaged into any sort of trade, for a veteran point guard for example, this would obviously change the Jazz’s outlook on the shooting guard position drastically. In such a scenario, beefing up the position would become an absolute must to avoid a repeat of last year’s situation created by Burks’ injury.

The improvement of this position will likely depend on whether or not the Jazz are committed to keeping both Hood and Burks and if they trust that Burks can stay healthy enough to play through an entire season.

Next: Small Forward