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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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Gordon Hayward Quin Snyder Utah Jazz
Jan 18, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder talks with forward Gordon Hayward (20) on the bench in the first half against the Charlotte Hornets at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /

Conclusion

Overall, the two most glaring weaknesses for the current Jazz roster are the starting point guard spot and the back-up small forward position.

However, if the Jazz hope to bring in a new starting point guard for the upcoming season, then the pick would best be used as a trade piece to bring in considerable talent from a team that perhaps is looking to rebuild through the draft.

Acquiring Jeff Teague from the Atlanta Hawks, who may be looking to make drastic changes to their lineup this offseason, would be one example.

On the other hand, if the Jazz decide to hold onto the pick and add another young asset, then their best bet would be to improve their depth at the three-spot. Several mock drafts currently have the Jazz taking either Turkish player Furkan Korkmaz or Michigan State’s Denzel Valentine.

However, both of these players are considered shooting guards, which as I mentioned before might not be as pressing of a concern for the Jazz.

Nevertheless, if in drafting such a player the Jazz feel confident in changing positions such as moving Valentine to the three spot (which he certainly would be capable of at least on the offensive end) or shifting Burks to the three-spot alongside a definitive shooting guard such as Korkmaz, this type of selection still could work.

Regardless of how the Jazz end up doing it, acquiring a reliable and/or high ceiling back-up for Gordon Hayward should be one of the top priorities this offseason. If they hold onto their pick, bringing in a young player to log minutes behind Hayward would seem to be the smartest way to accomplish that.

If the pick is traded, the Jazz should look at other rosters and the free agent pool to see who could make the most sense to bring in.

Next: NCAA Tourney Hero Auditions For Utah Jazz

The Jazz have a lot of big decisions to make this offseason that will certainly be set off by their decisions regarding their draft pick. With the draft exactly one month away, the roster dominoes may start falling even sooner than we think!