The Utah Jazz have several options to consider while deciding how to best utilize their lottery pick for the upcoming season.
For the second consecutive year, the Utah Jazz find themselves with the No. 12 pick in the NBA Draft. After another exciting albeit disappointing season, the Jazz will look to utilize the lottery pick to improve their fortunes in 2016-17.
With the team sitting right on the cusp of playoff contention, there will certainly be a number of options to consider with several positions on their current roster in need of improvement.
Perhaps the biggest deciding factor of which position the Jazz focus on in the draft will depend on whether they utilize their draft pick to select a new, young player or if they finally break free from simply stocking up young talent and look to move the pick in a trade for a seasoned and talented veteran.
That decision will likely hinge on which players become available, both in the draft and in the free agent market, as well as where the Jazz sense the most glaring weaknesses. Here’s a look at the current state of each roster position and what aid is needed.
Next: Point Guard
Point Guard
With the hopeful healthy return of Dante Exum, the Utah Jazz could potentially be receiving a big boost at the point guard position. However, it remains to be seen whether or not Exum is truly the point guard fit that the Jazz need to further their improvement.
Shelvin Mack was certainly an upgrade over both Raul Neto and Trey Burke last season. Nonetheless, the point guard position was the weakest spot on the Jazz roster throughout the 2015-16 season. Depending on the trust and confidence that the Jazz feel comfortable putting in Exum, this could certainly be a position that the Jazz look to improve this offseason.
However, I find it difficult to believe that the best course of action is for the Jazz to fix their point guard problem by adding another young talent with the 12th pick in this year’s draft. After drafting Burke and Exum in back-to-back years in 2013 and 2014, it seems that taking a risk on the third young point guard in four years wouldn’t be the best decision if the Jazz hope to take a major leap forward this year.
With that being said, pinning down a reliable starting point guard could still be a solid decision if that player were acquired by means of a trade or free agency. The Jazz’s lottery pick could be utilized as a solid trade piece or they could look to woo a solid starter such as free agent Mike Conley.
It’s likely wishful thinking, but undoubtedly something that the Jazz should take a decent look at.
Next: Shooting Guard
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
Small Forward
While Gordon Hayward is undoubtedly one of, if not the best player on this Jazz team, his back-ups have left much to be desired. While Joe Ingles and Chris Johnson both had their moments, Utah could certainly use some more firepower at this position.
Although Hayward has largely shouldered the load and the minutes at small forward, it would actually make sense to add small forward depth through young talent in the draft. Playing as Hayward’s back-up would give the newcomer plenty of time and opportunity to grow without having to worry about being a top option right off the bat.
With Hayward well solidified as the team’s starting small forward, it wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense to trade away the valuable 12th pick for another player of the same position.
So, if the Jazz decide that shoring up the small forward position is one of their biggest points of emphasis, then they should do so by either adding a mid-level free agent veteran such as Kent Bazemore (again, likely wishful thinking) or by adding young talent in the draft.
Next: Power Forward
Power Forward
Depending on how real and long-lasting the positive flashes that Trey Lyles displayed at the end of this past season really are, an argument could be made that power forward is actually the Jazz’s deepest position. Obviously when healthy, Derrick Favors showed that he could be Utah’s most dominant player.
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Favors will undoubtedly be the starter at the four spot for the foreseeable future. Still, Lyles’ improvement could solidify the power forward position as one of Utah’s best.
Furthermore, while Trevor Booker‘s future with the Jazz remains unclear, if the organization decides to hold onto their energizing spark plug, then it’s very likely that they will view the power forward slot as already set for the upcoming season and forego making any changes.
If Booker is moved or a surprisingly talented player becomes available either through the draft or in a trade offer, the Jazz could look to utilize their pick for a power forward. However I feel this is the least likely position that Utah will look to improve.
Next: Center
Center
While Rudy Gobert‘s 2016-17 season was injury-riddled and not quite as productive as many had hoped following his breakout at the end of last season, the defensive juggernaut will almost certainly remain as Utah’s rim protector and starting center.
Having said that, aside from Favors, who would occasionally slide to the center position, the Jazz had no true reliable back-up center (no offense, Jeff Withey). That leaves the back-up center spot as a position that the Jazz certainly could look to fill with that 12th pick in the draft. With the obvious lack of depth here, that wouldn’t be a bad option by any means.
However, with how well the indomitable frontcourt duo of Favors and Gobert plays when healthy, and given the presence of solid back-up bigs such as Lyles and Booker, shoring up this position might not be enough of a concern for the Jazz to spend a lottery pick on.
Rather than drafting or trading the pick to add depth at the center position, perhaps the Jazz could look to add a formidable free agent as a back-up center such as Ian Mahinmi or Marreese Speights. While the center position could definitely use help in the second unit, there definitely appears to be more pressing issues confronting the Jazz.
Next: Conclusion
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.
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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!