With the 2016 NBA Draft just around the corner, here’s a look at the Utah Jazz’s draft selections–and who they probably should’ve chosen in hindsight–over the last 15 years.
The NBA Draft has given us its fair share of first round busts over the years, but also several second round gems. With so much in question about prospects on draft day and no specific science to measure which players will live up to their potential and which won’t, it’s no surprise that the draft can often be such a mixed bag.
Nevertheless, this doesn’t stop fans from looking back and criticizing a team’s poor draft decisions years after the fact. Of course, this is always much easier to do in hindsight. And given the nature of the draft, where so much is left up to chance, they really aren’t fair criticisms.
One can search the web analyzing mock drafts, checking out the NBA Big Board or watching player film, but the truth of the matter is that you never really know what you’re going to get until a player has a few years of NBA experience under his belt.
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Yet Utah Jazz fans have definitely been quick to bash some of the team’s poor draft choices over the years. While I don’t necessarily agree with this being a fair criticism since every team has had their share of both bad and (let’s be honest) lucky picks, it is interesting to think about who the Jazz could have ended up with had they made different selections in several drafts.
With the 2016 NBA Draft just days away, I decided to take a stroll down memory lane and look at the team’s last 15 years worth of draft picks as well as who, in hindsight, they probably should have taken each year.
Of course, it’s possible that if the Jazz had selected differently, it would have affected the order in which they selected in subsequent years, thus throwing all this crazy speculation (and perhaps the very fabric of the universe) out of wack.
However, for our purposes, we’ll be looking at the Jazz’s picks (and at what number they picked them) on a strictly hypothetical, year-by-year basis with the picks they actually had and who was still available that would have been better for them to select (and the number that they were actually selected at).
Without further ado, let’s get started.
Next: 2001
2001: Jazz select Raul Lopez (24) and Jarron Collins (53)
Overall, 2001 didn’t produce that impressive of a draft. And while it would be easy to get down on the Utah Jazz for their selection that year, fans should at least take comfort in knowing that they weren’t in the Washington Wizards’ shoes.
With the number one selection in the draft, the Wizards selected Kwame Brown whose name has become synonymous with No. 1 picks who turn out to be busts.
But that still doesn’t change the fact that selecting Raul Lopez with the 24th pick in the 2001 NBA Draft definitely did not work out very well for the Jazz. Not only did they end up having to wait two years before he could join the roster, but once he finally did join the team, he was less than impressive.
Lopez only played two years with the Jazz and put up a less than stirring 6.5 points per game as well as two turnovers per contest. (Editor’s Note: Injuries!!)
What makes this pick hurt even more is that just four picks later, the San Antonio Spurs snatched up six-time All-Star Tony Parker. At this time, John Stockton was quickly nearing the end of his career and having such a formidable point guard prospect such as Parker could have been monumental in keeping the legendary playoff history of the Jazz alive and well for years to come.
The Jazz could have also used the Lopez pick to snatch up Gilbert Arenas, who was the 31st pick. While his career came to a quick and disappointing end, there’s no telling how things could have gone differently if Arenas hadn’t been involved in the gun incident in Washington.
The three-time All-Star put up solid seasons from 2002-2010, particularly the 2005-06 season where he averaged 29.3 points and 6.1 assists per game on 44.7 percent shooting from the field and 36.9 percent from deep.
Another notable option instead of Lopez would have been Mehmet Okur, who was originally selected by the Detroit Pistons, but later became a Jazz fan favorite and consistent starter. Nevertheless, of the three, Parker would have been the best selection for the Jazz that year.
As far as the Jarron Collins pick goes, with it coming so late in the draft, there wasn’t really much beyond him either in the draft or among undrafted players that joined the league in 2001 that would have been any better for the Jazz, so no need for regrets there.
Who they should have taken: Tony Parker (28), Jarron Collins (53)
Next: 2002
2002: Jazz select Ryan Humphrey (19) and Jamal Sampson (47) but trade both players’ rights to Orlando Magic for Curtis Borchardt (18)
The 2002 NBA Draft saw Yao Ming arrive in the league as the No. 1 overall pick by the Houston Rockets. Beyond him though, this draft was relatively weak.
While a weak draft might be a letdown for fans overall, at least a weak draft makes a bad draft decision not hurt as much for Jazz fans! Like Lopez, the former Stanford center Curtis Borchardt only logged two disappointing NBA seasons with the Jazz, but there weren’t a whole lot of better options to choose from with the 18th or 19th picks.
However, the Jazz may have benefited from snatching up small forward Tayshaun Prince who was selected 23rd. Though never a top player, Prince served as a formidable role player for the Detroit Pistons for over a decade, including on the 2004 NBA Championship team.
The Jazz also could have pursued Carlos Boozer who was taken 35th or Luis Scola who was taken 56th.
While Boozer obviously joined the Jazz starting in the 2004-05 season, and neither one of these two players was especially spectacular (I told you 2002 was a weak draft), both Boozer and Scola put up solid numbers in the early part of their careers and either would have been a better option than Curtis Borchardt.
In 2007-08, Boozer’s best season with the Jazz (and not surprisingly the one where he only missed one regular season game), the power forward out of Duke put up 21.1 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.
In Scola’s best season in Houston, the forward from Argentina put up 18.3 points and 8.2 rebounds. Both of these sets of stats eclipse Borchardt’s two-year career averages of 3.1 points and 3.3 rebounds.
As far as who the Jazz should have selected, however, while Boozer and Scola may have gone on to be better players, Prince proved to be a consummate pro, and the kind of solid role player that every championship-caliber team needs.
Because of his potential fit with the Jazz, his solid defense and incredible durability, he’s the one that the Jazz should’ve taken after trading for the 18th pick.
Who they should have taken: Tayshaun Prince (23)
Next: 2003
2003: Jazz select Aleksandar Pavlovic (19) and Maurice “Mo” Williams (47)
Unlike the somewhat weak 2002 NBA Draft, 2003 was legendary, with some considering it the best ever. That’s because the 2003 NBA Draft produced the likes of LeBron James, Darko Milicic, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in the first five selections alone.
For some reason, the “One of these things is not like the other” song just started going through my head.
That’s right Jazz fans, even though I’m sure there’s a lot of you who can’t even recall the name Aleksander Pavlovic, just be glad that you aren’t forever tied with having selected Darko with the No. 2 pick ahead of Carmelo, Bosh and Wade (sorry to bring this up Detroit Pistons fans).
While the aforementioned Kwame Brown is often considered the worst No. 1 pick (although we’ll see some stiff competition a few years down the road), Milicic is considered by some to be the biggest bust ever.
Nevertheless, the Jazz definitely left some more solid talent on the board than what they got. Aleksandar (Sasha) Pavlovic actually had a better career than Utah’s previous two first round picks, playing for ten seasons with a handful of teams, but the Jazz would have been much better served grabbing Boris Diaw who was selected 21st or Leandro Barbosa who was selected 28th.
While Pavlovic was largely a low-impact player, Diaw and Barbosa have had solid careers and both play for, oh you know, only two of the best teams that the league has ever seen in the 2015-16 San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors, respectively.
Either would have been a solid choice for the Jazz. However, Diaw stands out due to the versatility that he has for his size, including his standout three-point percentage which stands at 34.2 percent for his career and was over 40 percent as recently as 2013-14.
In regards to selecting Mo Williams in the second round of the draft, this wasn’t a bad pick by any means as Williams has had a long and productive career including a second stint as a starter for the Jazz. Williams has averaged 16.2 points per game over his career, including 15 points per game during the 2012-13 season with the Jazz.
Nevertheless, the player that the Jazz likely should have gone with instead was selected 51st in the 2003 draft and would eventually join the Jazz during the 2007-08 season: Kyle Korver.
While honestly Korver’s stats don’t appear as good as Williams’ on the surface, Korver’s deadly three-point shot has made him a more valuable asset for every team he’s played on, most recently for the Atlanta Hawks, with whom he was an All-Star in 2015. Korver boasts a career three-point percentage of 42.9 percent and put up an incredible 53.6 percent in 2009-10 with the Utah Jazz.
So while selecting Williams is far from one of those picks that haunt Jazz fans in their sleep (and trust me those are coming), they would have been a little better off to select Kyle Korver.
Who they should have taken: Boris Diaw (21), Kyle Korver (51)
Next: 2004
2004: Jazz select Kris Humphries (14), Kirk Snyder (16), and Pavel Podkolzin (21) (Podkolzin’s rights traded to Dallas Mavericks for future pick)
The 2004 NBA Draft had talent scattered up and down both rounds. Unfortunately, the Jazz straight up missed it. With the fourteenth and sixteenth picks, the Jazz picked on either side of Al Jefferson, who would go on to be a much better player than either Kris Humphries or Kirk Snyder.
Yes, he joined the Jazz a few years later, but perhaps receiving his development under hard-nosed Coach Sloan could have helped patch up his defensive deficiencies early in his career.
Say what you will about Jefferson’s defense, 16.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game on nearly 50 percent shooting over a 12-year and counting NBA career speaks volumes to his skill and is significantly better than the players the Jazz took immediately before and after him.
Aside from a couple of decent years with the New Jersey Nets, about all that can be said for Humphries is that he has enjoyed a rather lengthy career, albeit an underwhelming one. Snyder on the other hand played for three teams (Utah, New York, Houston) in four years before his NBA career came to an end.
Jefferson, with his undeniably effective offense, would have been a much more solid choice than either player the Jazz nabbed.
Following the Snyder pick, a couple of standout players were selected including Tony Allen and Trevor Ariza. Ariza was a part of the 2009 NBA Championship Los Angeles Lakers and has been a formidable three-and-D player on every team he’s played for. Nevertheless, Allen likely would have been the better choice of the two.
Despite having middling offensive talent, Allen is an elite defender. He has been on the NBA All-Defensive team five times during his career and was recently referred to by Kobe Bryant as the “best defender [he] ever faced.”
Remember all those times the Jazz struggled against Kobe and the Lakers? It would have been nice to have a defender like that on the squad in place of Kirk Snyder.
Finally, since the rights to Pavel Podkolzin were traded away, we won’t consider that pick as one the Jazz had available as another selection. However, had they kept it, Trevor Ariza would have been a good choice after Jefferson and Allen.
Who they should have taken: Al Jefferson (15), Tony Allen (25)
Next: 2005
2005: Jazz select Deron Williams (3), C.J. Miles (34) and Robert Whaley (51)
In a draft where the first two players selected were Andrew Bogut and Marvin Williams, I’d say the Jazz did pretty well for themselves by selecting Deron Williams.
From the day that Williams and Chris Paul were selected back-to-back, the two were constantly compared and scrutinized. However, for the first six years they were in the league, I would have strongly argued that the Jazz made the better choice and selected the better player.
From 2007 to 2011 (prior to the trade that sent him to the Nets), Williams averaged better than 18 points and 10 assists per game in each season with the Jazz. He was the key player that led the Jazz to several playoff appearances and the first relevant point guard since John Stockton.
While Paul put up similar and, in some cases, better stats, Williams and the Jazz seemed to enjoy considerable success against Paul and the Hornets and the Jazz were more successful in the playoffs than Paul’s Hornets at the time.
Nevertheless, as both of their careers have worn on, it’s become pretty clear that Paul is the better player. While this doesn’t necessarily mean that Williams was the wrong choice at the time, over the long haul, Paul could have been a better decision, assuming he had stayed with the Jazz for longer than Williams did.
However, Williams’ overall career might have turned out differently as well had he stayed in Utah. In 2012, he even hinted at regret of leaving Utah by stating that Sloan’s system was a great fit for his style of play and that he loved Utah’s offense. There’s no telling how his career would have turned out in comparison to Paul’s had he stayed with a more fitting Jazz offense.
After Williams and Paul, another player that might have been a solid option for the Jazz is Danny Granger, who was selected 17th by the Indiana Pacers. Granger was an absolute monster early in his career, peaking in 2008-09 when he averaged 25.8 points per game and shot 40.4 percent from deep.
If Granger had been able to stay healthy, an argument could be made that he would have been the best selection with the number three pick, however looking at overall careers, due to Granger’s onslaught of injuries, Paul still would’ve been the best player the Jazz could have chosen.
In looking at Utah’s two second round picks in 2005, C.J. Miles had his moments, but never quite turned into the player that the Jazz hoped he would. They likely would have been much better served grabbing Monta Ellis, who was selected 40th. Ellis has built a reputation as an electrifying scorer and one of the most durable players in the league.
Meanwhile, Robert Whaley was taken late in the draft and it isn’t surprising that he only lasted one season. However, it does hurt a little bit knowing that with that 51st pick, the Jazz could have scooped up Marcin Gortat who was selected 57th and has gone on to have a formidable NBA career.
Who they should have taken: Chris Paul (4), Monta Ellis (40), Marcin Gortat (57)
Next: 2006
2006: Jazz select Ronnie Brewer (14), Dee Brown (46) and Paul Millsap (47)
In all honesty, the Jazz should feel pretty good about the 2006 NBA Draft, especially considering that their late-second round pick, Paul Millsap, was leaps and bounds better than four of the top five picks selected that year.
This is particularly true given that the No. 1 pick that year was Andrea Bargnani, who isn’t far from Kwame Brown as the worst No. 1 pick overall ever.
While Ronnie Brewer was a solid player for the Jazz during his short stint in Utah, he seemingly plateaued after his third season and never thrived on any other team in the league. Despite several positive qualities, Brewer was never quite the scorer the Jazz needed him to be and he posted a horrible three-point percentage of 25.4 for his career. This was unacceptable for a shooting guard/small forward of Brewer’s size.
The two players that really stand out that would have been available to the Jazz were Rajon Rondo and Kyle Lowry. While Brewer was a mediocre role player for the Jazz, Rondo was playing a key role for an elite Boston Celtics team that won the 2008 NBA Championship.
However, while Rondo’s career has certainly taken a sharp decline, Lowry remains one of the best point guards in the league and would have definitely been the best option for the Jazz at the 14th pick.
In 2015-16, Lowry put up his best season yet, averaging 21.2 points and 6.4 assists per game while shooting a career high 38.8 percent from behind the arc.
When the Jazz selected Dee Brown, there was quite a bit of excitement about his potential as a backup to the recently acquired Deron Williams. Unfortunately, it didn’t exactly pan out as Brown played just one year with the Jazz as part of a short, three-year career.
The best pick available after Brown was undoubtedly the one that the Jazz snatched up next, Paul Millsap.
While we’ve certainly seen some disappointing Jazz picks thus far, the Millsap pick is evidence of just how hard predicting the draft can be. Despite being selected 47th, Millsap was easily one of the five best players to come out of the 2006 draft and Utah definitely made the right choice by selecting him.
Despite putting up mediocre stats in his first years in Utah (largely due to coming off the bench behind Boozer), Millsap exploded in 2010-11 as Utah’s full-time starter at power forward, logging 17.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game on 53.1 percent shooting.
Millsap has continued to improve as a member of the Atlanta Hawks, earning three straight All-Star appearances from 2013 to 2016.
Assuming in this hypothetical analysis of what “could have been” that the Jazz had instead opted to pass on Dee Brown and take Millsap with the 46th pick, the remaining players drafted weren’t all that much more promising than Brown.
However, in 2006 current NBA player C.J. Watson, who has served as a reliable role player on a number of teams, would have been a solid option compared to the other players available. Given that Watson is still in the league and put up decent numbers of 10 points per game and 40 percent three-point shooting as recently as 2014-15, he would’ve been a much better selection than Brown with the Jazz’s final draft pick.
Who they should have taken: Kyle Lowry (24), Paul Millsap (47), C.J. Watson (Undrafted)
Next: 2007
2007: Jazz select Morris Almond (25) and Herbert Hill (55) (Hill’s rights traded to Philadelphia 76ers for Kyrylo Fesenko (38))
The 2007 NBA Draft is known more than anything for the Portland Trail Blazers’ infamous selection of Greg Oden over Kevin Durant. While many argued that Oden was the right pick at the time, his injury-riddled career made it abundantly clear that the Seattle SuperSonics undoubtedly came out on top as Durant fell to them with the second pick.
The first 24 picks featured a number of solid NBA players such as Al Horford, Mike Conley and Joakim Noah, but when it came to be the Jazz’s turn to pick they selected Morris Almond out of Rice University.
Once again, there were high hopes for the shooting guard who had been a prolific scorer in college. Nevertheless, Almond’s career was very short-lived as he posted just two unimpressive years with the Jazz. He later appeared in four games for the Washington Wizards two years later during the 2011-12 campaign.
What makes the Almond pick hurt isn’t just the fact that, once again, the Jazz drafted a player whose career fizzled out a couple of years later, but that the next three picks in a row all turned out to be solid players.
Picks 26 through 28 were Aaron Brooks, Arron Afflalo and Tiago Splitter, all of which have turned out to be contributing rotation players on their respective teams. Of the three, Afflalo is likely the top option having posted the best stats and being the most versatile as a three-and-D player.
The real prize that could’ve gone to Utah in the 2007 draft, however, wasn’t selected until late in the second round. While it would have been quite a risk at the time, the Jazz probably wish they had used their 25th pick, or even the 38th pick that they traded up for, on Marc Gasol, who wasn’t taken until 48th in the draft.
Marc Gasol has turned into one of the top centers in the league on both ends of the floor. In 2014-15, Gasol put up his best season yet, appearing in 81 games while logging 17.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
Gasol certainly would have been a better selection in hindsight than Almond or truly any other player after him.
Had the Jazz somehow known how good Gasol was going to be, but that he would also still be available so late in the draft, drafting Afflalo with the 25th selection then trading up to nab Gasol with the 38th pick instead of Kyrylo Fesenko, who also had a short and underwhelming NBA career (2008-2012), would have been by far the optimal result.
Who they should have taken: Arron Afflalo (27), Marc Gasol (48)
Next: 2008
2008: Jazz select Kosta Koufos (23), Ante Tomic (44), and Tadija Dragicevic (53)
If the Jazz were going for improving the level of difficulty of pronouncing the names on their roster, then they hit the jackpot in the 2008 NBA Draft. If they were actually trying to improve at basketball, then they fell a little short to say the least.
The selection of Kosta Koufos wasn’t met with much fanfare or excitement and for good reason. Koufos, while better than some recently mentioned Jazz picks as a player that is still in the league, was overwhelmingly a disappointment.
He played just two years in Utah, averaging 4.7 points as a rookie and just 1.5 in year two, and has never averaged more than eight points per game for his career.
Remember how I said that some Jazz draft picks would likely haunt you in your sleep? This could very well be one of them, because the worst part about the Koufos pick–aside from him not panning out–is that there were multiple top-tier and upper mid-tier players available, including three drafted immediately after him.
Namely Serge Ibaka, Nicolas Batum and George Hill. Also, later in the draft at number 35, the Los Angeles Clippers picked up DeAndre Jordan.
While none of these four players have ever made the All-Star team, all of them are solid players who have played key roles on playoff teams. Each displays unique skill sets that could have been useful for the Jazz (especially when compared to what Koufos brought to the table).
Ultimately, Ibaka is the top player that the Jazz should have taken at 23. His size, versatility and most notably shot blocking ability (he averages 2.5 blocks per game for his career) set him apart as what could have been an elite selection for Utah.
In regards to Ante Tomic and Tadija Dragicevic, the fact that neither player logged a single game in an NBA uniform is pretty good evidence that the Jazz could have done better.
From 2004 to 2007, teams seemed to have success picking right after the Jazz on many occasions and that continued in both the first and second round of ’08 as the player selected immediately after Tomic was Goran Dragic.
As a member of the Phoenix Suns, Dragic won the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award during the 2013-14 season where he posted averages of 20.3 points and 5.9 assists, while shooting 40.8 percent from deep and 50.1 percent from the field–a very impressive figure for a guard.
Dragic is one of the best guards in the league to not have an All-Star appearance and would have been a solid addition over Tomic.
While none of the players on the board after Dragicevic were very prominent, there were a handful of undrafted players who have cashed in somewhat successful NBA careers, one of these being Timofey Mozgov. Mozgov had a solid year last season as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers and has proven he can make an impact in the league, at least more of an impact than the Jazz’s Dragicevic ever did.
Who they should have taken: Serge Ibaka (27), Goran Dragic (45), Timofey Mozgov (Undrafted)
Next: 2009
2009: Jazz select Eric Maynor (20) and Goran Suton (50)
While a lot of these nostalgic draft analyses are probably making Jazz fans feel pretty bad about themselves (and as much as I hate to say it, 2009 is no exception), hopefully the Minnesota Timberwolves blunder in the 2009 NBA Draft will help make you all feel a little better.
With the fifth and sixth picks in the draft, Minnesota selected Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn. Who went 7th you ask? Oh just a player you might have heard of who goes by the name of Stephen Curry. Yeah. Ouch.
Unfortunately, it was also bad news once again for the Jazz, who selected another lengthy career guy (actually it was really short) in Eric Maynor.
Following in the footsteps of so many Jazz first round picks before him, Maynor played in just 26 games with the Jazz before bouncing around a handful of other teams and exiting the league following the 2013-14 season.
Solid selections after Maynor in the first round include Darren Collison (who, due to recent domestic violence charges, probably wouldn’t have been the best fit after all), Taj Gibson, DeMarre Carroll and Danny Green. While none of these players are overly impressive, again each would have likely been a better selection than Maynor.
Carroll made a name for himself with his energy and hustle in Utah before breaking out with the Atlanta Hawks. Danny Green has become a deadeye shooter from deep for the San Antonio Spurs. While both would have been a solid choice for the Jazz, I’m going to go with DeMarre Carroll.
Green may have better career numbers, but Carroll’s efficiency climbed with increased minutes and his defensive abilities are clearly superior. Although Green may be reputed as the better three-point shooter, last year Carroll shot 39 percent, while Green converted on just 33.2 percent, significantly down from his career average.
While Suton never saw action as an NBA player, five picks later, the now prolific three-point shooter and ideal role player, Patty Mills, was selected. Mills has been a huge, if understated, part of the San Antonio Spurs’ recent success, including their championship in 2014.
An impact player such as Mills would have been much more useful than a player who was cut in the preseason.
Who they should have taken: DeMarre Carroll (27), Patty Mills (55)
Next: 2010
2010: Jazz select Gordon Hayward (9) and Jeremy Evans (55)
Since 2010, the Jazz still haven’t done perfect in the draft, but they have done much better overall. With the ninth overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft, the Utah Jazz went with Butler sensation Gordon Hayward.
Hayward had just come off his halfcourt near buzzer-beater in the 2010 NCAA Championship that, had it gone in, would have been one of the most unlikely Cinderella stories of all time. So there was plenty of hype surrounding him at the time.
Nevertheless, there were a lot of mixed emotions when the Jazz selected Hayward–just as there continues to be.
Say what you will about Hayward, there is still no denying that he has been an exceptional part of the Jazz’s post-Sloan rebuilding era. The six-foot-eight forward has shouldered an immense load for a young Jazz team and has flirted with a 20-5-5 stat line over his past two seasons.
Last season, Hayward finished with averages of 19.7 points, five rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He continues to be the Jazz’s leader and, while there’s certainly still room for improvement, by no means has Hayward been a bad pick.
The only pill that’s hard to swallow with the Hayward pick is who happened to be (once again) chosen immediately after the Jazz’s selection: Paul George. Due to the fact that these two players came from relatively small colleges (Butler and Fresno State) and that they were selected back to back in the draft, it stands to reason that these two would be oft compared to one another.
In many ways these two players have similar stat lines. Still, there’s no denying that Paul George has been the better of the two. Part of the reason George has received more praise than Hayward obviously has to do with his postseason performances, which is something Hayward really hasn’t had the opportunity to show.
However, this is partly due to the fact that George was fortunate enough to begin his career on a team that was and has been more talented.
Along with winning the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award in 2013, George is a three-time All-Star, which is even more impressive given the gruesome leg injury that he suffered following the 2014 season. There’s no telling how different his game would look had he not gone through that enormous setback.
But even following the injury, George had an impressive comeback season in 2015-16, where he put up a career high in points (23.1) while also shooting 37.1 percent from deep and logging seven rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.
George was even more deadly in this year’s playoffs, where he averaged 27.3 points per game on 45.5 percent field goal shooting and a scorching 41.9 percent from deep. While there may be similarities in numbers, what mainly separates George and Hayward is George’s superstar-like ability to take over games, come up with big plays in the clutch and will his team to victory.
Meanwhile, Jeremy Evans was a fan favorite and the winner of the 2012 NBA Dunk Contest, but his impact on the court wasn’t nearly as impressive; he’s averaging just 3.5 points and 2.6 rebounds for his career in obviously limited minutes. At number 55, Evans was by no means a bad pick, but there were undrafted players who are now making names for themselves on NBA rosters.
One in particular that would have been advantageous for the Jazz to pick up that year would have been Jeremy Lin. While certainly not as solid a player as the Houston Rockets thought they were getting when signing Lin away from New York, there’s no doubting Lin’s NBA-worthy abilities.
Linsanity in Salt Lake City likely would have drawn in more excitement league wide than Evans’ dunk contest victory and definitely would have been more beneficial on the court.
Who they should have taken: Paul George (10), Jeremy Lin (Undrafted)
Next: 2011
2011: Jazz select Enes Kanter (3) and Alec Burks (12)
Although the 2011 NBA Draft wasn’t an outright failure for the Jazz, it still goes down as one of those “haunt you in your sleep” type drafts due largely to the players who were available following their selection.
The next pick after Kanter was Tristan Thompson, who has been an absolute beast for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the last two postseasons and has been extremely durable as he currently leads the league in consecutive games played.
Other key players taken between Kanter and Burks include Jonas Valanciunas, 2016 Playoffs breakout Bismack Biyombo, Kemba Walker and the one the Jazz have to wish they would have snagged, Klay Thompson.
While Stephen Curry has received a large portion of the praise for the Golden State Warriors’ success, he owes a lot of that to his partner-in-crime, the second Splash Brother, Klay Thompson.
Aside from being a lights out shooter (45 percent from the field and 42 percent from deep for his career), Thompson is also an exceptional defender, making him one of the league’s best two-way players.
Not only is Thompson an impressive player, but obviously Kanter’s short stint with the Jazz was one of total disappointment. While there’s no telling how Thompson would’ve fit on the team, it’s hard to see anyone being more disgruntled and anxious to part ways with the team than Kanter was.
The fact that Kanter eventually had no desire to play for the Jazz and was traded away for next to nothing is what makes this draft choice hurt even more.
The jury is still very much out on the Alec Burks pick. While Burks has shown some brilliant flashes and put up some decent numbers during his time as a Jazzman, injuries have largely kept him from becoming the elite player the Jazz hoped he could become.
We shouldn’t sleep on a player that Dwyane Wade once referred to as the league’s most underrated player, but there is a clear choice of who the Jazz should have taken instead: Kawhi Leonard.
At least the Utah Jazz don’t have to feel as bad as the Indiana Pacers, who actually drafted Kawhi Leonard before trading him to the San Antonio Spurs for George Hill. That one certainly hurts.
Then again, knowing that the Jazz could have utilized their 12th pick for a player who would go on to become back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year and NBA Finals MVP certainly is a bit painful as well.
Burks could very well still turn out to be an incredible addition for the Jazz, but his career up to this point surely can’t match up with Leonard’s elite defense and All-Star quality offense. This past season, Leonard averaged 21.2 points per game on an insanely efficient 50.6 percent from the field and 44.3 percent from behind the arc.
Following Leonard, the 2011 NBA Draft produced a number of solid players such as Nikola Vucevic, Tobias Harris, Jimmy Butler, and the final pick of the draft Isaiah Thomas. Nevertheless, none of these can compare to the player that Kawhi Leonard has become.
Who they should have taken: Klay Thompson (11), Kawhi Leonard (15)
Next: 2012
2012: Jazz select Kevin Murphy (47)
In the lockout shortened 2011-2012 season, the Golden State Warriors subtly (or not so subtly–some might call it shameless) looked to tank the season away, trading away Monta Ellis and shutting down Stephen Curry and David Lee to finish the year 5-22, with the seventh worst record in the league.
What does this have to do with the Jazz? Well the Warriors’ first round pick belonged to the Jazz, but was “top-seven protected,” meaning the Jazz would’ve gotten the pick had the Warriors finished with the eighth worst record or better. Alas, fate was not kind to the Jazz as they missed out on a draft pick that turned into Harrison Barnes for the Warriors.
There is speculation that the Jazz could have utilized the lottery pick to make a run at Damian Lillard, or that it also could have turned into the likes of Andre Drummond or Draymond Green, both of which were drafted after Barnes. But we won’t dwell on what could have been if the Warriors had actually decided to compete in 2012. Instead, we’ll focus on how the Jazz could have utilized their 47th pick.
With no first round pick, the Jazz came out of the 2012 NBA Draft with Kevin Murphy. Murphy played just one season in the NBA and had hardly any impact at all. While no players selected after Kevin Murphy really stand out, Old Dominion’s Kent Bazemore joined the league in 2012 after going undrafted and very well should have been the Jazz’s second round pick.
After flying very much under the radar, Bazemore has turned into a starting-caliber player who had a solid season for the Atlanta Hawks this past year. He’ll be a coveted free agent target this offseason.
What Bazemore lacks in natural ability, he makes up for in energy, hustle and basketball intelligence. Despite perceived faults, he certainly has had a better career and still has much greater upside than Kevin Murphy had.
Who they should have taken: Kent Bazemore (Undrafted)
Next: 2013
2013: Jazz select Shabazz Muhammed (14) and Gorgui Dieng (21) but trade both players’ rights to Minnesota Timberwolves for Trey Burke (9), Jazz select Erick Green (46) but trade rights to Denver Nuggets for Rudy Gobert (27)
Dennis Lindsey really began to work his magic in the 2013 NBA Draft. We could go into how the Jazz might actually regret giving up two picks for Trey Burke, but instead we’ll focus on who they might have selected instead after trading up for the ninth and 27th picks.
Before getting too upset about the Burke selection, just remember that this was the year that the Cavaliers selected Anthony Bennett with the first pick in the draft. Kwame Brown and Andrea Bargnani proudly welcome you to the club, Mr. Bennett.
Continuing in cruel Jazz fashion, the pick immediately following the ninth pick turned into the NBA’s reigning Most Improved Player, C.J. McCollum. Cashing in on their second under-the-radar pick in as many years, the Portland Trail Blazers unknowingly landed a stud in the guard out of Lehigh.
Last season, McCollum averaged 20.8 points per game on 44.8 percent shooting from the field and 41.7 percent from deep. Meanwhile, Burke found himself out of the rotation by the end of the campaign.
Other notable players that the Jazz could have considered with the ninth pick include Steven Adams, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dennis Schroeder and Andre Roberson. While Antetokounmpo has the freaky athleticism and skill set to perhaps be the best of this pack, McCollum’s recent performance still makes him stand out as the best choice with the ninth pick.
Fortunately, similar to the Jazz’s selection of Paul Millsap in 2006, the Jazz hit the jackpot with their trade to claim Rudy Gobert with the 27th pick. While Gobert certainly still has room for improvement, most notably on the offensive end, his stifling defensive abilities clearly set him apart from any player taken after him.
Jazz fans should be pleased that the likely disappointing Burke pick was balanced out by grabbing the up and coming Gobert.
Who they should have taken: C.J. McCollum (10), Rudy Gobert (27)
Next: 2014
2014: Jazz select Dante Exum (5) and Rodney Hood (22)
With the players selected in the 2014 NBA Draft still quite young in their NBA careers, it’s hard in many cases to detect who will be the rising stars and who will be the busts. Nevertheless, from what we’ve seen so far, it appears that the Jazz did very well in this draft.
Dante Exum had a lot of hype surrounding him prior to the draft and was projected to be selected as high as third overall by several experts based solely on his overwhelming potential. When both the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic passed on Exum, the Jazz practically had no choice but to take the risk on a player with supposed superstar potential.
While Exum’s future became even more clouded after missing the entirety of the 2015-16 season due to a torn ACL, the 20-year-old guard from Australia could very well turn out to be worthy of the fifth overall selection and bloom into the prolific star that the Jazz hope he can become.
He showed moments of greatness in his rookie season, particularly on defense, as he took over Trey Burke’s starting spot and helped push the Jazz to an incredible close to the 2014-15 season.
A few players selected after Exum stand out as potentially becoming better players such as Elfrid Payton, Doug McDermott, and Zach LaVine, but with all of them just wrapping up their second year in the league, it’s hard to produce a definite verdict on their eventual status in the league.
As for Hood, he appears to be an early favorite for the steal of the 2014 NBA Draft. Not only has he clearly been better than any player selected after him, but he has arguably been one of the top five players in his draft class so far.
In his second season with the Jazz, he averaged 14.5 points per game on 35.9 percent shooting from deep. He has quickly become one of the Jazz’s most reliable shooting and scoring options.
So while it’s still difficult to pass judgement on whether the Jazz made the right choice with Exum and Hood or if they should have gone after someone else, with positive signs and so much potential ahead of them, it appears that Utah very well could have made the best possible choices in the 2014 NBA Draft.
Who they should have taken: Dante Exum (5), Rodney Hood (22)
Next: 2015
2015: Jazz select Trey Lyles (12), Olivier Hanlan (42), and Daniel Diez (54)
If it’s hard to judge the quality of picks in 2014, the most recent draft class is even harder to rate. Several rookies had solid seasons, but it will obviously take a few years to determine who were the best picks.
So far, particularly in the latter part of the ’15-16 season, Lyles has looked like a good pick-up. With several injuries to Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert, Lyles had an opportunity to show his mettle. He responded by averaging 8.6 points per game on 45.7 percent shooting from the field in games following the All-Star break.
Lyles also shot a respectable 38.3 percent from behind the arc on the year, a formidable mark for a rookie power forward.
There are a handful of other rookies selected after Lyles who logged significant minutes on their respective teams, but it’s still hard to say whether they will end up being better than the Jazz’s selection. This includes Devin Booker, who many believed the Jazz would select (let’s hope the curse of the player selected after Utah’s becoming more of a stud doesn’t continue), Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Larry Nance Jr.
In the second round, neither Olivier Hanlan nor Daniel Diez made the team’s final roster this season. While it’s hard to say what players they should have taken otherwise, one player who stands out that might have been a potential option is the Indiana Pacers’ Joseph Young (who consequently was taken immediately after Hanlan).
While Young didn’t log a lot of minutes in his rookie season, he took advantage of his opportunities, including three double figure showings in the month of January.
For what it’s worth, Young was also voted the “biggest steal of the draft” by his draft class peers. Time will tell whether Young would have been a wise pick for the Jazz. The Toronto Raptors’ Norman Powell is another player who played relatively well in the 2016 NBA Playoffs and could potentially be a steal himself.
As far as the Diez pick, the 2015 NBA Draft is still so recent that no player picked after him or that went undrafted has proven to be overlooked by the Jazz, so there’s no way of telling whether the Jazz could have gotten more worth out of their 54th pick or not.
Who they should have taken: Trey Lyles (12), Joseph Young (43)
Next: 2016
2016: Thursday, June 23, 2016
The Utah Jazz once again have the 12th pick in the upcoming 2016 NBA Draft as well as the 42nd, 52nd and 60th.
Several mock drafts have tried to predict who the Jazz will take or whether they’ll keep the pick at all. Prospects include the likes of Timothe Luwawu, Denzel Valentine, Furkan Korkmaz, and Deyonta Davis. As far as who they might select in the second round be sure to check out my list of solid under the radar prospects.
To conclude, it’s pretty obvious that, for the most part, the Utah Jazz have had a rough go at the NBA Draft over the past 15 years. Several players have had short careers or simply haven’t been a good fit on the team.
However, the last five years have begun to produce more promising prospects. As the Jazz look to finally turn the corner and break their way into the playoffs, their decisions surrounding the 2016 NBA Draft will be key for their improvement moving forward.
Next: Best Prospects From Utah Jazz Pre-Draft Workouts
So there you have it, fifteen years worth of Utah Jazz draft picks and a sense of just how different the team could have been.
While I don’t think it’s fair to criticize a team or its management on something as difficult to predict as the quality of draft selections, it’s still fun to look back and speculate on what kind of team the Jazz could have had.
All stats courtesy of NBA.com and basketball-reference.com