Intriguing Utah Jazz draft prospect Troy Brown Jr. out of Oregon may not be available when the Jazz select at No. 21 in the 2018 NBA Draft.
The Utah Jazz will have no shortage of solid options when they select at No. 21 in the 2018 NBA Draft. In fact, perhaps the fact that their selection comes a little later in the draft order will turn out to be a blessing in disguise as it might help narrow down their expansive options.
Several mock drafts have the Jazz taking a variety of different players at different positions, and if you’ve kept up with their pre-draft workouts, you know that there have clearly been a number of prospects that the organization is excited about. This draft appears to be a very deep one with plenty of difference-makers set to be available in the late first and early second round.
If all goes well, the Jazz could very well find themselves nabbing a diamond in the rough type player who can make an impact right away, a la Donovan Mitchell or Los Angeles Lakers rookie standout Kyle Kuzma.
However, if recent reports are to be believed, one prospect that the Jazz were enamored with as a potential target at No. 21 may very well end up being nabbed prior to Utah’s first-round selection. That particular player is Troy Brown Jr. out of Oregon.
Recent chatter around the league indicates that Brown had an extremely impressive workout with the LA Clippers, who will be selecting at both No. 12 and No. 13. If they liked what they saw that much, it may be hard for them to pass up such a promising young talent with an enormous amount of upside, especially since they have two picks in the lottery. One could be used for Brown while another could be used on more of a safe, “sure thing” kind of player.
Hearing Troy Brown had a very good workout with the Los Angeles Clippers today...went against Zhaire Smith
— Eric Walden (@tribjazz) June 5, 2018
Brown’s next workout is set to be with the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, who have the No. 14 overall pick. If they like what they see as well and the Clippers pass him up, that’s yet another team that could nab him before the Jazz. Then again, if the Jazz really wanted him and he was available when Denver was about to select, I’m sure they could work out a trade with them once again to land him!
All jokes aside, though, if Brown is performing as well as it seems, it may be hard for the Jazz to land him at No. 21. In his pre-draft workout in SLC, Brown showcased his versatility and Utah’s VP of Player Personnel Walt Perrin praised his solid ball-handling, quick decision making and ability to guard multiple positions.
The concerning aspect about him is his shooting, which is something he’ll definitely need to work on to be an impact player in the NBA. However, all the other tools that the Jazz would want in a switchable, athletic and defensive-minded player are there, so if they’re willing to develop him – which they’ve been exceptional at – he may grow into being an ideal fit. After all, he is just 18 years old. To see a young player already have so many promising skills at that age is certainly a good sign.
In his lone year at Oregon, Brown put up 11.3 points per game, but shot just 29.1 percent from deep, adding further evidence to his shooting woes. He’s a bona fide athlete though that has some versatile offensive weapons to go along with his potential for defensive prowess. Following his workout with the Jazz, he had the following to say to describe his game–
"“I just wanted to show that I’m more of a playmaker and that I can score the ball and shoot the ball. I wanted to show that I can play the game the right way. I want to be able to do everything on the floor. I want to be a two-way player. Just being versatile is important to me.”"
There’s certainly a lot to like about Brown, which he has apparently already showcased to the Jazz and other teams. If he continues to perform well in pre-draft workouts, particularly for teams that select ahead of the Jazz, there’s a good chance he will no longer be available once Utah selects.
I pick Brown because the Jazz are picking no. 21 and have a chance to be a 50-plus win team next season with or without a draft pick. Brown is 18 and has a ton of upside. he's boom-bust, but Utah's developmental program is one of the best in the league https://t.co/nxngl5ZKl9
— Eric Walden (@tribjazz) June 4, 2018
Even if he is available, there’s no guarantee that the Jazz take him. While I get the sense that they like him as a prospect and may very well feel that they have enough talent on the roster already that they could take time to develop him, I could also see the Jazz aiming to add a more established player that can immediately make the team better from Day 1.
But on the other hand, Brown could very well blossom into a star talent, especially in their development program, which could make for an extremely tough decision. The good news about all this, though, is that while certain intriguing prospects, including possibly Brown himself, may be off the board before Utah picks, there are so many good late first-round options that you can almost guarantee the Jazz will wind up with an exciting pick.
Next: Grayson Allen impresses in Utah Jazz pre-draft workout
We don’t have to wait much longer to see what pans out as the 2018 NBA Draft will be held on June 21 beginning at 5:00 PM MT.