The Utah Jazz currently own the 21st overall pick in the upcoming 2018 NBA Draft and may look to select stat-stuffing wing Chandler Hutchison.
The offseason is nearing its most exciting point for many basketball fans – the 2018 NBA Draft. And although the Utah Jazz don’t own a lottery pick, there is plenty of NBA talent towards the back end of the first round. Perhaps none have a more impressive résumé than Boise State product Chandler Hutchison.
Hutchison, a 6’7″ small forward with a 7’1″ wingspan, averaged 20 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists on 48 percent from the field and 36 percent from deep in his third year as a Bronco.
Chandler Hutchison has withdrawn from the NBA Combine and canceled all workouts after receiving assurances he's found a "safe landing spot." It appears that he has secured a promise from a team drafting in the 20-30 range. Hutchison is currently slated #24 on the ESPN mock draft
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 16, 2018
The big story on Hutchison leading up to the draft has been that he pulled out of all team workouts and the draft combine after reportedly receiving a promise from a team selecting in the 20’s, believed to be either Chicago (selecting 22nd) or Portland (drafting 24th).
However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the Jazz won’t draft him if they believe he’s the best player available with the 21st pick. Even without seeing him workout, Hutchison showed plenty of NBA potential in his last college season.
Hutchison’s size and skill set fill a need for the Jazz. He’s currently best suited to playing at small forward because of his thin build. But it’s not outlandish to assume that Hutchison becomes a small-ball power forward at some stage in his career given his superior length and rebounding ability.
As far as late first-rounders go, Hutchison is NBA ready. In the right system, I have little doubt that he can come off the bench and contribute on opening night.
More from Draft
- Grading the Utah Jazz final selection Brice Sensabaugh
- Grading risky decision for Jazz to draft Keyonte George
- NBA Draft: Utah Jazz first round mock draft
- Utah Jazz all-time draft bust starting 5
- Newest CBS Sports’ NBA mock has the Utah Jazz fumbling 2023 draft
His shooting percentages weren’t at the level some scouts may have hoped and he was a little turnover prone last season. I’m not as worried about these perceived weaknesses as most people because he had to shoulder such a tremendous load for the Broncos. That is going to be the major adjustment for Hutchison at the NBA level – learning how to be effective without the ball in his hands .
His impressive physical attributes give every indication that he’ll be a terrific transition player, and his ball handling and rim finishing will allow him to survive offensively in a half court set if his jump shot doesn’t pan out.
On the defensive end, Hutchison has good instincts and reads the passing lanes well. He covers a lot of ground tagging defenders and helping off the three-point line. His physical strength is his biggest weakness defensively, as he seems to give up post position too easily and gets rocked by a lot of screens.
If the Utah Jazz were to draft Hutchison, his role would presumably be to come off the bench and give some offensive relief to Donovan Mitchell, Ricky Rubio and Dante Exum by giving them another pick-and-roll option.
Next: Utah Jazz 2018 NBA Draft Profile: UCLA's Aaron Holiday
This is by no means Hutchison’s ceiling, however. If he packs some more muscle on and irons out his catch and shoot game to the point where he’s a reliable knock-down shooter, he instantly becomes a steal for a non-lottery pick. With the help of the Jazz’s development staff, Hutchison has the potential to be an NBA starter, which is why he’s definitely worth considering with the 21st pick.
Statistics courtesy of Sports Reference.