Utah Jazz: Will Jazz bypass immediate support for youth?

The Utah Jazz have a dilemma on the eve of the NBA Draft. Do they target a prospect better suited to help immediately or do they go after upside?

Provided they keep their pick at No. 21 in Thursday’s NBA Draft, the Utah Jazz will be faced with an age-old dilemma. Should they target an older prospect who is better suited to help immediately? Or, is youth and higher upside down the road the way to go?

Obviously you are hoping to get both, but in the early stages of the draft, this is an easy question. Youth. You target youth. In today’s NBA, rarely do you find four-year seniors within the lottery. Currently, Mikal Bridges is the only projected lottery pick who stayed through his senior year of college.

Once you get through the lottery and enter the last stages of the draft, though, it becomes a more interesting.

Teams selecting 16-30 have the difficult decision of choosing youth and upside over immediate help. Typically, teams selecting in that range are playoff teams, so the thought of developing a player over the course of a few years may not be appealing.

For a freshman to have fallen to this point in the draft, it also means there are some glaring weaknesses that they may need to overcome. They are high risk, with a potential high reward.

We're taking a wisdom of crowds approach to our predictions in an effort to see where the #UtahJazz and the rest of the league might go in the #NBADraft. Here's our 2018 composite mock draft and background on all the prospects! Via @RoundballRuckus https://t.co/RiDK0qewRM
— The J-Notes (@TheJNotes) June 20, 2018

More established players in this range can often be very good, NBA-ready players. They have the ability to be better than earlier picks in the draft from day one, but they don’t have the ceiling that some of the earlier, younger picks have.

Recently, players like Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart and Malcolm Brogdon come to mind. Four-year seniors who were able to step in and make an immediate impact on their teams.

This is the decision that the Jazz will have to make when their number is called on draft night. As a playoff team, do they want to select a prospect who is clearly ready to contribute now, or do they draft for youth and upside in the future?

In a recent mock draft prepared by KSL Jazz beat writer Andy Larsen some interesting insight on the thought process of the Jazz was provided —

"They’ve been tied to Grayson Allen, and by all accounts, his workout in Utah was great. So was that of Keita Bates-Diop before he struggled with back spasms. But I’d be surprised to see either of those players drafted by Utah, as they’re the oldest players in the first round, and the Jazz have repeatedly told me that they’re looking for the best player a few years from now, not one that will be able to help right away. That approach just makes more sense than taking a four-year senior, too."

This is one of the hardest drafts to nail down in recent memory. With players in the 16-40 range being shuffled around endlessly in varying mock drafts. With the No. 21 pick, the Jazz are right in the thick of these, and there doesn’t appear to be one consensus favorite.

That being said, some names have appeared to have risen to the top of their draft board. During an interview with ESPN draft expert Jonathon Givony, he gave his projected top four on Utah’s draft board.

I asked Givony who he thinks the Jazz will draft tomorrow. He said he thinks Huerter and DiVincenzo will be gone by No. 21, so says to look out for either Grayson Allen or Elie Okobo.
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) June 20, 2018

Based on the tweet above, it would appear that the top four players for the Utah Jazz are Kevin Huerter, Donte DiVincenzo, and then Grayson Allen or Elie Okobo close behind.

There have been many other names linked to the Utah Jazz, both old and young. Among the older, Aaron Holiday (21.7), Keita Bates-Diop (22.4), Khyri Thomas (22.1), Grayson Allen (22.7), and Donte DiVincenzo (21.4). Obviously, 21 and 22 years old isn’t exactly ancient, but in the NBA, every day of development matters, and while these players may be more ready to contribute now, the Jazz may see their upside as limited.

Some of the younger players to keep an eye on are: Kevin Huerter (19.8), Troy Brown Jr. (18.8), Elie Okopo (20.7), Dzanan Musa (19.1) and Josh Okogie (19.8)

Little less than 24 hours away from the draft, these are the four players I hear linked to the Jazz most consistently.

Which one do you want to see Jazz Nation?
— John Keeffer (@john_keeffer) June 21, 2018

This draft has the potential to be one of the most exciting in recent memory. Throughout the entirety of the first round there figures to be twists, turns and surprises.

And trades!

With many teams strapped for cash this offseason, trades are going to be the primary way of revamping ones roster. Already there have been multiple reports of teams looking to trade their lottery pick in the first round.

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As broken down by our very own Jared Woodcox, the Utah Jazz may very well be one of the teams who look to trade up and nab someone they like. It’s important to remember that GM Dennis Lindsey and the Jazz have a history of draft night trades (special shoutout to the Denver Nuggets!).

If Andy Larsen’s inside information is correct, though, don’t be surprised if the Jazz go after a younger player with a higher upside. Whether that is through trading up or staying put at 21, the Jazz are going to target the player they believe has the highest ceiling.

If that happens to be one of the older players who can contribute right away, great. However, I expect the Jazz to target one of the younger prospects with a higher ceiling. Even if they might take a few years to reach that potential.