The J-Notes
Fansided

Four players the Utah Jazz could draft with the 23rd pick

By Josh Padmore

CHICAGO, IL - MAY 14: Dylan Windler poses for a portrait at the 2019 NBA Draft Combine on May 14, 2019 at the Chicago Hilton in Chicago, Illinois. Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - MAY 14: Dylan Windler poses for a portrait at the 2019 NBA Draft Combine on May 14, 2019 at the Chicago Hilton in Chicago, Illinois. Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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KZ Okpala Stanford
PALO ALTO, CA – FEBRUARY 13: KZ Okpala #0 of the Stanford Cardinal after their game against the USC Trojans at Maples Pavilion on February 13, 2019 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Cody Glenn/Getty Images) /

KZ Okpala

KZ Okpala, a Sophomore from Stanford, has already had a pre-draft workout with the Utah Jazz. Unlike Johnson, Okpala will enter the NBA needing to add a lot of muscle. He will also enter the NBA without a reliable three-point shot.

Okpala didn’t shoot it bad from distance as a Sophomore (37 percent), but he’s definitely going to need to work at shooting it better from the further-out NBA t3-point line. During his Freshman year, Okpala barely shot over 20-percent on threes.

He has improved his shot drastically since his Freshman year, obviously. He can, and will, continue to work on it and I’m sure soon enough he’ll be comfortable shooting NBA 3-pointers regularly.

Aside from his lack of strength and questionable 3-point shot, Okpala is an extremely intriguing prospect. He’s 6-foot-9, tall enough to shoot over quite a lot of small forwards in today’s NBA. His size also gives him a chance to play a lot of small-ball power forward.

Okpala can handle the ball and defend at a high level. I see star potential in this kid, for sure. His draft stock has been up-and-down. He’s expected to be selected outside of the lottery. The Jazz will have to do some wishing if they want him to fall to 23, but it’s possible. I think Okpala would be a great fit and would have a bright future with the Jazz.

NBADraft.net compares Okpala to former Jazzman Rodney Hood, which I can see. NBC Sports compares him to former Utah Ute, Kyle Kuzma. I’m not saying he’s going to be the next Paul George, but George and Okpala have a lot of similarities as players just coming out of college. That’s what I’ll say as far as a comparison.