Clearly, the Jazz have generally done pretty well for themselves in the second round of the draft. In addition to the players I’ve already mentioned, you could also point to Jeremy Evans, CJ Miles, Jarron Collins, and Shandon Anderson as second-rounders whose careers wildly exceeded their draft position over the last two decades.
That said, none of them have enjoyed the level of success that Paul Millsap has attained.
Although he led the NCAA in rebounds per game for three straight seasons at Louisiana Tech, Millsap’s measurables didn’t set the world on fire when he entered the draft in ’06. So he fell to the Jazz at No. 47. All he’s done since then is prove the doubters wrong.
Millsap was a fan favorite in Utah thanks to his blue-collar style, a knack for cleaning the glass, and some hard-nosed defense. In seven seasons with the Jazz, he averaged 12 points, seven boards, one block, and one steal per game. If Carlos Boozer hadn’t been on the team for a large chunk of his run, he may have been represented by his squad in the All-Star Game.
The versatile big man did just that when he finally joined the Atlanta Hawks, picking up four All-Star nods and making the All-Defensive second team in 2016.
He’ll always be remembered by Jazz fans for 2010’s “Miracle in Miami” when he led the team to an unlikely overtime win over LeBron James and the Miami Heat. ‘Sap scored 46 points in the contest, hitting timely shots to secure the 116-114 victory. It remains one of the more memorable performances in Jazz history.
Next: No. 9