The Utah Jazz walked away from the 2019 NBA Draft with three new players. Justin Wright-Foreman, out of Hofstra, might be the most important one.
With the 53rd pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, the Utah Jazz select…
Some Jazz fans were wide awake at this pick, some asleep. Some Jazz fans were excited, some weren’t optimistic. After all, it is the 53rd pick. Can this player really help the team? Will he even make the team?
Justin Wright-Foreman, from Hofstra University…
Right away, I knew this was a great pick by the Jazz. Wright-Foreman is a professional bucket getter. He averaged 27 points per game during his Senior year at Hofstra, and shot 42.5 percent from downtown. Needless to say, Wright-Foreman can shoot it. That’s something the Jazz are looking to add. For that reason alone, Wright-Foreman was a good pick.
But, there’s much more I want to talk about regarding the generously listed 6-foot-1 point guard. The Jazz are in an interesting situation at the point guard position. They agreed to trade for Mike Conley, but might have to waive Raul Neto in order to finalize the deal. Neto is Utah’s third point guard, behind the injury-riddled Dante Exum.
Teams around the league have certainly noticed Neto’s solid and gritty play over the years for Utah. Since he’s on a perfectly fine contract, it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see a team claim Neto off waivers, if the Jazz waive him. All of that being said, the Jazz could very well be without Neto next season.
That’s where Wright-Foreman could help. Look at Quinn Cook of the Golden State Warriors, another professional bucket getter. He entered the league undrafted and eventually joined the Warriors. Cook played a role in helping the Warriors win the title in 2018, which Steve Kerr made sure he recognized.
Steve Kerr to Quinn Cook “you’ve earned your spot in the NBA” - awesome moment postgame last night pic.twitter.com/RJcvgGUOFd
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) June 9, 2018
Cook and Wright-Foreman are pretty similar. As I mentioned, they both get buckets, they both are point guards and they both are under-sized. Cook was undrafted, and Wright-Foreman had to wait hours for his name to be called on draft night.
What I lastly want to point out is the injury concerns of Conley and Exum. We all know Dante’s injury history. Unfortunately, the guy just can’t seem to stay on the floor. Conley has battled many injury-plagued seasons, but did make it through 70 games this year. During the 2017-18 season, though, Conley played in just 12 games.
With those two’s injury history, Wright-Foreman could be an important piece to the Jazz if he makes the team. It will be a very important summer league for Justin. If he can earn himself a roster spot, I can see him making some noise during his rookie season.