3 available big men the Utah Jazz should consider

Utah Jazz find Moose in headlights

Full disclosure: Greg Monroe is currently on a 10-day contract with the Washington Wizards. We shouldn’t covet another team’s player, but, here we are.

Besides, Monroe’s time in Washington should be coming to an end quickly. His 10-day contract has nearly expired, and the Wizards are returning long-injured, potential starter Thomas Bryant. Between Bryant, Daniel Gatford and Montrezl Harrell, the Wizards have an absolute logjam at that position.

The Utah Jazz, you’ll recall, started Royce O’Neale at center in their last contest.

We don’t need to look back to 2020-21 to justify Monroe’s addition. His basic counting stats from the 3 games he played with the Timberwolves earlier this season tell us all we need to know. He averaged 6.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 blocks in 21.0 minutes per contest over that stretch.

At 6’11 and 265 pounds, Monroe provides the Jazz plenty of the size they’re currently in need of. Monroe is one of the players that the NBA’s 3-point revolution left behind. He entered the league as a back-to-the-basket scorer right as it decided that those players wouldn’t be valued.

He responded by morphing from a prospective star into a role player. Monroe doesn’t light up scoreboards, but he’s a solid positional defender, a plus positional passer, and a generally heady veteran.

He’d more than fill Utah’s temporary needs.

There could be more options for the Utah Jazz on the open market than just these 3 players. They should explore them. One thing remains abundantly clear: there is no reason for the team not to sign a center to a 10-day hardship contract.