As the NCAA’s March Madness tournament gets underway, Utah Jazz fans don’t have a lot to watch for. The Jazz will head into the 2022 NBA draft without a first-round selection. None of the most anticipated prospects will be suiting up for the Jazzmen in 2022-23.
That doesn’t mean they can’t land a contributor, or even a star, with their second round pick. Nikola Jokic and Draymond Green both landed in the draft’s second half, but the Jazz don’t even need to look outward for examples of second round steals. Paul Millsap was the greatest coup in the franchise’s draft history. Selected with the 27th pick in the 2013, Rudy Gobert barely escaped the first round himself.
Projecting a prospect’s value is no exact science. Raw young talent can blossom in a moment’s notice. Rest assured, Danny Ainge and the rest of this Utah Jazz front office will be treasure hunting in this draft’s second round.
Here are three players we’re suggesting for their consideration.
Potential Utah Jazz draft pick #1: Ousmane Dieng, G/F, New Zealand Breakers
We’re leading with Dieng because, in all likelihood, he won’t be available to the Utah Jazz. Some team is likely to find his ceiling too tantalizing to pass up in the first round
Dieng is a quintessential boom-or-bust prospect. He’s listed at either 6’9 or 6’10, depending on the source. He handles and passes the rock like a point guard. Squint hard enough, and it’s easy to see the type of oversized point-forward who has changed many an NBA franchise.
Remove the rose colored glasses. Now you’re looking at a player who is shooting 33.3% from the field and 20.3% from three-point range in the Australian NBL. Dieng is a project. He’s either the next Giannis Antetokounmpo, or the next Bruno Caboclo.
If he’s still on the board by the time the Utah Jazz are making their selection, they absolutely need to find out which one it is.