The NBA Draft is officially less than a month away. With the Utah Jazz sitting at No. 9 overall, the team will have the chance to bring one of the top talents in the draft class to Salt Lake City.
Although the Jazz will be selecting in the lottery, which is a luxury, the team isn’t guaranteed to draft a future star. Fortunately, this organization has also had plenty of luck finding late-round diamonds in the rough. With the draft approaching, perhaps Utah is in line to select a future Jazz legend.
With that being said, here’s a look at the top 5 draft picks in Jazz history.
Top 5 Draft Picks in Utah Jazz History
5. Gordon Hayward
Gordon Hayward was selected by the Utah Jazz with the ninth overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. Hayward started his career off slower than the majority of the list, but the forward continually improved in each season as part of the Jazz.
Hayward averaged 5.4 points per game as a rookie, but by his seventh and final season with the team, the Butler product had averaged 21.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. A sign of a newfound star.
Unfortunately, Hayward would leave the Jazz in free agency to join the Boston Celtics, where tragedy struck. In his first game with his new team, the versatile wing suffered a gruesome injury to his ankle following an awkward landing on an alley-oop attempt. Hayward would take over a year to rehab his ankle and return to the court.
While he’s shown glimpses of his old self since the injury, Hayward has been far from the player he once was in his final year with the Jazz. Nonetheless, the Jazz did an outstanding job developing Hayward into the player he became with the team.
Nonetheless, Hayward comes in at number five on the list.