Utah Jazz all-time draft bust starting 5
By Tyler Watts
SG: Sasha Pavlovic
The historic 2003 NBA Draft class produced nine All-Stars and three members of the NBA 75. LeBron James leads the way, but Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and others give it plenty of depth. That makes no mention of the role players selected.
It seems like every team, but the Jazz hit in this draft. Utah selected Pavlovic 19th overall. John Stockton retired in 2003 and Karl Malone left the Jazz for Los Angeles. The franchise was in flux, and they were searching for young talent.
Pavlovic lasted just one season in Utah where he averaged 14.5 minutes per game before being selected by the Bobcats in the expansion draft. The 6’8 wing went on to play a decade in the NBA, but he never saw more than 23.3 minutes per game or produced over 9.0 points each night.
Pavlovic has the second-worst value over replacement player (VORP) and the worst win shares of anyone that played more than ten years in this class. To make matters worse, Kyle Korver, Mo Williams, Josh Howard, and Boris Diaw were still on the board when Pavlovic was selected. The Utah Jazz missed big in one of the deepest draft classes in NBA history.