Utah Jazz all-time draft bust starting 5
By Tyler Watts
PF: Kris Humphries
The Jazz followed the Pavlovic miss in 2003 with two busts the following year. Utah finished 42-40 and narrowly missed the playoffs. With the 14th pick, they selected Humphries, who spent 13 years in the NBA but played more than 20 minutes per game just three times. The 6’9 forward is more famous for his brief marriage to Kim Kardashian than he is for his NBA playing career.
The Jazz followed that up by selecting Kirk Snyder 16th overall. He made it just one year in Utah before being traded to the Hornets. Snyder played just four seasons in the league where he averaged 6.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 16.8 minutes per game.
The Jazz passed on Al Jefferson, Josh Smith, J.R. Smith, Jameer Nelson, Tony Allen, Kevin Martin, and Trevor Ariza to select Humphries and Snyder. It was certainly a pair of misses that set the franchise back slightly, but they only missed the playoffs for two more years before jumping right back in.
The Utah Jazz are never going to attract marquee free agents, so they must build through the draft and via trade. Missing two picks in the middle of the first round here hurt and is something the franchise has to avoid as they attempt to rebuild.