Anthony Black on the Utah Jazz’s radar ahead of Thursday’s NBA Draft
By John Canady
The Utah Jazz have been waiting on the NBA draft seemingly since the team missed the postseason in their first year of a rebuild. With plenty of young talent and a new star in Lauri Markkanen, the Will Hardy-led Jazz are closer to becoming a playoff team than originally thought.
Nonetheless, with the draft less than two days away, Utah will finally get to add more talent as Danny Ainge and company continue the rebuild.
Anthony Black on the Utah Jazz’s radar
Throughout the whole draft process, it’s been hard to pinpoint one prospect that the Jazz have been targeting. The need for a future point guard is obvious, but with Ainge’s track record of taking a shot on players with potential, it’s hard to predict where Utah may go without any intel.
However, reports came out on Tuesday indicating that the Jazz have been looking to move up in the draft ahead of the Washington Wizards. And while it may come as a shock to some, it makes sense with the player the Jazz are rumored to be after.
Anthony Black has been a rising name this whole draft process. The 6-foot-7 guard has had an impressive freshman season with the Arkansas Razorbacks, averaging 12.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.9 assists on 45.3% shooting from the field. Not only does the SEC product show offensive potential, but the two-way guard has proven to be an elite defender as well. Averaging 2.1 steals per game in college, the 19-year-old’s huge frame will certainly give him the potential to carry over his defensive abilities to the NBA.
The Jazz aren’t the only team high on the Razorback star either. It’s reported that the Orlando Magic, along with Washington, are a threat to select Black before Utah gets the chance.
Regardless, with Ainge’s reputation for taking high-potential prospects and the need for a future point guard in Utah, it’s no surprise why the Jazz would want to bring in the massive guard. Now the only question is: will the team be able to move up and secure the chance to select their player of choice?