Did the Utah Jazz draft the right players considering their current question marks?

Did the Utah Jazz draft the right players to fill their needs heading into training camp?

The Utah Jazz were lucky to have three first-round picks in the 2023 NBA Draft. Well, luck had little to do with it. Key trades with the Minnesota Timberwolves (Rudy Gobert) and the Brooklyn Nets (Royce O’Neal) helped amped up the Jazz’s draft-day assets. With that, they took three rookies, power forward out of UCF Taylor Hendricks, Baylor point guard Keyonte George, and Ohio State small forward Brice Sensabaugh.

The three young players will look to improve the team with their arrival, and the hopes are high. Yes, of the three, only George has seen any action this offseason, but he looked good. If you draft three guys, and one becomes a starter, that’s actually a good draft by NBA standards. Not NFL or MLB standards, but for the NBA, yes.

Hendricks missed the Summer League due to his strained hamstring and Sensabaugh missed the summer action due to a knee injury that required surgery. Both men are expected to be ready by camp, especially Hendricks who outright said he would be.

And while these rookies have upside, it’s fair to ask with the current issues the Jazz are facing with their guards and depth, did they get the right three rookies?

The Jazz need a starting point guard to facilitate the offense. Maybe that can be Collin Sexton, but he’s never had that job before. Maybe it can be Kris Dunn, George, or even Talen Horton-Tucker. The fact it’s hard to say is exactly the issue. Remember, if you have multiple options, you really don’t have any. No one is wondering if Steph Curry will start for Golden State.

If you have a clear and obvious option, there’s never debate. And the Jazz don’t have a clear option.

So in that regard, yes, George was the right call. And while he may be hurt and probably won’t see a lot of action this season, so was Sensabaugh. The wing depth on the Jazz isn’t great, at least not with true small forwards. Sensabaugh may be a bit slow to play small forward but he’s certainly heavy enough to play power forward, so he’ll find his role eventually.

Then there’s Hendricks, who may be the best of the three, and somehow, the least likely to make an impact this year. Hendricks is now behind John Collins on the depth chart of power forwards. He’s also gotta face stiff competition from Kelly Olynyk, Walker Kessler, Lauri Markkanen, and even his rookie classmate, Sensabaugh.

While Hendricks could be huge for the Jazz, look at need (not upside), Jaime Jaquez Jr., Gradey Dick, and Brandin Podziemski all made sense for the Jazz to take as well – assuming the team still took George and Sensabaugh.

That said, this is a conversation of fit for the team’s current roster makeup. In a few days, weeks or even months, guys like Olynyk and even Collins may not be around depending on how the team does and how those players perform. If they do end up making room for a guy like Hendricks, then this whole breakdown becomes obsolete.

And sooner, or later, Olynyk will be gone and then you’re going to see Hendricks step up. Then we can reevaluate this topic.