We are about a week away from the NBA Draft Lottery. As everyone knows, the Utah Jazz already caught a big enough break when they were guaranteed to keep their pick, but it'd be nice to have some good lottery luck on top of that. The latest mock draft doesn't do that, but it will give them someone who can help the Jazz's biggest need: defense.
Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley projected that the Jazz would get the No. 6 pick in his latest mock draft. With that pick, he predicted the Jazz would take Kingston Flemings. Buckley explained that Flemings is a quality defender (something the Jazz need). More than that, he might fit what the Jazz need as more of a supporting piece than a cornerstone.
"Utah hedges its bets a bit with Flemings, who's probably the best defender of this bunch and maybe the top decision-maker, too. He has some throwback elements to his game—some favorable (good assist-to-turnover ratio, soft midrange touch) and some not as much (low three-point volume, tiny free-throw rate).
"He probably isn't the biggest swing in this spot, but the Jazz don't necessarily need that. If George is as good as he looked this season, and the frontcourt combo of Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Walker Kessler maxes out its potential, Utah might need more a puzzle piece than a centerpiece. Flemings looks ready to fill a support role and could grow beyond it if his three-ball comes alive," Buckley wrote.
Of course, someone like AJ Dybantsa is more tantalizing than Flemings, but unlike previous years, it's not the end of the world if Utah doesn't get him, as Buckley explains. Besides, the team needs to load up on quality defenders and/or two-way guys. Flemings is a good defender and has the upside to be a crucial two-way player.
It speaks to how good a position the Jazz are in
It's been stated ad nauseum since the moment it was announced but it bares repeating: it's already super awesome that the Jazz get to keep their pick period because they are adding a lottery pick from a loaded draft class.
They already have a good enough team that they can withstand bad lottery luck this time. If that's not enough, Ace Bailey's electric rookie season (after the Jazz got the worst-case scenario at last year's lottery) is pretty much confirmation that the Jazz know what to do when they have a high lottery pick.
In short, Utah simply can't lose this time because the wheels were already in motion even before it was confirmed that they would be getting a lottery pick. Flemings might not be a perennial All-Star in the making (and there's a nonzero chance that he will be), but it may not matter if he's the last guy that ensure the Jazz's first title in franchise history.
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