Drat Night is exactly one week away for the Utah Jazz. The Jazz may have gotten their hearts broken, but they still have a chance at getting a franchise player with the No. 5 pick. Because this draft is loaded, that could be anyone, but the latest draft intel, combined with what else has come out lately, has signaled that the Jazz want a guard from the draft.
Hoops HQ's Krysten Peek shared that the Jazz are among the teams keeping an eye on Jeremiah Fears.
"Fears averaged 17.1 points and 4.1 assists per game with chatter of the Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards and New Orleans Pelicans high on him in the draft," Peek wrote.
It's pretty clear from this that Fears will probably be picked in the top seven, as the Jazz, Wizards, and Pelicans make up picks five through seven in 2025. Whether the Jazz pick him or not will depend on how the picks before them shake out.
Earlier, it was reported that the Jazz see V.J. Edgecombe and Tre Johnson as their "best-case scenario" at the draft. However, those two are considered to be right under Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper as the Jazz's best prospects, making it possible that neither will be there when the Jazz pick at No. 5.
Luckily, that's where their interest in Fears would make it easier to stomach not getting one of those players. All of this intel points to the Jazz really wanting a guard from this draft more than anything else. Johnson, Edgecombe, and Fears are all high-ceiling guards that definitely have some kinks to iron out, but if they reach their potential, they are very much worth picking at No. 5.
No, they're not the same archetype, but they are all exciting in their own way. Earlier mock drafts have had the Jazz taking Fears, and if Edgecombe and Johnson are off the board, it wouldn't be surprising if Fears is who they take.
This likely means other prospects are out of the question
If the Jazz want to come away with a high-ceiling guard, that probably means other prospects expected to be picked around that range, like Ace Bailey, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maluach, aren't as high on their board, and there's a solid rationale for why they would pass on them.
-Bailey: He is considered a high-ceiling prospect but also high-risk, and whispers about how he's conducted himself before the draft will likely hurt his draft stock.
-Knueppel: His stock has risen considerably to the point where he is considered the least likely to be a bust among his fellow high lottery picks, but he is also considered to have the lowest ceiling.
-Maluach: His potential is high, but drafting him would raise questions like what that would mean for Walker Kessler's future in Utah.
For all we know, this could all take a huge 180 by next week, but reading the tea leaves form the latest intel suggest that Utah wants a guard. That would also lead to questions about both their veteran and youthful guards they currently employ, but Utah will take who they see as the best player available.
For now, it appears that they believe that will be one of the three guards within their draft range.