Here's the good news, Utah Jazz fans. Tomorrow, we finally find out which pick the Jazz will get, which won't stop the mock drafts that have been coming, but it will at least give us a clear picture of who Utah will realistically take. The latest mock draft has them losing, but it also has them taking a promising prospect that is the antithesis of Ace Bailey: Keaton Wagler.
Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley projected the Jazz to take Wagler with the No. 6 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
"Wagler, whose stock spiked more than anyone's this season, could be that exact kind of upside-rich prospect who helps the Jazz emerge as at least a viable playoff participant next season. His profile reads drastically different from their last lottery pick Ace Bailey—a toolsy swingman who needed skills to catch up to his raw talent—but the long-term wager could be the same."
Utah has built their squad for both the present and the future. If they don't get lucky in the lottery - and everyone knows it typically hasn't gone their way - Wagler is probably about as good as it gets because he fits a need as a hybrid guard/wing who would fit snugly into Utah's plans as a jumbosized team.
Prospects don't have to follow the same story to be good
Wagler may not be a franchise player but he could be the secret ingredient that vaults the Jazz into title contention. He may not have the same ceiling as Bailey, but that doesn't mean he can't be the same success.
As amazing as Bailey is, the point still stands that many gritted their teeth when it was confirmed that Utah would draft him because he didn't want to be a Jazzman, and there was no guarantee he would live up to his potential.
Now, it looks like he will. Wagler probably doesn't have the same risk Bailey does nor does he pose the same risk. He could still be a transcendent Jazz player at the end of the day in his own way.
Everyone's journeys are different. Lauri Markkanen never quite put it together until he came to Utah, which is why he doesn't want to leave the Jazz. Even if he was a late-bloomer, he still bloomed once he got the right coach and the right system.
No matter who the Jazz take, fans should gladly accept who comes in. It's a draft loaded was fantastic prospects with one being added to a team designed to be right up there for years to come. Wagler might not be anyone's first choice, but he might be what's best for Utah depending on what the selection the league awards them with.
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