The Utah Jazz beat the Nets last night in an epic overtime tankapalooza. Right now, the season isn't at the point where every win truly hurts tanking teams like the Jazz, but it's getting close. Beating the Nets only helps Brooklyn inch closer to the Jazz in the tanking odds.
There doesn't need to be much explanation for why the Jazz are tanking. Much like their competitors, they want Cooper Flagg, one of the most hyped draft prospects over the last several years. Flagg is one of the rare talents that could drastically alter a team's fortunes by himself. Of course, every prospect needs a well-run team to form a winner, and the Jazz can do that for him.
Alas, they only have the fifth-best odds of getting him, and here's something else to consider: only one team gets him. That team will have Lady Luck shining down on them the night they're awarded the No. 1 pick. Maybe it's the Jazz, and maybe it's not, but if it's not, it's not the end of the world.
Multiple prospects will enter the NBA Draft in 2025, which should excite the Jazz even if their efforts to get Flagg come up short. The best part is, even if the Jazz miss out on Flagg, there are so many areas on the roster in which the Jazz can improve, so it may not matter who they draft as long as they get the best player available.
Here are a few candidates they can look into if they don't win the Capture the Flagg sweepstakes.
Dylan Harper - Rutgers
It's not surprising how good Harper has looked in college since he is the son of five-time NBA champion and former 20-point scorer Ron Harper. At the same time, not many offspring of NBA players pan out as well as their fathers did, but Dylan may very well turn out to be better than his father.
Like his dad, Harper is an oversized point guard capable of creating his own shot. His claim to fame has been consistently looking to score, which could translate easily to the NBA level. He's made himself stand out so well that there's a strong argument that he's more NBA-ready than Flagg is.
The one hangup is that his dad initially did not seem keen on Utah drafting him, but he has since walked back on those comments. Here's to hoping there wouldn't be any issues if the Jazz took Dylan.
Ace Bailey - Rutgers
Bailey is more raw than Harper is, but he might have a higher ceiling. The Jazz don't really have a wing scorer just yet, though they've been more than happy to play Lauri Markkanen as the small forward from time to time. Bailey could be interchangeable with Markkanen at the forward spots.
He's not as much of a sure thing as Flagg or Harper when he comes to the NBA, but his size, along with his scoring potential, could make him intriguing enough as a prospect that the Jazz should take that chance on him if they are given one.
He would be more of a project for the Jazz, but the Jazz are more than happy to take on prospects that'll need some time to fully acclimate themselves into the big leagues (see Williams, Cody).
Kon Knueppel - Duke
As it turns out, a lot of the highest prospects coming into the 2025 NBA Draft just happen to be college teammates. Knueppel projects to be one of the better two-way players coming out of the draft. Though his jumper hasn't translated on the collegiate level, Knueppel has his bases covered everywhere else.
At the same time, the common belief is that his jumper will come in due time. Plenty of NBA stars didn't shoot that great in college that went on to become good shooters. When the Jazz originally drafted Donovan Mitchell, he was lauded primarily for his defense.
If and when his jumper finally comes, he'll be one of the better all-around players to come out of the draft. If the Jazz want a truly flawless high prospect, Knueppel might be their best guy.
Egor Demin - BYU
This would be an interesting one for the most obvious reason. It would be cool to see the Jazz take a BYU alum. But, depending on where their pick is, Dermin would actually be an appropriate pick regarldess of his alma mater, given his skill level.
Dermin probably doesn't have the same ceiling as some of the aforementioned names on this list, but he would give the Jazz plenty of versatility. In his time with the Cougars, he's proven to be an excellent playmaker and shooter, two very valuable attributes for someone his size.
He's also very young and at times, it appears the moment has been a little too big for him. He might not be the next face of the franchise for Utah if they take him, but he would be another step in the right direction for them.