3 under the radar players the Utah Jazz should be keeping an eye on
By Chad Porto
Deandre Ayton
Deandre Ayton sure looked better in the second half of the year. A core piece of the Damian Lillard trade Ayton arrived in Portland looking for a fresh start after flaming out in Phoenix. From February on, Ayton really looked comfortable scoring the ball, averaging 17 points in February, 23.4 points in March, and 23 points in April. He shot around 60% from the floor in February and March and averaged at least 11 rebounds every month of action, save for one.
He may not be the next transcendent big that the NBA has ever seen, but he's proven to be a fringe All-Star level player. He's also proven to be a solid defensive option, maybe not an All-Defense team player, but someone who isn't a liability playing 30 minutes in the playoffs.
The issue for the Utah Jazz is that they don't "need" Ayton. John Collins has caused a backlog at the center position, and Walker Kessler has earned a right to see himself as a starter, so Ayton doesn't help the Jazz in that regard. Should the Jazz give up on Collins and Kessler, then Ayton makes the perfect player to replace them.
That said, if you're keeping Kessler, it's best to not trade for Ayton so that you don't limit or delay Kessler's improvement.