The Utah Jazz are up for the first pick in the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery. They have a 6.0% chance of landing the first pick and a 19% of landing in the top four. They also have a shot of not retaining their draft pick at all if they fall out of the Top 10. If they don't stay in the Top 10 they'll lose their first-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
So needless to say, there's a lot on the line with this draft. ESPN seems to agree and broke down the five players that the Jazz should pick, depending on where they fall in the draft. In a draft where there was no clear number one option, it's not surprising that ESPN listed four players for the Jazz to take should they fall in the top four, or first-overall spot. Sadly, three of the names suggested for the top spot aren't exactly the most exciting or NBA-ready options.
They're all names with the dreaded "potential" label, a moniker that should scare any hardcore NBA fan. So who are the three names they suggest taking we're most worried about?
Well, it's Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr and Nikola Topic. Risacher, a power forward, is inconsistent from the three, has bad rebounding skills, and isn't reliable enough inside the paint to warrant a first-round pick. But he's tall and long and so we look past his deficiencies.
Sarr is another big with a low rebounding output. He's very small for a center, at only 224 lbs, and didn't really impress during his stint in the NBL out of Australia.
Topic, to his credit, has shown flashes of being a good offensive player, but with the tougher the competition, the less impressive his international stats look. He all but disappears against full-time pros, and he has no real three-point shot to speak of.
The other two names, we're very high on. Reed Sheppard is a three-point ace and plays great defense. He's a bit shorter, but he's shown a great effort on defense that the team is missing among the guards. He's nota perfect prospect, as many think his ceiling is limited, but from an immediate impact perspective, he seems like the best fit. The same can be said for ESPN's last pick for the Jazz, the guy they think they should take at No. 8, Dalton Knecht. Like Sheppard, he's a high-volume scorer who can make an impact right now, and considering the Jazz are looking to land some major names, going with someone like him isn't the wrong idea.
Here are the five names one more time that ESPN suggests the Jazz take;
- Zaccharie Risacher
- Alex Sarr
- Nikola Topic
- Reed Sheppard
- Dalton Knecht