Honorable Mentions Zach Edey and Donovan Clingan
Both bigs are the cream of their respective teams. Donovan ClinganWhile was seen as a first-round prospect last season but came back to UConn for another shot at the NCAA Championship, hoping to go back-to-back as champs in two consecutive years. Zach Edey of Purdue, however, is more of a recent name that's exploded. While seen as a second-round pick, Edey's size makes him an interesting player for a needy NBA team.
Looking at Clingan, we know he's a traditional center. No real outside shot to speak of, and does most of his offensive work down low. He's barely over 12 points per game, mostly due to his limited offense. He can pound it inside but he won't be able to do much more right now. He's a good, but not great rebounder, and he truly excels at his low post defense. He's a good shot-blocker, turning away 2.5 attempts per game, but is more known for his low-post awareness than anything else.
Edey is far more offensive than Clingan. Still, not a dynamic scorer outside of the paint, but he's far more reliable and has been Purdue's biggest generator of offense over the last two seasons. He's averaged over 23 points in each of his last two seasons, while also pulling down double-digit rebounds in the process. He's nearly as good of a shot blocker as Clingan, but his defense isn't as commented on. Despite being the overall better player, Clingan is seen as a first-rounder while Edey is a second-rounder.
The reason why neither man really makes the list is due to the fact that neither man seems to be better than Walker Kessler. As all three men are true centers, the Jazz are unlikely to carry two of them at the same time.