The Utah Jazz were at a crossroads leading into the 2011 NBA Draft, having witnessed much change over the prior 28 months. Team owner Larry Miller died in February 2009, which started a period of instability.
Slowly, the team disintegrated - Mehmet Okur suffered an Achilles injury in the 2010 playoffs, Carlos Boozer left as a free agent that summer. Then during the 2010-11 season, longtime coach Jerry Sloan resigned, and star Deron Williams was traded to the Nets shortly afterward when it was clear he wouldn’t be re-signing long-term.Andrei Kirilenko's status was up in the air due to the pending NBA lockout in the summer of 2011.
The league and the players' association were at loggerheads over a hard salary cap and luxury tax, which led to the lockout in July 2011. This conflict would delay the 2011-12 season and keep the teams from interacting with players, including anyone they drafted.
Just 8 days before the lockout started, the 2011 NBA Draft took place. The Jazz had 2 picks - #3 and #12 and coming off a 39-43 season, they needed an influx of talent.
We all know what happened - they took Enes Kanter (Freedom) at #3, and Alec Burks at #12. While both eventually had solid pro careers, they did not pan out as hoped for the Jazz.
We know that the 2011 NBA Draft was full of busts and underperformers. Top pick Kyrie Irving, considered the best talent, had an injury history. The pending lockout also clouded things as teams ended up not able to interact with their rookies for months, which caused teams to reconsider their selections.
As with any draft, there were hidden gems farther down the list (Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, Nikola Vucevic, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Isaiah Thomas).
What if the Jazz had taken anyone different than Kanter and Burks?
Jonas Valanciunas is entering his 13th NBA season in 2024-25, and would have been a good addition to a Jazz frontcourt that needed a true backup center. He could have taken over the starting role when Al Jefferson moved on in the summer of 2013 and held it down for many years in Utah, pairing his crushing screens with Paul Millsap and Gordon Hayward in the frontcourt.
Nikola Vucevic was available both times the Jazz picked, and eventually went 16th to Philadelphia, and had a solid rookie season with the Sixers (5.5 points, 4.8 boards, in 15.9 minutes a night). He has been a good, sometimes stellar player, making 2 All-Star teams (2019, 2021). Vucevic has averaged 17.1 points and 10.5 boards through the 2023-24 season. Having him next to Paul Millsap and Gordon Hayward would have changed the Jazz outlook in the 2010s.
Kemba Walker was a stellar point guard who had led Connecticut to an NCAA national championship. He averaged 23.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in his final college season). Though the Jazz had Devin Harris at the point, they had no heir apparent and would end up trading him a year later. Walker could have filled that void a lot better and been a backup for his first season, then stepped into the starting role when ready. Walker made 4 All-Star teams and averaged 20+ points for 5 straight seasons in his NBA career.
Klay Thompson was a smooth shooter for Washington State and the son of a former NBA starter Mychal Thompson of the LA Lakers. He would have been a much bigger player at the 2 spot for the Jazz than Burks and played both ends of the court. A 5-time All-Star, 2-time-All-NBA, and 4-time NBA champ, Thompson could have played behind Raja Bell for a year and broke into the starting lineup in Year 2 (2012-13) for the Jazz, leaving an impact as one of the best shooting guards in team history, right up with Darrell Griffith, Jeff Hornacek and Donovan Mitchell.
And finally, we come to Kawhi Leonard. The San Diego State forward went 15th overall, several picks after the Jazz took Alec Burks. Adding him would have changed things in the rotation, for sure - but comparing the careers of Gordon Hayward vs. Kawhi Leonard, it's no contest - Leonard has had the better career by far, even with his injuries, and would have had a big impact on the Jazz. He would have been well worth taking over Burks that year.
The Jazz definitely would have looked different with any of these players. It's interesting to ponder how things would have turned out, had they gone a different route in the 2011 NBA Draft. In an alternate reality, the Jazz have a much better outcome with one or more of these players, maybe even a Western Conference Finals or NBA Finals berth? It's fun to think about.