The NBA Draft cannot come any faster for the Utah Jazz, with excitement building for a potential first overall pick, which comes with the coveted Cooper Flagg. However, the Jazz also own the rights to Minnesota's first-round pick, courtesy of the Rudy Gobert trade.
Minnesota's pick is currently looking to fall in the early to mid-20s, where the Jazz under Danny Ainge have proven to be able to find contributors. Just last year, the Jazz selected Isaiah Collier with the 29th overall pick, and he has shown the potential to be the best Jazz point guard since John Stockton.
Here are some options the Jazz could be looking at come June 5th.
1. Egor Demin | SG/SF | 6' 9" 190 lbs | BYU
Egor Demin was considered a lottery lock going into the season, but his draft stock has fallen since then. Demin has struggled to find consistency and has shown a tendency to turn the ball over when being put into ball-handling situations. His offense has also not been what BYU hoped it would be, but he has flashed at times.
While Demin had some struggles in the regular season, he played a lot better in the NCAA tournament. He averaged 10.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game in the regular season, on some pretty average shooting splits, reaching 41.2% from the field, 27.3% from three, and 69.5% from the charity stripe.
During BYU's three tournament games, he jumped up to 13.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 42.9% from the field, and didn't miss a free throw.
Demin is not the perfect prospect, but he has a lot of upside and could be a great fit for the Jazz, who don't need a primary ballhandler with Collier's breakout rookie season. Demin wouldn't be expected to have an incredible rookie outing, but is a medium-risk, high-reward prospect worth a pick in the 20s.
2. Hugo Gonzalez | SF | 6' 6" 207 lbs | Real Madrid
Hugo Gonzalez is a bigger wing who comes from the Real Madrid farm system, like Demin did. Gonzalez is an athletic, defensive-minded player with slashing and handling skills and has been lauded for a high basketball IQ. He has a spot-up three-point shot that is dangerous, but the question remains if he can do it consistently at the NBA level.
His three-ball has some questions, as does his overall offensive consistency, but he is still very young. His defense is imposing and will translate to the NBA. Think of a higher-potential KJ Martin or Jaden Springer-type.
Gonzalez doesn't have the name or brand power that the others on this list do, but if the Jazz want a role player who could develop into a three-and-D wing, Gonzalez could be a good fit for Utah.
3. Walter Clayton Jr | SG | 6' 3" 195 lbs | Florida
Clayton has seen his draft stock shoot up throughout the season, especially the back half, as Florida has continued its impressive late-season run into the national championship. Clayton has been the catalyst for the Gators and has continued to will them to victories in game after game in the postseason.
Clayton has averaged 18.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists this season on 45.1% shooting and 39.1% from three. Clayton is not the greatest athlete or biggest prospect, but some guys just find ways to impact games and put up numbers, and Clayton is one of them.
Clayton should be able to carve out a rotational role quickly if drafted by the Jazz and could be a lethal offensive weapon in the backcourt.