Utah Jazz 2017 Mock Draft Round-Up #1

The Utah Jazz have four picks in the upcoming 2017 NBA Draft. If we learned anything from last season (when Dennis Lindsey had the #12, #42, #52, and #60) it’s that picks are assets. And assets are available to be moved. We saw the #12 move in a three-team trade that sent away the future draft rights of Taurean Prince for starting point guard George Hill. We saw the #42 moved for the #55, which turned into Marcus Paige. And we also saw Lindsey and company sit on #52 and #60 for Joel Bolomboy and Tyrone Wallace.

So what can we expect for this year? Well, the Utah Jazz have Pick #24, Pick #30, Pick #42, and Pick #55. (Those links to to the Basketball-Reference.com database for the draft picks so you can easily see which guys are found at that spot.) (Seriously, I’m working for NBA Basketball and Jazz franchise history literacy here. I’m the Neil deGrasse Tyson of a very specific, meaningless thing in this big, spooky universe.)

Well, if the Jazz do stand pat and pick players at these four spots who do we get? I got you covered in this first Mock Draft Round-Up. I’m getting the first one out of the way BEFORE the NBA Playoffs start for obvious reasons - so we can compare and see what happens. (More data = greater sample size = better frame of reference.)

The sources used are ESPN (Chad Ford), Draft Express, NBADraft.Net, TankAThon.com, CBS Sports, MyNBADraft.com, Bleacher Report, and our very own SB Nation. The information is pulled from big boards and mock drafts alike, and from the dates of April 10th to April 13th. And it goes as follows (Alphabetically by last name):

Pick #24:

• Tony Bradley (C from North Carolina)
• Harry Giles (PF from Duke) x2
• Rodions Kurucs (SF from Latvia)
• Mathias Lessort (PF/C from France)
• Tyler Lyndon (SF/PF Soph from Syracuse)
• Donovan Mitchell (SG Soph from Louisville) x2
• Moritz Wagner (F Soph from Michigan)

N.B. Sometimes this is listed as Pick #23 for the Jazz.

Pick #30:

• Jordan Bell (PF/C Jr. from Oregon)
• Bonzie Colson (PF from Notre Dame)
• Andrew Jones (PG from Texas)
• Luke Kennard (SG from Duke)
• Tyler Lyndon (SF/PF Soph from Syracuse)
• Donovan Mitchell (SG Soph from Louisville)
• Anžejs Pasečņiks (C from Latvia)
• Caleb Swanigan (F Soph from Purdue)
• Sindarius Thornwell (SG Sr. from South Carolina)

At #30 in this draft you kind of swing for the fences, don’t you?

Pick #42:

• Jaron Blossomgame (SF Sr. from Clemson)
• Josh Hart (SG Sr. from Villanova) x2
• Anžejs Pasečņiks (C from Latvia)

So this Pasečņiks guy is seen all over the board, and for the Jazz. So a) no one knows where he will go, and b) it’s probably not going to Utah if people think he is.

Pick #55:

• Jaron Blossomgame (SF Sr. from Clemson)
• Tyler Doresey (PG from Oregon)
• Michael Fusek (C from Slovak Republic)
• Kyle Kuzma (PF Jr. from Utah)

None of these guys are as cool as Marcus Paige or Jeremy Evans, though.

Honestly? I don’t know anything about any of these players except for Pasečņiks at this point. And I really only looked him up because his name stands out, and he’s a 7’2 center. At 21 years of age he’s a draft and stash guy - unless he enjoys taking that Greyhound bus trip from Salt Lake to Boise. Oh wait, the Stampede moved to SLC. Forget it. That’s no longer a selling point then.

I don’t know if Dennis Lindsey is going for “fit” or “need”, the convention if “best player available” right? That said, the Jazz do have some spots opening up a week or two after the draft because of Free Agency.

• George Hill (PG) is an Unrestricted Free Agent; Shelvin Mack (PG) will be as well; and Raul Neto (PG) will be on a non-guaranteed contract for the next season.
• Joe Ingles (SF/SG) will be an Unrestricted Free Agent
• Boris Diaw (PF/C) will be on the last year of a partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed deal.
• Jeff Withey (C) will also become an Unrestricted Free Agent

Oh yeah, and that Gordon Hayward guy (SF/SG) will most likely opt out of his last year, and then become an Unrestricted Free Agent as well.

If you are trying to save some money for Free Agents, you can add some cheap guys in the draft. Of course, if you evacuate the guaranteed 1st round contracts you will have even more money for Free Agents.

It’s early to look at this, but you know it’s something Lindsey and company have been keeping tabs on for years now. And as a result, I know the NBA Playoffs are next up. But I needed to get this post out of the way.

And it is now.