It’s time to check back in on where and who the Jazz would be picking in the 2023 NBA Draft if the season were to end today. There hasn’t been much movement since our last check-in, but things have shifted slightly, so let’s dig into it!

Current Pick Standings

If the season ended today and the lottery went as expected according to the regular season record the Jazz would own the following picks:

• 11th (from Minnesota)
• 14th (Jazz)
• 29th (Least Favorable of Houston/Philadelphia/Brooklyn)

The biggest shift here is the Houston/Philadelphia/Brooklyn pick since the Nets have been on an absolute tear winning their last 10 games in a row. Minnesota’s struggles continuing is great news for Jazz fans.

The image below shows how the lottery could shake out after running a simulation on Tankathon.

No movement for the Jazz in this simulation (I was tempted to keep hitting the Simulate button until the Jazz moved into the top 4, maybe next time) and minimal movement overall. This is a very likely scenario where the top 3 teams shuffle around, in this instance we’ll have multiple pieces written about the conspiracy by the league to make sure Michael Jordan got Wembanyama in Charlotte.

Big Board Check-In

Today we’ll use the CBS Sports big board as our frame of reference.

Sitting at 11th is Dariq Whitehead, the 6’6” wing playing at Duke. He is an athletic wing player with an improving 3pt shot. He will still be 18 years old on draft night. Something that really stands out when watching him play is how smooth he is with the ball in his hands. If the Jazz stand pat and don’t try to move up further into the lottery, a player like Whitehead would be a great guy to take a shot on.

Photo by Lance King/Getty Images

At 14th on the CBS big board is the 6’8” PF playing at Houston, Jarace Walker. He has a 7’2” wingspan and his body already looks NBA-ready. He doesn’t have much of a 3 point shot right now, but based on his current mid-range game it is something he could develop. He really shines going to the hoop with the burst to get around bigger guys, and the strength to bully smaller players in his path.

Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images

Lastly at 29th on the board is Jordan Walsh, a 6’7” wing playing at Arkansas. Walsh really shines on the defensive end of the floor, he would be more of a project on the offensive end. He has good-looking shot mechanics, but the shots just don’t fall for him consistently right now. He shines the most getting out into transition and using his athleticism to score.

Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

We’ll continue to monitor the draft pick status and major big boards a couple of times each month as the season rolls along!