Jazz Prospect Tier List: Ranking the Best Fits for Utah on Draft Night
The term “best player available” is used extremely heavily during NBA Draft season. Especially so this offseason when it comes to the Utah Jazz’s draft process. Only one year removed from hitting the reset button on the franchise, selecting the best guy on the board when they’re up to pick this year should be of the front office’s utmost priority.
But it now begs the question for Jazz fans: who actually is the best player available?
...besides the big French one.
Thankfully, we’ve compiled a useful list for this exact question. We’ve divided our top 20 guys on the board into five sections based on priority. Ranging from some players that have to be targeted, along with some that have some additional risk attached to them. Looking deeper into it, there might be a clear gap between this year’s top talent and the rest of the pool.
Without any further explanation, here’s our official 2023 Jazz draft prospect rankings:
Tier 1: The Untouchables
(1) Victor Wembanyama, (2) Scoot Henderson, (3) Brandon Miller
Unless something unforeseen occurs, these guys probably won’t spend the start of their careers in Salt Lake City. While it would be most Jazz fans' dream (as well as mine) to secure an elite franchise-changer in this year’s draft, the chances of it coming to fruition are slim.
Any chance of Wemby coming to Utah would be a pure delusion. Onto picks two and three though, the Charlotte Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers have shown every intention to get a haul in return if they trade their selection. The Jazz, on the other hand, are probably not in the market for such a deal. Considering the framework of a drastic trade-up would likely have to include Lauri Markkanen, it is just pretty unlikely to see happen.
Tier 2: The Must-Targets
(4) Ausar Thompson, (5) Amen Thompson, (6) Cam Whitmore, (7) Jarace Walker, (8) Taylor Hendricks
I’ll make this one simple. If any of these prospects slip to nine, the pick is simple for Danny Ainge and the rest of the front office. There’s becoming a big gap between the top eight and the rest of the draft. A few names are thrown in the fold now and then, but with less than a week until the draft, these guys are heard most prominently.
If the Jazz wants to truly come out of this draft with a win under their belt, one of these guys needs to be on the roster by next Friday morning. Possessing some of the best combinations of NBA readiness and long-term potential set these players far above the rest. Acquiring one of them could set this franchise re-tool up gracefully in its first draft since the reset.
Tier 3: The Option B's
(9) Bilal Coulibaly, (10) Gradey Dick, (11) Cason Wallace, (12) Anthony Black
When it comes to it, these are the most likely selections the Jazz could end up with next week if they stay put at ninth overall. There’s been plenty of mocks projecting at least one of these four to Utah at their pick.
However, it’d be extremely difficult to pass on one of the top eight guys if there at nine. The route to see them as a franchise cornerstone is a whole lot clearer for them as opposed to this tier. It may seem a bit nit-picky, but there’s a concern that stands out among all of these players that isn’t seen in Tier 2. Coulibaly and Black have had some noticeable shooting woes up to this point while Wallace and Dick have some size/athleticism concerns when comparing them to the field.
Despite these worries, all of these guys could be a great selection for Utah everything considered.
Tier 4: The Lottery Hopefuls
(13) Jordan Hawkins, (14) Jalen Hood-Schifino, (15) Jett Howard, (16) Brice Sensabaugh, (17) Kobe Bufkin
I would tend to consider these prospects to be among the top echelon of players that would be available at 16th overall. Speaking realistically, you’re typically unlikely to secure an All-Star level player outside of the lottery. However, all of these guys have a useful league role they can play without being the next Utah prodigy.
As opposed to Tier 3, all of these players have one or two things that help them stick out amongst the crowd, creating some enhanced value for them as a draftee. Hawkins could be the best shooter in the draft, Hood-Schifino has great size and defense for his position, Howard possesses great NBA readiness and length, Sensabaugh can score with the best of them, and Bufkin is the definition of a two-way guard.
You don’t always have to swing for a home run in the draft. Building a sustainable team that fits the future goals of this franchise is just as important. Nothing says these guys can’t develop into anything more, but the set roles and strengths they possess are what helps them stand out amongst their peers.
Tier 5: The Question Marks
(18) Keyonte George, (19) Nick Smith Jr, (20) Leonard Miller
It would be foolish to come on here to say these players are all gonna end their careers as “busts” or anything close to it, but there’s just a bit of added concern with these guys as opposed to other lottery-range selections. I’m simply just a bit lower on these guys than the consensus.
George’s college career was filled with inconsistency, Nick Smith Jr. has some limited defensive upside, and Leonard Miller’s mostly just marketed as just a tall and overall raw prospect that can handle the ball well. For me, there are simply better options on the board for the Jazz.
Creating any preconceived notion on incoming draft prospects can always age terribly as time goes on, because who knows? Maybe a player like Keyonte George can turn into an All-NBA level combo guard and I look like a fool. At this point though, I’d be better suited coming out of the draft with another option than these guys.
Follow Inside The Jazz on Facebook and Twitter.
Subscribe on YouTube for breaking Jazz news videos and live-stream podcasts!
