Who Should The Jazz Select With Their Late Picks?

The Jazz have three first-round picks, so which direction should they go with their two non-lottery selections?

The Utah Jazz will have three first round selections in this year's NBA Draft, two of which we already know where lands.

Outside of the one lotto pick, which will find a set spot after the draft lottery, the Jazz are looking at the 16th and 28th pick. Prime opportunities for the Western Conference franchise to strengthen their youth movement.

So, who should they go for?

It's early, obviously, and players will jump ahead and drop back like stocks over the coming two months, transforming projections into simple guesswork at this stage.

But since that's never stopped us before, why should it now?

No. 16: Jordan Hawkins

Yes, the Jazz should replace a Jordan with a Jordan, as Jordan Clarkson's 20-point season needs to be leveraged into a trade where Utah cashes in on his value.

With the mid-first rounder, they go for Hawkins, a traditional floor-spacing shooting guard who recently help UConn win the NCAA championship.

Hawkins hit 38.8% of his 7.6 attempts from long range this season, and connected on 88.7% from the foul line, which underlines his nature as one of the best shooters in the draft.

Hawkins is excellent moving off the ball, changing directions and keeping defenses scrambled, having to constantly move and change due to his constant motion.

This isn't random motion either. Hawkins has a plan, and he prefers popping out to the wings, where he can get his shot off. He'll often run defenders tired on the baseline, pop out to behind the 3-point line, and get a dribble hand-off, and raise up for shots. In the process, depending on the personnel he shares the court with, he'll run his defenders through multiple off-ball screens, buying himself a step, and time, for when the ball finds his hands.

I thoroughly dislike comparisons, and it might seem lazy to go the simple route of comparing Hawkins to former UCoon guards Ray Allen, Richard Hamilton, and Ben Gordon. But nevertheless, I have to go there. He's next up in the line of great movement shooters that has come from that program.

The Jazz would love to implement a player like Hawkins, especially when paired with Lauri Markkanen on the perimeter, forcing defenses to choose their poison.

No. 28: Noah Clowney

The Jazz went with stability in Hawkins at 16, and obviously had a lottery pick before that, so the 28th pick is all about the long-term gamble. Rolling the dice on Clowney is just that.

Clowney is more theoretical than practical right now. He won't turn 19 until July, and his game is kind of all over the place. That, to me at least, is what makes him incredibly intriguing and worth a shot at this stage in the draft.

(Do note that Clowney could see his draft stock increase dramatically during the pre-draft process, and even end up being out of range for Utah when the draft rolls around.)

Clowney can pretty much do everything, even if he isn't a master of anything.

He'll score the ball around the basket, finish lobs, hit three-pointers, rebound, make eye-popping passes, and block shots. He just won't necessarily do all of those things on a consistent day-to-day basis. At least not yet.

But whenever a 6-foot-11 big man registers both 34 blocks, and 34 made 3-pointers in a season at just 18 years old, you've got to at least take a gander at the upside.

Clowney isn't bound to become the next Jaren Jackson Jr, nor is he a sure-fire NBA rotation player. He's so young, that his future could go in a million different ways. He might make it to the league only to be developed as an interior big man, or he might be encouraged to develop into more of a shooter.

Personally, that's why I like the fit in Utah under head coach Will Hardy, who spent all year with Markkanen, realizing the potential in having a tall player who can both finish plays near the rim, and extend the spacing from the outside. Hardy could essentially use Markkanen and Walker Kessler as examples to Clowney of how to build himself up as two-way force. It'll take a few years, but the upside is certainly worth it. 

Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

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