Jazz Get Update on Lottery Race for Top-3 Draft Pick

The Utah Jazz are positioned better than past years for a top pick.

Nov 29, 2023; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy (left) talks with guard Keyonte George (middle) and guard Jordan Clarkson (00) during the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The race for the best lottery odds is starting to unfold. It’s trending to be a tight race for the greatest chances for a top pick, with seven teams in contention as we approach the midpoint of the 2024-25 season. 

Along with the Utah Jazz, the Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, Portland Trail Blazers, and New Orleans Pelicans are battling it out for the best chance to land a top-three pick. Fans can expect the bottom dwellers to make an effort to set themselves up for more losses post-trade deadline. 

NBA STANDINGS UPDATE ‼️

▪️ NYK (No. 3 in East) wins 9th straight
▪️ MIA climbs to 6th in East
▪️ DEN moves to 4th in West

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— NBA (@NBA) January 2, 2025

Thanks to some surprising wins at the start of the season, the Nets are the first team to make some trades to weaken their roster. Starters Dennis Schroeder and Dorian Finney-Smith have been dealt, and next up is their second-leading scorer, Cam Johnson. Brooklyn is set up to lose games at an alarming clip moving forward. 

Where it stands today, the Jazz are fourth from the bottom but only 3.5 games removed from the Nets at seven. It would be a major disappointment if Utah finished anywhere higher than five.

Arguably, the Jazz have the best starting five out of the teams playing for draft position. Lauri Markkanen, Colin Sexton, and Walker Kessler are good enough to string some wins together. Utah’s kryptonite is the youth and inexperience coming off the bench. Cody Williams, Isaiah Collier, and Kyle Filipkowski are getting enough minutes to make Utah a bottom-five team.

If you’re rooting for losses, the Jazz are fortunate to be in the fourth slot. Utah has been close to winning games but has struggled to finish in the final quarter this year. In Utah’s current five-game losing streak, they had fourth-quarter leads in three contests. At some point, the ball could start bouncing their way. 

Also, the Jazz still plays the teams mentioned above twelve times, including three games against the 5-29 Pelicans. The part of the schedule to watch is January 12 - January 22. Utah will play the Nets, Hornets, Wizards, and Pelicans twice. Losing two or three of those games will be challenging with where Utah’s roster sits today. 

Jordan Clarkson and John Collins are the most likely trade candidates to help the tanking cause. After that, there’s the possibility that Sexton will be moved, too. The latest rumor on Kessler is he's off the trading block. Markkanen is guaranteed to finish the year in Salt Lake City because he signed his extension less than six months before the trade deadline. 

It all makes for some interesting decisions for Utah. Since starting their rebuild, the Jazz’s highest draft selection is the No. 9 selection used to pick Taylor Hendricks in 2023. They’re much better positioned for a higher draft pick than in years past, but they still have their work cut out for them if they’re going to be in the bottom three.

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