Will Jazz Land A Good Player With Ninth Pick?
Jun 22, 2023, 2:39 PM
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz own the ninth pick in tonight’s NBA Draft and will be looking for a proverbial diamond in the rough.
What type of talent does the ninth pick traditionally churn out?
Jeremiah Jensen and the crew at KSL Sports broke down the best players ever selected at nine, including a pick by the Jazz themselves.
Will Jazz Land A Good Player With Ninth Pick?
Though the ninth pick has hit a bit of a dry patch over the last several seasons, it owns more than its fair share of notable names historically.
The best recent selection has local ties in former University of Utah star Jakob Poeltl who was taken ninth by the Toronto Raptors in 2016 and has developed into one of the more reliable starting centers in the NBA.
But before Poeltl, the ninth pick has been a historical hotbed of draft steals.
Between 2009-11 DeMar DeRozan, Gordon Hayward, and Kemba Walker all heard their names called at nine. That three-year run produced 11 All-Star appearances and well over $650 million in career earnings.
2010: @utahjazz draft party boos Gordon Hayward pick, few ppl voice displeasure to local news reporter (Full Clip: https://t.co/zak2Sgrnui) pic.twitter.com/uEJXXtzrYM
— Freezing Cold Takes (@OldTakesExposed) May 1, 2017
In 2007, Joakim Noah was drafted ninth overall by the Chicago Bulls before going on to earn two All-Star nods, and the 2013-14 Defensive Player of the Year award.
Three borderline Hall of Famers were selected between 1999-2004 as Shawn Marion, Andre Iguodala, and Amare Stoudamire all slipped to ninth in their respective drafts.
Back-to-back Hall of Famers were selected in 1997-98 as the Toronto Raptors picked Tracy McGrady with the ninth overall pick before Dirk Nowitzki landed with the Dallas Mavericks the following year.
The NBA Draft is fast approaching, and we're breaking down the top prospects on the board.
Here are the scouting reports for all of the names you need to know.#TakeNote | @utahjazz https://t.co/oSnjjz9GZc
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) May 11, 2023
Dating back to the early days of the NBA, Boston Celtics legend John Havlicek was selected ninth overall before earning 13 All-Star appearances, 11 All-NBA nods, and eight NBA titles.
The draft evolves every year and finding potential superstars remains every team’s goal. While the Jazz would undoubtedly prefer to be selecting higher in tonight’s draft, the ninth pick has produced more than enough talent to inspire confidence that a difference-maker can find his way to Utah.
Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops or on Instagram @BensHoops.
