Utah Jazz Mailbag: Which Draft Picks Fit Jazz Best?

SALT LAKE CITY – Welcome to the Utah Jazz mailbag where every week our NBA insiders answer your questions on social media about your favorite team.

Each week we will send out a prompt on social media asking for the mailbag questions you have about the Jazz.

Then, we’ll respond to as many Jazz questions as we can in that week’s mailbag.

Jazz Mailbag: Best Draft Fits

Have you done a jazz specific mock draft? with Ryan allowing “Danny Angie Things”anything could happen. Who would your top lottery draft picks be for the jazz?

— Gregory Gibb (@gregorygibb) June 18, 2024

Question: Who would your top lottery draft picks be for the Jazz?

Answer: I haven’t done a Jazz-specific mock draft, and I don’t usually do a “big board” like many people who follow the draft, though I will likely release a first-round mock before next Wednesday.

But, that’s not to say I haven’t taken stock of who I think would best fit the Jazz in this year’s draft with one week to go before the big day.

Below, in no specific order, are the players I think fit the Jazz perfectly, players who I would consider good fits, and the players who I think might be a little awkward if they were to land in Utah next week.

Great Fits:

Alexandre Sarr – The Jazz were the worst defensive team in the NBA last season and shoring up their rim protection would have been a huge win had they moved up in the draft lottery.

Related: Utah Jazz 2024 NBA Draft Prospects

Zaccharie Risacher – I have admittedly not done a deep dive on Risacher (or Sarr) based on the fact that there is no chance they’re on the board for the Jazz at nine. However, his shooting, off-ball defense, and size on the perimeter would be an ideal fit next to Lauri Markkanen.

Nikola Topic – Topic’s nearly 6-foot-6 frame, ballhandling, and passing are an ideal fit in the Jazz’s backcourt that doesn’t have tremendous size or playmaking. If he were to develop as a shooter and defender he might be the best fit of any player in the Jazz for the current roster, but neither of those are guaranteed to come.

Nikola Topic was a projected top-five pick in this year’s draft, but a recently revealed torn ACL could hurt his stock.

Would he be a fit with the @utahjazz if he slides to 10?#TakeNote https://t.co/HMzUPLCOe0

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) June 10, 2024

Cody Williams – Williams’s size, athleticism, touch near the rim, and three-point shooting are all pluses. The Jazz could use a vocal leader and a go-to playmaker on the wing, neither of which are Williams’s strengths, but he would fill a lot of needs on the court, with still untapped upside.

Tidjane Salaun – The Jazz could use another big-bodied shooter and athlete in the frontcourt, and if Salaun develops correctly, he’ll check those boxes. Ideally, he will develop into a versatile defender with excellent size, a serious need for the Jazz.

Good Fits:

Reed Sheppard – Sheppard might teeter on the fine line between good fit and awkward fit due to his lack of size, and the fact that he hasn’t shown he’s a pure primary ballhandler. But, his shooting would be a huge boost to the Jazz’s backcourt, while his passing and basketball IQ would help everyone on the floor.

Stephon Castle – If Castle could shoot he might land in the perfect fit category, but he’s not a proven point guard or shooter, despite his excellent size and defense.

Ron Holland – Holland’s defensive motor, size, and athleticism would all be significant boosts to this Jazz roster. His poor shooting is a concern, but his upside as a playmaking wing would fill a major need if it develops.

Dalton Knecht – Knecht offers many of the same things that Simone Fontecchio brought to the Jazz early last season, but has more upside with the ball in his hands. However, his poor defense might be clunky next to Markkanen.

Dalton Knecht checks a lot of boxes for the @utahjazz, but at 23 years old, he’s the oldest player projected to be taken in the lottery.

Should the Jazz invest the 10th pick in the Tennessee sharp-shooter?#TakeNote https://t.co/U5DHzMobtu

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) May 17, 2024

Jared McCain – Like Sheppard, McCain is almost on the poor fit side of this conversation due to his lack of size and point guard skills. However, his lethal shooting and strong leadership would be well received.

Devin Carter – Another undersized non-point guard, Carter could fall into any of these three categories depending on his development. If he develops as a point guard and continues to knock down threes, his defense and leadership make him a perfect fit.

If either his point guard skills or three-point shot don’t develop, he’d be a good fit, but not a great one. If neither are up to par in the NBA, he’s not a great fit despite his defensive strengths.

Poor Fits:

Donovan Clingan – This isn’t to say Clingan won’t be a good NBA player, but for the same reason the Jazz couldn’t get both Walker Kessler and John Collins on the floor together last season, Clingan would be a square peg in a round hole in Utah, at least on this current roster.

Matas Buzelis – Perhaps with a new role in the NBA Buzelis will make far more sense for the Jazz. But his poor shooting and lack of playmaking last season didn’t check enough boxes to fit in Utah at the moment.

Standing 6-foot-8 with exceptional athleticism, Matas Buzelis was once a candidate to be selected with the top pick in the 2024 NBA Draft?

Now there are talks he could slip down the lottery. Would he be a fit with the @utahjazz?#takenote https://t.co/JHbyIjf9oa

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) May 9, 2024

Ja’Kobe Walter – I actually quite like Walter’s game, in theory. However, the Jazz have a lot of players, young and old, whose theoretical games are better than what they showed on the court last year. That was the case with Walter who projects as a 3-and-D wing, but rarely showed it at Baylor.

Rob Dillingham: Dillingham was the first player I wrote about in this cycle, and remains the worst fit in my opinion. He’s small, poor defensively, and needs shots to impact the game.

His scoring will help any team he plays for, but it might be hard to outscore his negative impact defensively.

Have all the jazz assistant coach positions been filled? Could you see them going after any of the Boston assists?

— Sammy Paradise (@jakepppppp) June 18, 2024

Question: Have all the Jazz assistant coach positions been filled? Could you see them going after any of the Boston assistants?

Answer: The Jazz made several moves last week, including promoting Sean Sheldon to the front of the bench, while Andrew Warren is moving out of the video room and onto the assistant coaching staff.

Chad Forcier left Will Hardy’s staff to rejoin Mike Budenholzer in Phoenix, while Lamar Skeeter is now the lead assistant in Charlotte.

Related: Jazz Announce Numerous Coaching Changes

Scott Morrison who has significant head coaching experience remains with the Jazz as one of the team’s top assistants, as does Jason Terry who enters his third year with the team.

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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.

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