Ben Anderson: Utah Jazz mock draft roundup


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SALT LAKE CITY — The NBA draft is this Thursday, and most media outlets are closing in on their final mock drafts, projecting which prospect each team will select.

This year’s draft is particularly puzzling, as outside of Arizona’s Deandre Ayton being the top overall pick, there’s very little known about what the draft will look like beyond that.

It seems the Jazz organization is still hazy on which direction they’ll look with the 21st pick. The Jazz’s vice president of player personnel admitted that while the team is usually focused on just a handful of players at this point in the draft process, this year the Jazz are still sorting through twice the usual number of players.

With just days left before Thursday’s draft, I’ve gathered the leading media outlets' most recent drafts and broken down what each player would add to the Jazz.

ESPN:

Kevin Huerter, from Maryland, is interviewed during the NBA draft basketball combine Friday, May 18, 2018, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Kevin Huerter, from Maryland, is interviewed during the NBA draft basketball combine Friday, May 18, 2018, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Kevin Huerter — SG/SF Maryland

Height: 6’7", weight: 187, age: 19

While Huerter may not have the draft’s highest scoring average (14.8 ppg), the second-year Maryland wing might have the drafts most easily projectable offensive role in the NBA. Huerter is a pure shooter, as evidenced by his 41.7 percent 3-point shooting as a sophomore, and strikingly repetitive shooting motion. His upper body looks identical every time he releases the ball and will translate easily from college to the NBA. He runs hard off the ball and has a quick release after catching a pass.

However, Huerter should develop into more than just a shooter as his career progresses. While he doesn’t have a great first step with the ball in his hands, opposing teams will be forced to run him off the 3-point line, which should allow him to put the ball on the floor and get shots inside the perimeter. His feel for the game allows him to make smart, crisp passes that would translate well in the Jazz system, that would require him to throw lob passes to Rudy Gobert or find his fellow shooters in the corners.

He won’t be a lockdown defender, but with his length, it’s not a stretch to think he could impact a team defensively similarly to Joe Ingles, who despite his athletic deficiencies, plays better than adequate defense.

CBS Sports:

UCLA's Aaron Holiday dribbles up the court during the first half of a First Four game of the NCAA men's college basketball tournament against St. Bonaventure, Tuesday, March 13, 2018, in Dayton, Ohio. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
UCLA's Aaron Holiday dribbles up the court during the first half of a First Four game of the NCAA men's college basketball tournament against St. Bonaventure, Tuesday, March 13, 2018, in Dayton, Ohio. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Aaron Holiday — PG UCLA

Height: 6’1", weight: 187, age: 21

Holiday is a player who seems to be climbing up mock drafts recently, potentially even hearing his name called as high as the 16th pick by the Phoenix Suns. The younger brother of NBA players Jrue and Justin Holiday, the junior point guard had a breakout season for the Bruins, with his scoring averaged climbing over 20 points per game and nearly six assists. Holiday is a true knock-down shooter, averaging better than 42 percent from three throughout his college career, and regularly showing the ability to make shots from NBA range.

At 6-foot-1, he lacks ideal size to match up against starting-caliber players, but his 6-foot-7.5 wingspan should compensate some for his lack of height, as should his experience playing against his larger, older NBA brothers. He lacks the incredible first step that many players his size have but is a creative finisher inside the perimeter. His length and motor make him a high-level defensive prospect.

Holiday’s size and age are his biggest negatives, but his shooting and defense should translate smoothly to the NBA. Holiday has a high basement as a safe backup point guard with an understanding of how to live the NBA lifestyle. If he can show an ability to keep his assist numbers up, and continue to shoot a high percentage, he should find himself with a long, effective NBA career.

NBA.com:

Michigan forward Moritz Wagner (13) fights for a rebound with Oregon forward Jordan Bell during the first half of a regional semifinal of the NCAA men's college basketball tournament, Thursday, March 23, 2017, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Michigan forward Moritz Wagner (13) fights for a rebound with Oregon forward Jordan Bell during the first half of a regional semifinal of the NCAA men's college basketball tournament, Thursday, March 23, 2017, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Mo Wagner — PF/C Michigan

Height: 6’11", weight: 240, age: 21

Wagner is one of the few big men who will hear his name drafted outside of the lottery in Thursday’s draft. After a surprising run, leading Michigan to the NCAA championship game, Wagner has found his name in contention for a late pick in the first round. Wagner’s best skill is his ability to stretch the floor, shooting a very respectable 39 percent from three as a junior. With that ability, it’s hard to imagine Wagner not finding a role in the NBA, even if it’s just as a reserve big who serves to give opposing defenses a different look for short stretches within a game.

Wagner’s lack of elite rebounding (7.1 per game) and questionable foot speed defensively may keep him from being a starting-caliber big man in the NBA, especially if he’s unable to guard opposing power forwards. Despite these questions, big men who can shoot have a role in the NBA, a la Channing Frye.

However, despite the high likelihood that he finds a spot in the NBA, I find it difficult to imagine that his skill set couldn’t be found at a lower cost on the free-agent market, rather than locking him up with a first-round pick. Wagner is an NBA player but is probably a reach at 21.

NBAdraft.net:

Villanova forward Omari Spellman (14) fights for a loose ball with Michigan guard Charles Matthews during the second half in the championship game of the Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament, Monday, April 2, 2018, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Villanova forward Omari Spellman (14) fights for a loose ball with Michigan guard Charles Matthews during the second half in the championship game of the Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament, Monday, April 2, 2018, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Omari Spellman — PF/C Villanova

Height: 6’9", weight: 250, age: 20

Spellman, like Wagner, is one of the few big men who will hear his name called outside of the lottery in this year’s draft. Also like Wagner, Spellman excelled as a floor spacer on a team that made a run to the national championship game. Spellman made an impressive 43 percent of his threes last year at Villanova, on a remarkable 3.8 attempts per game. Spellman also showed a knack for rebounding, averaging eight boards per game in 28 minutes as a freshman.

Despite his promising offensive game, despite being a freshman, he’s older than several sophomores in the draft (Huerter, Josh Okogie), and there are questions about which positions he can guard defensively. He might not be tall enough to defend the league’s best centers and might be too bulky to defend the league’s more athletic power forwards. While he has drawn comparisons to former Jazzman Boris Diaw, if he can’t stay in shape, he may compare more favorably to Marreese Speights.

I would be surprised to see the Jazz draft Spellman, unless they were positive he could play forward at the NBA level, in which case he would help to spread the floor alongside Gobert. Otherwise, I think the Jazz will hope to find shooting in the frontcourt later in the draft, or through free agency.


![Ben Anderson](http://img.ksl.com/slc/2556/255612/25561254\.jpg?filter=ksl/65x65)
About the Author: Ben Anderson ------------------------------

Ben Anderson is a sports contributor for KSL.com. Follow him on Twitter @BenKFAN. Listen to him 2 p.m.-6 p.m., Monday through Friday with Kyle Gunther on ESPN 700.

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