What's new
By:
Filters

Grade The Jazz's Draft

I give it a C. Let's be honest, not going to normally find any gems this late so you have to take that into consideration.

I don't hate the Udoka pick, but think he would have been better at #38. I would have taken McDaniels/Bane at #28 to add some more athleticism/shooting as that draft looks better on paper. Those pairings at those selections would have probably made people feel a bit better.

Hughes was an okay selection at #39, but I'm not sure he's going to get substantial minutes anytime soon. Reminds me a bit too much of Kevin Murphy. Just not sure he's anything more than a G-League guy.

Unloading Bradley and #38 is still an Incomplete as we don't know what considerations we're getting, but it's obvious that the team wanted cap space and to replace him. Bradley was an awful selection in 2017 and we all knew it. Likely those considerations turn out to be a hill of beans and that we basically gave the pick for cap relief which is the equivalent of a front office bailout which would turn that to a F grade.

Honestly, our front office has drafted poorly recently. Chances are the Conley pick gets deferred to 2022, but DL and Zanik and team need to step it up. Otherwise...
 
It's pretty clear that the Jazz believe they're close to contending, and they want to make tweaks to their roster rather than sweeping changes.

Now they need a defensive wing who can guard on the perimeter. Hopefully, they can find someone in FA.
 
Catchall said:
It's pretty clear that the Jazz believe they're close to contending, and they want to make tweaks to their roster rather than sweeping changes.

Now they need a defensive wing who can guard on the perimeter. Hopefully, they can find someone in FA.
Click to expand...
For sure, and I'm glad to see it. Makes me so happy to know Lopo probably has night terrors knowing the Jazz wont tear it down for 2nd rate prospects.
 
Saint Cy of JFC said:
Wait, werent you high on Udoka?

You also have to list trading Tony Bradley as a huge W.

And Hughes is very different from anyone wing we have on the roster. Not really comparable to Tucker/Oni. He's a refined scorer. Tucker is just an athlete who pressures the rim and Oni is a 3&D who can't create a bucket.
Click to expand...

Maybe it should be a C-. Not a big deal, if we'd picked exactly the guys I hoped this is still a B- type of draft, we simply didn't do anything big enough to sniff near a high B or an A.

I was 'high' on him at 38 (and particularly high on his athleticism). At 27 more meh. Moving Bradley isn't a L or a W for me, just the cost of doing business.

I guess others seem to be higher on Hughes than I am. I'm not seeing it, he looks like a mediocre college bucket getter who won't have the same success in the pros.
 
Saint Cy of JFC said:
For sure, and I'm glad to see it. Makes me so happy to know Lopo probably has night terrors knowing the Jazz wont tear it down for 2nd rate prospects.
Click to expand...
Not having enough to make it past the 1st round due to poor decisions like overpaying for 2nd rate prospects like Conley irritates me.

But I sleep fine lol

Sent from my SM-G970U using JazzFanz mobile app
 
I'll go with a C. I really wanted Bey, but that's also the Colorado homer in me. I thought Udoka was taken too high, but whatever, over time I care less about that if the player is good. I do think he has potential to be a solid backup C for what the Jazz do, and that's about all you can hope for at pick 27.

I like the pick of Hughes in the second.

That said, I sorta wish they would have just kept the 23rd pick and drafted Hampton.
 
Saint Cy of JFC said:
And I dont get the crying over the Knicks turning 23 into 25 and 33 instead of 27 and 38.

Utah made a trade ahead of time instead of risking it on the clock. It's really not a big deal and Utah didnt draft the guy I wanted when they could have, so them trading up wouldnt have changed anything.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I have my issues with this draft, but this is not one of them. I thought the deal was good at the time and I still think it was good now.
 
On the question of the OP...

with the disclaimer that I haven't watched a lot of those prospects so take the player evaluations with grain of salt:

D - I think drafting a traditional type center who we don't even know will be able to stay on the floor without being hacked relentlessly(because he shoots 30-40% from FT) was a huge mistake. This is more about strategic malpractice rather than based on any strong feeling on the evaluation of the player. We continue to use some of our best assets to draft players that in the best case scenario will be 12-15 minutes a game subs. I thought giving up this high of a pick to dump 3M salary was horrible too. The impending overpay of Clarkson thanks to that dump is an extra salt on the wound. What else? I'm waiting on details of the second trade into the 2nd round to draft Hughes. Honestly, I won't pretend I know what he is like but either way I doubt he's moves the needle in either direction... so I can't really complain about that pick and I can't really be ecstatic about it either.

So overall... about D. I thought there were probably much better players at 23 and at 27 than the one we picked and I thought there were positions that we needed much more than a backup center, which you can probably get in FA for the min. I don't like the way this FO is operating and the priorities it sets for the team. I don't think it makes much of a sense and what's worse is the perfect example of why they shouldn't do something like that was right in front of their eyes - they had to give up a good second to rectify a bust of a pick in a similar direction they chose 3 years ago.
 
Klay's confirmed Achilles tear should also show you how easily the best-laid plans can crumble.

If Rudy goes down, an entire defensive scheme built around him crumbles. Same if DM gets hurt offensively.

It's why you simply need good players who don't fit into a traditional 1 or 5 role and be scheme-diverse.
 
C. Its hard to give it higher knowing the move is for Tony Bradley's replacement. A guy who would have more value in the game 10 years ago, not so much in the modern day(particularly in the playoffs). Look, the jazz arent great at drafting, I dont think you need any more evidence than this year.
 
The grade really depends upon guys we passed up. My first reaction, yes it was emotional was an F. That was before we drafted Elijah. I really like his offensive ability to create his own shot. He was a number 1 in college so he isn't afraid to take a big shot. I see his shooting percentages going up when he is only concentrating on basketball. I like his athleticism. We will see on his defense.
I was most upset with where we drafted Udoka, perhaps all the mocks were wrong. After reading about him I am more encouraged, Bradley was not doing it for me. Jazz still need to clean up roster and improve their bench even more. I wish Tony well, he worked his butt off changing his body and did improve but I am happy about the trade. He will always struggle due to his lack of athleticism. I give it a C+
=
 
Last edited:
Catchall said:
It depends on what the Jazz are trying to accomplish in the draft. They obviously settled on a strategy to upgrade their defense at the backup 5 position, and they saw Udoka as the best way to do that. They decided they wanted a rotation-caliber 2-guard and felt Hughes could play that role (kind of a more athletic Rodney Hood with occasional defense). So the Jazz made a rational plan and they executed it, while also getting Tony Bradley off their payroll. You could tell that Justin Zanik and Dave Morway were satisfied with the night they had.

From my perspective, I normally see the draft as a way to swing for starter and even star-caliber players. Maybe Udoka will be that, who knows? But the Jazz could have just sat at #23 and drafted RJ Hampton or Jaden McDaniels, two one-and-done players with long-term starter and even possibly fringe All Star potential. Then they could have made a move to acquire another pick to draft Udoka in the early 2nd round. In other words, the Jazz walked away from the opportunity to draft a potential starter who fell into their range.

Dallas picked up Josh Green, Tyler Bey, and Tyrell Terry--all solid rotation pieces with clear roles and value in the modern league.
Denver picked up Zeke Nnaji and RJ Hampton, two first-round players that will make an impact for them.

The Jazz front office thinks that Udoka is a rare commodity who is athletic enough to guard in space eventually and won't be made a liability on a spaced floor. Then on the offensive side, they think they've basically got a Shaq-like beast at the rim.

Udoka is the guy the Jazz wanted and they positioned themselves to get, while clearing Bradley from the roster. The jury is still out for me until I see how Udoka translates to the NBA and the Jazz's system.
Click to expand...
Udoka better start working on his FTs because he needs to get them up to high 60s or his minutes will suffer.
 
C+ I liked that we traded down and were able to add two players. My initial reaction to Udoka was WTF but I am starting to talking myself into liking it. I know everybody is into small ball those days but I don't think it doesnt mean you can't be succesful in a different way. I really like what I see in Hughes. Also hard to evaluate it all without knowing how we will complenent this with moves in FA. I hope we get rid of Ed , resign Clarckson and get some wing.
 
cowhide said:
Udoka better start working on his FTs because he needs to get them up to high 60s or his minutes will suffer.
Click to expand...

I'm looking at Shaq's and Dwight Howard's FT percentages and am thinking Udoka will end up in the same range--probably 50% - 60% range. Teams haven't been using the hack-a-player strategy much these days because it puts the team in the penalty, and the ticky-tack fouls that get called on the perimeter then become FTs.
 
B

For most draft picks the draft is a educated guess and that is definitely true as you get lower in the draft. Many of the wings people were enamored with will likely be busts and some may become solid starters. What appears to be true is the the Jazz are committed to a defensive scheme that has a rim protector. Like it or not that is true and key point with what they did. With that as a given, I see multiple benefits to Udoka:
1) He appears to be more athletic than Rudy and bigger bodied. I think he has a significant upside
2) You now have the possibility of a back up who can protect the rim when Rudy sits down
3) If Rudy and the Jazz cant work out a long term contract that works for Rudy, you have someone you can develop to take his place. It may not work but that is true with anyone they might have picked. And he has several years to develop while Donavon is still here. He might even make Rudy expendable for a lot less money. Long shot but part of draft logic
4) My guess is they picked him up in round 1 because they thought someone else might take him OR they wanted the ability to lock him up salary wise as a first round guy since there are not many legit rim protectors out there. Much harder to find than wings.

And if what you here about Hughes is accurate, they are counting on him having an ability to score and looking a lot better in a different system. In my mind that is worth the risk as a 2nd rounder. Some pretty smart people seem to think that might work
 
I certainly don't know enough to offer a grade, but I have a question for some other commentators. When do we see defenses hacking other team's bench centers for the 10-12 minutes they are in the game? Isn't a hacking defense more likely something you see at the end of the 4th quarter? I don't see the FT shooting being a huge issue right now.
 
This thread was just begging for a poll.
 
One Brow said:
I certainly don't know enough to offer a grade, but I have a question for some other commentators. When do we see defenses hacking other team's bench centers for the 10-12 minutes they are in the game? Isn't a hacking defense more likely something you see at the end of the 4th quarter? I don't see the FT shooting being a huge issue right now.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Even with Rudy, who is inconsistent from the line, never gets "Hack a Shaq" treatment. It worked with Shaq because he was such a force that if you didn't foul him, he'd score.
 
After FA I want to change my grade to an F. This Udoka Azubuike makes ZERO sense if you going to bring in Favors for 3 more years. What's Udoka gonna be doing in the meantime? Dominate the G-league? What a complete and utter waste.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top