Mock Draft 3.0 (Full Draft)

[Handlogten's Heros]

We can tank with Lauri. Everyone got off to a fast start and we won 10 of 13 games. Had it been status quo all year I estimate we might’ve gone 32-50 good for the fifth pick odds in the lottery. JC, KO, Beasley, Vandoand even THT played well to start. We can tank with Lauri

I pegged us for 35 wins to start the year... and that was with the assumption we would move a vet or two at some point. Whether you started hot or got hot in the middle of the season... ebbs and flows will happen. What happens if we don't manage Lauri and Sexton to end the year. JC most likely could play (ive had the same injury). If we don't play Samanic and the tanker lineup while holding Lauri out we'd be in the play in right now. If THT opts out and leaves we are up to like $60M in space... some of that will turn into useable players.

Conley was the only real guy we lost tbh. Beasley and Vando are fine but they bring bad and good. With median health I would guess we are somewhere between 33-44 wins next year if I had to guess now. But its throwing darts in the dark as there are 3 pivot points this offseason that need to play out before any educated guess should be made.

 

[Bawse Dawg]

Agreed. Do you think we will sit HEALTHY starters next year doe? Do you think we will trade good players for garbage next year? Do you think Ochai, hardy, kessler, sexton, lauri, tht, dunn, get worse or improve as they age? Do you think we add a total of zero players in free agency or trade?
Our depth will be less **** next season. Really not possible to have depth that ****** unless you try really really hard.

You can use that logic for many teams in history and it hasn't panned out. Those Hornacek Suns are a good example. Ainge also has had tons of teams like that. It's just not as simple as you want to make it. Last season won't matter next year. And it's not some linear growth equation that says we get 45 wins next year.

No depth
Several first or second year players getting major minutes
No obvious team identity or strengths

Does not sound like a killer team. As I've said maybe Lauri is just too good, or Kessler is that dude. But if you can't even fathom the team being bad next year, that is where we'd disagree. You can't be a legitimate playoff team and still be playing the plucky spunky team card. Do we get a bunch of weird *** great performances by not great players when we aren't in the scrappy underdog role all season? Hard to say.

And that's before we even get into the record in close games this season. Every season is its own thing, and maybe not as many variables go in our favor next year. It was a bad season to be as lucky as we were. We'll see how the next one goes. To be clear, I will be rooting for wins from day one next year. But if the season goes south and we end up trying to salvage our draft pick at some point, I won't be shocked.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

@Handlogten's Heros how far do you think we will go if we make the play in or a 4-6th seed? Is that better than getting the 4-9 pick and our young guys getting much more experience rather than riding pine because we trying to scratch and claw for wins. If we tank one more year we will be in a better position to spend assets and salary to bring in the right players.

they’ll improve but chances are they won’t go god mode like they did to start this last year and we could have as many as 3 rookies in the rotation. Even if we do just get the 9-10 pick again that still helps. Young guys get even more experience and adding to incredible depth

I fully understand the virtues of tanking... I was literally the first or one of the first on the tank corner prior to the playoffs last year. I just feel like anyone thinking we can tank is projecting an injury or a trade of one of our key pieces. Winning 33 games and getting the 8th best odds or pick isn't really appealing if you believe the pundits on next year's draft. Punting on 50M of cap space is also challenging.

I just watched Hardy turn chicken **** into chicken salad for 82 games... I am not sure that goes away.

 

[seattlejazzfan]

you generally need at least two drafts with high picks to complete a real turnaround. however, the jazz got much more than they expected out of lauri and kessler and possibly agbaji, so they may not need two drafts. that said, if something were to happen lauri, maybe kessler has an injury plagued season or something and the jazz find themselves deep in the lottery, i'd be okay with that simply because that was my expectation from day one - that they would have high lottery picks - their own picks in 23 and 24.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Put it this way... if you told me the Jazz either won 31 games or 41 games next year and I had to guess right now which one it was... I'd guess 41.

 

[fishonjazz]

You can use that logic for many teams in history and it hasn't panned out. Those Hornacek Suns are a good example. Ainge also has had tons of teams like that. It's just not as simple as you want to make it. Last season won't matter next year. And it's not some linear growth equation that says we get 45 wins next year.

No depth
Several first or second year players getting major minutes
No obvious team identity or strengths

Does not sound like a killer team. As I've said maybe Lauri is just too good, or Kessler is that dude. But if you can't even fathom the team being bad next year, that is where we'd disagree. You can't be a legitimate playoff team and still be playing the plucky spunky team card. Do we get a bunch of weird *** great performances by not great players when we aren't in the scrappy underdog role all season? Hard to say.

And that's before we even get into the record in close games this season. Every season is its own thing, and maybe not as many variables go in our favor next year. It was a bad season to be as lucky as we were. We'll see how the next one goes. To be clear, I will be rooting for wins from day one next year. But if the season goes south and we end up trying to salvage our draft pick at some point, I won't be shocked.

Go ahead and answer the questions one by one based on your own thoughts.

1. Do you think we will sit healthy starters next season like we did this season?
2. Do you think our young players get better or worse next season?
3. Do you think Hardy becomes a better coach next year or a worse coach?
4. Do you think we trade 4 rotational players for garbage next season?
5. Do you think we add a total of zero players to our team in the off season?
6. After answering those questions, do you think our depth is better or worse than damian jones, udoka azubuke, micah potter, vernon carey, jonny juzang, luka samanic, and juan tascano anderson?
7. After answering those 6 questions do you think we are worse next season than we were this season?

I look forward to your answers.

 

[Jingled]

I guess it's possible we could end up with a worse record next season if we keep mostly the same roster we have right now and add 3 rookies and let them play a ton of minutes next season. But I definitely don't think we're going to intentionally tank. Whatever the roster ends up looking like, I think the front office will just let them go out and try to win and whatever happens, happens.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

You can use that logic for many teams in history and it hasn't panned out. Those Hornacek Suns are a good example. Ainge also has had tons of teams like that. It's just not as simple as you want to make it. Last season won't matter next year. And it's not some linear growth equation that says we get 45 wins next year.

No depth
Several first or second year players getting major minutes
No obvious team identity or strengths

Does not sound like a killer team. As I've said maybe Lauri is just too good, or Kessler is that dude. But if you can't even fathom the team being bad next year, that is where we'd disagree. You can't be a legitimate playoff team and still be playing the plucky spunky team card. Do we get a bunch of weird *** great performances by not great players when we aren't in the scrappy underdog role all season? Hard to say.

And that's before we even get into the record in close games this season. Every season is its own thing, and maybe not as many variables go in our favor next year. It was a bad season to be as lucky as we were. We'll see how the next one goes. To be clear, I will be rooting for wins from day one next year. But if the season goes south and we end up trying to salvage our draft pick at some point, I won't be shocked.

Hornacek Suns went from 48 wins to 39 wins... a much easier sink in the standings if say Goran Dragic misses 30 games. If you told me Lauri or Kessler miss 30+ games then sure... maybe we can sink 8-9 wins. I don't think the FO is thinking that way and projecting/planning accordingly. I think they are more likely to find opportunities that make us better than they are to find opportunities for us to use the cap to generate draft assets.

 

[Bawse Dawg]

Go ahead and answer the questions one by one based on your own thoughts.

1. Do you think we will sit healthy starters next season like we did this season? - Every single NBA team does, so probably.
2. Do you think our young players get better or worse next season? - Hopefully better, some may take a step back with a new role
3. Do you think Hardy becomes a better coach next year or a worse coach? - The same?
4. Do you think we trade 4 rotational players for garbage next season? - Probably not
5. Do you think we add a total of zero players to our team in the off season? No, and what is the relevance of this question? Has any team ever added zero new players in an offseason?
6. After answering those questions, do you think our depth is better or worse than damian jones, udoka azubuke, micah potter, vernon carey, jonny juzang, luka samanic, and juan tascano anderson - Better
7. After answering those 6 questions do you think we are worse next season? - Hopefully better. I was nice enough to answer all your questions despite you not addressing a single point I made. Many of which were about why we might not be as good as you think next season.

I look forward to your answers.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

I guess it's possible we could end up with a worse record next season if we keep mostly the same roster we have right now and add 3 rookies and let them play a ton of minutes next season. But I definitely don't think we're going to intentionally tank. Whatever the roster ends up looking like, I think the front office will just let them go out and try to win and whatever happens, happens.

I think the record could be worse... but the set of circumstances that lead us to be 7-10 games worse is pretty tough to project. To be that bad while also being competent and playing hard... you have to have some really ****** players.

 

[Bawse Dawg]

Hornacek Suns went from 48 wins to 39 wins... a much easier sink in the standings if say Goran Dragic misses 30 games. If you told me Lauri or Kessler miss 30+ games then sure... maybe we can sink 8-9 wins. I don't think the FO is thinking that way and projecting/planning accordingly. I think they are more likely to find opportunities that make us better than they are to find opportunities for us to use the cap to generate draft assets.

So a nine win difference. Which would put the Jazz at... 28 wins. No one can predict injuries but a player missing thirty games is not some super rare, improbable thing.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

Yall really think Utah is the only team that will have internal improvement or become healthy lmfao