With the NBA Draft commencing on Thursday, we’ve talked endlessly about what the Utah Jazz do with the ninth pick.
So, what should the Jazz do at No. 16?
They will most likely pick the best player available on their board. Who are those prospects connected to No. 16? It’s clear that there will be a good player available there. The players below are all talented guys, some of whom have a safer floor and some of whom would be an upside play.
There are other names that haven’t been profiled here: people like Gradey Dick, Leonard Miller, Jett Howard, Jordan Hawkins or even Kris Murray could be plausible selections at No. 16. But these five players are the five I think would be the best case. I would add Hawkins to these five. I would probably add Dick to this five as well, considering that Hawkins and Dick are the two best shooters in the draft.
Bilal Coulibaly, 6-foot-8, small forward, Metropolitans 92 (France)
He’s been the talk of the draft for the last two or three weeks, and I think it’s with good reason. His measurements for a true small forward don’t come along every day. He’s a full 6-8, with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, with an 8-foot-11 standing reach, with an almost 40-inch vertical leap. He’s one of the youngest prospects in the draft. He plays in a manner that suggests it won’t be very difficult for him to find a rotational role in the NBA, with a ceiling for so much more.
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True small forwards who offer his length and athleticism help you shrink the floor defensively. Look at what the Denver Nuggets did. They won a championship by being the best postseason defensive team in the league, because they stockpiled long and athletic wings who closed space off the ball. Teams simply didn’t have space to maneuver offensively against Denver. You can do that with people like Coulibaly. That’s why he’s worth the risk, even if he’s raw and likely a year or two away from contributing.
You can point to his flaws and you would have a good argument. He’s not a great shooter at this point. He’s extremely young. If you draft him, he might not pop until his second contract, which means you are essentially taking five years of risk and development.
He’s worth that gamble. His experience against pros will likely speed up his development. He’s proven already that he can be rotational in a professional league at a championship level. (The Met 92 team, led by Victor Wembanyama, lost in their French league title series.) His skillset is more advanced than you think. He’s already very good in transition. He’s a skilled cutter in the halfcourt. He’s much better with the ball in his hand. He also understands the art of spacing and playing with and without the basketball. He’s already an NBA rotational-level defender.
The Jazz likely have two avenues to acquire him: pick him at No. 9 or try to trade back into the lottery to get him. I don’t think he will last until No. 16. The physical gifts are too tantalizing. Someone is going to take a chance on him.
The question is whether that someone should be the Utah Jazz?
Kobe Bufkin, 6-foot-5, point guard, Michigan
Bufkin’s stock has risen to where he’s close to the top 1o. His floor is higher than No. 16 and his ceiling might actually be around picks. 8-10. Even among the top point guards in this draft, you aren’t seeing a three-level scorer like Bufkin, who combines that skill with being a high-level defender. It’s the reason why a number of teams are interested in him.
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He has great size for the position. He’s very good off the dribble and can shoot it above the 3-point line. He’s good in the midrange and he’s one of the best finishing guards in the draft at the basket. Defensively, he stays in front of the ball. He’s competitive on and off the ball: He doesn’t allow himself to get screened and he’s rotationally sound.
His mix of skillsets are valuable in the NBA. Teams are looking for players who provide size on the perimeter and can play both ends of the floor. Those are reasons Bufkin’s stock has improved so dramatically this season, as well as his ability to play point guard.
The Jazz are in a similar position with Bufkin that they are in with Coulibaly. They can either draft him at No. 9, or they can try and trade back up and get him. In my opinion, he won’t be available at no. 16.
But if the Jazz somehow do end up with Bufkin on their roster, there are those around the league who think he can be a primary creator at the NBA level. That’s a far cry from where he was pegged at the beginning of the college basketball season, and even at the beginning of the pre-draft cycle. As a result, he’s been one of the most significant risers of the first round.
Keyonte George, 6-foot-4, combination guard, Baylor
George is an interesting case. A team should draft him if they believe he can be a point guard. If he can’t run the point guard at the NBA level, don’t draft him. I look at everything through a championship lens: what wins a title in today’s league. We know what doesn’t work, and that’s undersized shooting guards. George is a small 6-foot-4.
But, he’s a lottery pick-talent for a reason. Think Bradley Beal. Think even Jamal Murray. Those are skilled, scoring guards with crazy good handles and footwork. They get to spots. They make contested shots. They get almost wherever they want off the dribble. George has that offensive skillset.
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What is concerning are the other parts of the game that need rounding out: the playmaking for others and the lack of top end athleticism, which for me places even more of a premium on his ability to be a point guard.
When I think of George, I go back to Murray, who played mostly off the ball at Kentucky and came into the NBA as much more of a shooting guard. He’ll always be a scorer first. But he’s figured out enough of a balance to where he’s become a monster at the point guard spot.
It should be pointed out that Murray plays with Nikola Jokić, who is one of the best playmakers in the league. So, if the Jazz were to draft George, they might need to find another primary playmaker to go with him. But, if George can do some of this on his own and be enough of a point guard, his scoring package and offensive package as a whole is borderline brilliant.
At his peak, I can see him as a top-two offensive player on a contending team. Potentially finding that kind of player at pick No. 16 is definitely a win.
Jalen Hood-Schifino, 6-foot-6, point guard, Indiana
Between he, Bufkin, George and Cason Wallace, the Jazz are confident of their ability to find a lead guard they can mold for the future. I’ve been high on Hood-Schifino throughout the draft process. He has great size for a point guard. He defends. He scores from two levels, with the exception being at the rim. He makes high-level reads out of pick-and-roll. He has an excellent basketball IQ and a keen understanding of how to run a basketball team.
When you project that, then realize that he can do all of those things and get you buckets when you need them, that’s a pretty nice package to have.
What has concerned me, and has become apparent through the pre-draft process, is the lack of burst off the dribble and lack of lift while finishing. The lack of burst is more concerning, because you have to be able to touch the paint in the NBA as a point guard. He’ll still be able to do it off pick-and-roll. But sometimes, you just have to cook your matchup, and I wonder if Hood-Schifino will be able to do that in high stakes playoff situations. His size will help, especially if he can learn to play to spots and just shoot over guys. But, as he enters the league, it’s a valid concern.
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Still, Hood-Schifino is a terrific prospect and a relatively complete player at this stage in his development. We have been saying this a lot. Being able to snag this kind of talent at the midway point of the first round of the draft doesn’t happen every year.
Cason Wallace, 6-foot-4, point guard, Kentucky
I would probably have Wallace behind Bufkin and Hood-Schifino, although in five years, the lineage of Kentucky guards could prove this to be a mistake.
But, what I see right now is a high-level role player, without the star-level upside of George, Hood-Schifino or Bufkin. I realize I could be wrong about that, as the adage of never betting against Kentucky guards is a real one. Those guys usually become great pros.
I still think Wallace is a 10-year NBA starter. The defense is too good. The shooting keeps him on the floor. I also think he’ll be a key contributor on a title-contending team at some point in his career. Most, if not all, of his strengths as a player are strengths that help NBA teams make deep playoff runs in this modern style of the league.
For those reasons, Wallace is definitely worth a pick at No. 16. The name of the game is finding guys who exist during the playoffs. There is a mountain of difference between regular-season guys and playoff guys. One of the reasons the Jazz didn’t win a title in their previous era is that Rudy Gobert proved to be a regular-season player. The Jazz have to find guys who will win them playoff series. I believe Wallace is one of those players, even if he may not have actual star upside.
Wallace and Taylor Hendricks are alike in that both players’ swing skill will be their capability off the dribble. Wallace is a terrific defender, has long arms, knows how to score and affects a game with how hard he plays. He’s just not great at creating advantage situations off the dribble.
If he figures that part out, the first part of my evaluation will be proven a mistake. But even if he doesn’t he’s a safe pick. His defense and shooting will keep him in the league and in rotations for a decade. He will be a good player more likely than not for a long time.
Related Reading
Draft Confidential:Guards|Forwards | Bigs
Mock Draft:Wembanyama is the top pick among NBA staff
(Photo of Kobe Bufkin: Melissa Tamez / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Tony Jones is a Staff Writer at The Athletic covering the Utah Jazz and the NBA. A native of the East Coast and a journalism brat as a child, he has an addiction to hip-hop music and pickup basketball, and his Twitter page has been used for occasional debates concerning Biggie and Tupac. Follow Tony on Twitter @Tjonesonthenba
