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SALT LAKE CITY — Now that Tuesday's NBA Draft Lottery has come and gone, and all 30 teams are locked into their spots, mock drafts can really begin with abandon. Here's a roundup of what the major media outlets that cover the NBA think the Jazz will do with their 12th pick.
ESPN's Chad Ford Mock Draft 7.0 ===============================
Ford has the Jazz selecting shooting guard Furkan Korkmaz, an 18-year-old Turkish player. Shooting is Korkmaz's go-to skill, as he's shot 44 percent from 3-point land in the Turkish League and in Euroleague. He's also an impressive athlete. The big question with him is whether his frame will ever fill out for him to be consistent as a defender. For some 18-year-olds, it does, and others it doesn't.
After the lottery, Dennis Lindsey spoke about "significant international talent" that could be the option at No. 12. Korkmaz was one-half of that talented pair, fans will get to the other soon. One question with Korkmaz: When will he come to the NBA? The Jazz might like it to be as soon as possible to get maximum time with head coach Quin Snyder and his staff.
Ford also mentions Denzel Valentine and Malachi Richardson as possibilities "if Skal Labissiere is off the board."
Sports Illustrated Mock Draft 4.0 =================================
Andrew Sharp's mock draft predicts the Jazz will select Michigan State's Denzel Valentine. He is perhaps the most-accomplished player available in the Jazz's range. His 19 points per game, nearly eight assists and eight rebounds per game tell that story. Everyone raves about his basketball IQ. He was, though, a poor defender in college. Will that work for Snyder?
DraftExpress Extended Mock Draft ================================
Jonathan Givony's mock draft also has the Jazz selecting Valentine. As Givony points out, "Seven players in Utah's rotation this past season were under the age of 25, which means the Jazz might like the idea of adding someone who was arguably the most productive player in college basketball last season, rather than another project." As Valentine is 22 1/2 years old, he could be the oldest player drafted in the first round.
This is also our first mock draft that tries to take a look at the second round. Here, DX says Purdue center A.J. Hammons will be selected at No. 42; Mississippi State guard Malik Newman at No. 52; and Weber State forward Joel Bolomboy selected at No. 60.
Bolomboy is the interesting one for local fans. No. 60 is the lowest I've seen him on any mock draft, meanwhile, Ford says some teams are evaluating him for first-round selections. I think that's premature, but I'd bet he's drafted somewhat earlier than the last pick of the draft.
NBADraft.net Mock Draft =======================
This is another mock that has the Jazz selecting the Turkish Korkmaz in the first round.
In the second round, NBADraft.net predicts the Jazz will take Oklahoma guard Isaiah Cousins at No. 42; USC guard Julian Jacobs at No. 52; and Perry Ellis, the Kansas senior, at No. 60.
CBS Sports Mock Drafts
CBS Sports publishes two mock drafts, one by Sam Vecenie and one by Gary Parrish. Vecenie's mock draft has the Jazz selecting Demetrius Jackson, the point guard from Notre Dame. Jackson is a super-quick junior PG with awesome athleticism, with some smarts and decent shooting. He's not big, measuring just 6-foot at the combine without shoes, but he does have a good wingspan and strong body to make up for it.
Parrish's mock draft has the Jazz selecting Timothe Luwawu, the French wing player. He has great size for the wing position, and plays stellar defense. This season, his 3-point shooting was great, shooting 39 percent. In other words, he projects to quickly be an effective 3-and-D type of player, and the Jazz need one of those. Plus, Rudy Gobert would have a French friend on the roster.
Basketball Insiders Mock Draft ==============================
Steke Kyler predicts the Jazz will take Wade Baldwin, a point guard out of Vanderbilt. Baldwin is 6-3, but has a 6-10 wingspan. That gives him a lot of potential defensively, but his offensive game is better as an outside shooter than as a pick-and-roll creator for others. On a roster with Gordon Hayward and Rodney Hood, though, maybe pick-and-roll creation isn't what the Jazz need at PG.
HoopsHype Mock Draft ====================
Add HoopsHype to the list of mock draft creators who believe the Jazz will select Korkmaz.
