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SALT LAKE CITY — The NBA Draft is just over two weeks away, and the Utah Jazz are fully submerged in predraft workouts. So far, the Jazz have seen only three players with a realistic chance of being drafted with the 12th overall pick, but more are sure to visit the Jazz in the coming weeks.
Bobby Portis is a hard-working, always-intense power forward from Arkansas with intriguing potential, but also a capable skill set that could provide help for the Jazz right away. He shot a blistering 46 percent from the 3-point line as a sophomore for the Razorbacks but attempted fewer than one 3-pointer a game.
As a freshman, Portis shot a far more sobering 27 percent from three, perhaps a more accurate representation of his long-range shooting, at least early in his career. His motor will make him a coaching favorite, even if his lacking shot-blocking ability may limit his defensive potential. While he has better height than Trevor Booker, their potential roles for the Jazz may be similar. Booker showed signs of a developing, if unreliable 3-point shot, while providing incredible hustle. Portis, will provide the same hustle, but will have to prove his hot-shooting sophomore year wasn’t a fluke to take Booker’s spot.
UCLA’s Kevon Looney worked out for the Jazz, going head to head against Portis, and by all accounts performed well. Like Portis, Looney has shown the ability to spread the floor with his long distance shooting, completing more than 41 percent of his 3-point attempts for the Bruins as a freshman. Looney also collected an impressive 9.2 rebounds, the skill set that most commonly translates against NBA competition. Looney lacks the well-rounded game that Portis displayed at Arkansas, but has a higher potential with a superior physical profile. Looney likely wouldn’t record much time as a rookie for the Jazz, but could develop into a rotational player just as Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert come to their next round of contract negotiations.
RJ Hunter, perhaps one of the lesser-known players in the draft, has a combination of skills that could make him an intriguing fit for the Jazz. As a sophomore, Hunter shot nearly 40 percent from three, and a respectable 44 percent from the floor, potentially adding much-needed shooting to the Jazz backcourt. As a junior, Hunter more than doubled his assist numbers, recording an encouraging 3.6 assists per game. Though his shooting numbers dropped as a junior at Georgia State, his freshman and sophomore numbers make him an intriguing shooting prospect, especially with an ability to successfully move the ball as a passer. Hunter’s offensive abilities, mixed with Dante Exum’s defensive prowess could provide a nice backcourt combination, with each player covering the other’s weaknesses.
Over the next two weeks, the Jazz are likely to bring in several more contenders for the 12th pick.
A name commonly mentioned with the Jazz as an option at 12 is Frank Kaminsky, the 7-footer from Wisconsin with a polished offensive skill set. Like Looney and Portis, Kaminsky shot over 40 percent from the 3-point line as a senior for the Badgers, while grabbing 8.2 rebounds per game, and 2.6 assists, a solid number from a college big man. The issues with Kaminsky revolve around his advanced age, at 22 years old, his upside likely isn’t as high as other big men in the draft. While Kaminsky would fill an immediate need for the Jazz, how viable is he in long stretches if either Gobert or Favors go down with an injury? He might have a long career in the league playing 18 minutes a night as a reserve, but is that a high enough ceiling for team in the Jazz who have to improve their overall talent to make the playoffs in the Western Conference.
Myles Turner is a 6-11 center from Texas, who had an up-and-down season as a freshman for the Longhorns. Turner is an awkward athlete, with excellent measurables that combine to create a polarizing future.
On one hand, Turner’s defensive potential, averaging 2.6 blocks per game in only 22 minutes on the floor is what NBA front offices bend over backward to find. However, Turner’s feel and discipline for the game can be lacking. Turner often favored his jump shot, despite a superior physical profile, despite only completing 27 percent of his 3-point shots for the season. Turner’s scoring and rebounding numbers were good for his limited playing time, but experts fear potential injuries in his future with the strange way in which he moves his body.
While some big men seem to run the floor effortlessly, Turner is prone to slowly labor up the floor. The questions about Turner’s physical future are the main reasons he’s likely to be selected around the 12th pick, but if he’s able to stay healthy, and reach his potential, he could be one of the draft’s best players, potentially replacing Favors or Gobert if they price themselves out of the Jazz future.
Kelly Oubre’s role with the Jazz may be hardest to define of any player with the potential to be drafted at 12, mostly because Oubre’s skill set may be the hardest to define of any player in the draft. At 6-7, with a 7-2 wingspan, the Kansas freshman has nearly perfect measuarables for an NBA wing. Matching his elite length, with an above average 37-inch vertical, and it’s easy to see why Oubre is being mentioned as a potential lottery pick. But he also leaves a lot to be desired.
In the modern NBA, passing is at a premium, and Oubre simply hasn’t shown a willingness to do it. Oubre averaged a miserable 0.8 assists per game as a freshman, being either unwilling, or unable to find more gifted offensive teammates. His nearly 36 percent 3-point percentage is solid but unspectacular for an NBA wing, and he has yet to show a consistent ability to attack from the perimeter.
While his physical profile makes him hard to pass up, the questions about his offensive potential should give Jazz fans pause about his future with the team. While Favors and Gobert will continue to progress offensively, neither are likely to be big-time offensive weapons. Much of that burden is likely to fall on the Jazz wings, and Oubre might have a hard time proving he’s more deserving of the role than either Alec Burks, or the blossoming Rodney Hood.
If Kaminsky seems like the most logical fit for the Jazz as a big man, the same could be said about Kentucky’s Devin Booker on the wing. He shot a tantalizing 41 percent from beyond the 3-point line, matched by a very respectable 52 percent from the floor.
In a league that always needs more shooters, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if Booker has a decade-long career. But again, like Kaminsky, Booker’s potential is called into question. Booker lacks elite size, despite better than advertised athleticism. While 6-6 is a good height for an NBA shooting guard, his 6-8 wingspan is far from elite. He hasn’t shown an ability to attack of the dribble in college, a task that will only get tougher at the next level.
There are also questions about the talent level Booker was surrounded by at Kentucky. With potentially 10 NBA caliber teammates, were Booker's weaknesses hidden by the incredible talent around him, or were his strengths? Is there more to Booker’s game that we are yet to see, or will he be relegated to a one-dimensional shooter at the NBA level? Regardless of what we’ve yet to see from Booker, one thing is for sure, his shooting would provide a valuable asset to the Jazz, but will it be enough for the Jazz to pass on other players at his position on draft night?
While no prospect is perfect for the Jazz at 12, all of these prospects have the potential to fill a need for the team as early as next season. Like most years, the Jazz draft night decision will come down to picking between high upside, and proven skill, and this year’s crop has plenty of options.
Ben Anderson is the co-host of Gunther in the Afternoon with Kyle Gunther on 1320 KFAN from 3-7, Monday through Friday. Read Ben's Utah Jazz blog at 1320kfan.com, and follow him on Twitter @BenKFAN.
