Jazz trade down, draft Weber State's Bolomboy and 2 others


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NEW YORK CITY — A quiet night for the Jazz was punctuated with some local flair.

After trading out of the first round entirely in a deal yesterday that netted PG George Hill, the Jazz again traded down in the second round. The franchise traded the 42nd selection in the draft for the 55th pick and an undisclosed amount of cash under $3 million.

That meant the 52nd pick in the draft was the team's first selection, and with it, they took local Weber State star Joel Bolomboy. After that, they took two collegiate point guards with the 55th and 60th pick: UNC's Marcus Paige and California's Tyrone Wallace. Let's break each move down.

Selling the pick

The Jazz's first move of the night was trading the 42nd pick of the night to the Brooklyn Nets for the 55th pick and some cash.

Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey explained it this way:

"There were a few people that we were focused on at 42 and they went fairly quick, and so there was no question to bring some money into the program and push that pick back to 55. It was the right thing to do. ... Mainly, there were a couple prospects at 42 that went just in front of us."

If the money that the Jazz acquired increased their basketball flexibility under the NBA's rules, I would agree with the move: why not get an asset in return if you believe the player you would draft at No. 42 is going to be there later?

But straight cash isn't really much of an NBA asset. Forbes estimated that the Jazz made $27.5 million in the 2014-15 season, and further guessed that the franchise is worth nearly a billion dollars. This is a profitable operation that can afford to spend any reasonable amount of money on improving the basketball picture. Getting under $3 million in cash doesn't increase their flexibility moving forward, it's just a nice thing for Jazz ownership.

Now, I'm not saying the Jazz's front office is cheap. They bought the Idaho Stampede outright. They're spending nearly $100 million on arena renovations. They spent the cash on Rudy Gobert in 2013 to acquire a pick from Denver. They've massively spent to improve and expand the front office and coaching staff. I'm just saying that they could have still done these things without dropping picks in the draft.

But, while it would have been nice to get a more basketball-tangible asset in a trade-down, if they still would have drafted one of Bolomboy, Paige, or Wallace with No. 42, I suppose it doesn't matter. To be clear: this is the smallest, most minute complaint possible.

Joel Bolomboy

Bolomboy slipped a little to get to Utah: his agent felt he was likely to get selected before pick 40, and so held his client out of workouts with the Jazz. ("The fact that Joel was there at 52 I can’t say was a total surprise," said Lindsey afterwards. Not a good sign for his agent's advice-giving ability.) That hasn't been a problem for the Jazz, though: neither Dante Exum or Rodney Hood worked out for the Jazz in 2014, for example.

He's a good player, and matches a classic archetype for the team: the successful 6'9'' power forward who can rebound in a big way at the collegiate level. Bolomboy averaged 12.6 rebounds per game last season at Weber State, and that will be his NBA skill right away.

That, on its own, is evocative of former Jazz second round pick Paul Millsap, who led the NCAAs in rebounding in his time at Louisiana Tech. Bolomboy's not quite that elite, though, finishing 6th last year, but the comparison fits in a few ways: both are second-round power forwards from small-conference schools with elite rebounding records. In fact, the Jazz coaches brought up Millsap themselves in a quick discussion with Bolomboy that came after the draft.

Bolomboy repeatedly said after the draft that he believes he can bring defense to an NBA team right away, but professional talent evaluators aren't so sure. He's not really a rim protector, averaging only 1.4 blocks per game at the college level, and he's still rotating a step slowly, according to DraftExpress. That's going to be the one key that will determine if he makes it in the NBA: if he can't defend, he won't make it even with tremendous rebounding instincts (see Jack Cooley). If he can, he becomes a pretty valuable role player.

The sooner he recognizes that defensive ability is what determines his NBA future, the better. He should have an opportunity to find that out at summer league, which begins in less than two weeks.

Bolomboy's going to be a long-shot to make the Jazz's roster: The Jazz are coming in with 13 players under contract, and have $26 million to spend in free agency: it's hard to imagine that all going to just one player.

He's optimistic about his chances, though: "My chances are really good. I'm going to be a great defender and a great rebounder, and I'm going to hit all of my shots when I'm open."

Well, giving 100 percent effort doesn't necessarily translate to 100 percent shooting percentages. But I'm glad he's trying.

Marcus Paige

Marcus Paige is a small point guard from North Carolina. You may remember him from hitting this shot in the NCAA Championship game:

ESPN's Jay Bilas was asked about him before the draft, and said this:

Chad Ford on Marcus Paige: pic.twitter.com/Lq67KGpg71 — Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) June 24, 2016

Bilas is right: Paige was so nice to the media in his Jazz draft workout less than a month ago that it stands out, even on the same workout day as also-nice guys Thon Maker and Demetrius Jackson. But Bilas was surprised he was drafted, and his size and limited shooting ability on non-double-clutch shots is the big reason why.

But he's smart, makes good reads in pick and roll, and apparently impressed so much in the workout itself (closed to the media) that the Jazz felt taking him was a good plan. Do I think he'll be an NBA player? Probably not, but stranger things have happened. At worst, if he stays in SLC, he'd be a fine floor general for the Stars.

Tyrone Wallace

Tyrone Wallace had the worst luck at the end of the 2016 NCAA season, breaking his hand in California's final practice before their NCAA tournament game. Getting drafted despite that is a good sign for Wallace.

Wallace is a big point guard: 6'6''. He uses that, plus a 6'10'' wingspan, to defend his position well.

Unfortunately, that's about it. He's not a good shooter from any stripe. Outside the arc, he shot under 30 percent. From the free throw line, he shot under 65 percent. These are bad things. If he has an NBA future, he has to be able to make open shots.

But that's why the pick might be worth it. If he can figure out a shot, then he's an NBA player: a big defensive PG who can hit a shot is pretty valuable in the NBA. It's worth the 60th pick in the draft, to be sure.

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