Jazz get what they want again on draft night


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SALT LAKE CITY — For years, Utah Jazz fans have commiserated over the fact that the National Basketball Association’s charms have always worked against Salt Lake City.

Whether it was having to face Michael Jordan twice in the NBA Finals; referee Dick Bavetta waving off a Howard Eisley three that would have won game six of the 1998 NBA Finals; or deliberately tanking this season and still ending up with the fifth pick in the draft, the Jazz have always had to seemingly fight against the odds.

However, on actual draft nights as of late, Utah has had seemingly everything fall into place — especially the last two seasons. Last year, after it seemed Michigan guard Trey Burke would be taken much higher in a weaker draft class, Cleveland’s taking of Anthony Bennett at one turned the draft on its head, and Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey was able to work magic to get Burke and then worked other deals to get Golden State’s 23rd pick in the 2014 draft.

Those moves, coupled with a 25-57 record that helped the Jazz earn the fifth lottery spot, led to Thursday night, with a payoff as to whether or not the recent struggles for Utah were worth it.

After NBA Commissioner Adam Silver delivered the name of Australian point guard Dante Exum, the gathering crowd at EnergySolutions Arena was heard loud and clear. Indeed, the pain was worth it, and now the Jazz can truly begin the rebuilding process.

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But how exactly did Utah gain Exum, who was projected to go earlier in the draft? And was the pick what Utah wants and needs?

To give the background on how Exum joined the Jazz, Philadelphia selecting Kansas post Joel Embiid proved to throw a major wrench in the entire draft, as it was rumored teams were afraid of his foot injury. With that, and Orlando’s taking of Aaron Gordon, Utah found itself with Exum — a move that Lindsey was ready to take advantage of.

Exum is a player who has great potential, and Lindsey said the pick is just another example of his plan to rebuild the franchise.

“It’s a continuance of what we did with the youth movement,” he said. “I think the exciting thing about Dante is he has the speed to play guard, and he has the size and length to play wing. We’ll let nature take its course on how soon, how much, the ball, those types of things. He’s behind two very good guards in Trey Burke and Alec Burks.”

Those comments are a reflection of several things: how Lindsey is rebuilding the Jazz, what Lindsey values in players and how much Lindsey values competition. To put it bluntly, Lindsey wants to rebuild the Jazz with young talent that will progress and go together. Imagine this lineup for a second — Burke at the point; Exum at shooting guard; a re-signed Gordon Hayward at small forward; Enes Kanter at power forward; and Derrick Favors at center. That lineup is young and fresh, yes, however it is also incredibly skilled and working for a new head coach who is more than experienced in the world of player development. Lindsey wants young talent that can be developed the “Jazz way.” Sure, he took on veterans and large salaries, but that’s now resulting in cap space and draft picks. Not a bad tradeoff.

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Lindsey values versatility in players and also values players that will be easy, willing passers. His former team, the San Antonio Spurs, just won an NBA championship playing like that, and now the Jazz have a player in Exum who can do that. Also, don’t be surprised that Lindsey took a player who can play positions occupied by two former lottery picks. Indeed, he values competition above all, and Lindsey will not be afraid to move either player to bench, or trade, if they aren’t the best talent.

If the best talent isn’t what the Jazz are looking for, then why would Lindsey have drafted Duke shooting guard Rodney Hood? Hood is another strong wing scorer in a league that is presently built to where you can never have too many good ones. The Jazz aren’t attached to sentimentality, and they don’t care who was there first; they need, and want, talent — here, now, in vast supply.

Now, where does Utah go from here? The first thing the Jazz have to do is begin developing in Quin Snyder’s image, letting themselves be developed in his system. By all accounts, Exum has the potential to be a great player; Hood can be a tremendous role player. For years, Utah was left trying to scrape up talent of any kind with as late in the draft as it was slotted; now, the Jazz are trying to maximize the vast amounts of talent they have.

Then, once the development is underway, the front office has to determine where the pieces sit and which ones have the most talent. At this point, it shouldn’t be about giving starting spots to players with experience; it should be about giving playing time to the most talented players.

In short, Lindsey’s plan to rebuild the Utah Jazz into a title contender appears to be right on track. Now, as he would aptly say, “it’s time to go to work.”

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Jon Oglesby

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